Monday, May 30, 2011

Baccalaureate & Graduation 2011: PIU


Sunday, May 8, PIU held it "Graduates' Worship Service" at Onnuri Korean Church in Mangilao, Guam. Here at the left are the ladies that graduated . . .













. . . and at the right are the men.















The salutatorian for the graduating class of 2011 was Joyce Owen. She provided a message of inspiration as she challenged her fellow graduates to follow and serve God with their gifts.











There were also a couple of musical presentations . . .













. . . and I had the privilege of presenting the "Teacher of the Year" award to Steve Bradley.











The next day, in spite of heavy rains and some complications (including an island-wide power outage only minutes before graduation was to begin on campus) we held graduation, beginning almost right on time. At the right you see some of our graduates with our president, Dave Owen, and some local visiting dignitaries: a local judge, the President of Guam Community College, and the Mayor of Talofofo.



Many of the faculty members wore their college regalia in honor of the occasion. Left to right, Hardy Sunderwald; Nino Pate; me; Eric Sorenson.











This year, the Lt. Governor of Guam provided a speech and we took a "Kodak moment" to get his picture with our seminary dean, our "tied" valedictorians, and our president.

It was a great celebration, followed by a lovely reception that the PIU faculty and staff worked on together, providing snacks and beverages so that families could linger with their graduates, chat with friends and PIU staff members, and just enjoy the celebration.

Please continue to pray for these young men and women who have had the privilege of obtaining their college degrees. Many of our AA graduates will return in fall to continue on and get their BAs. I also know of one BA graduate who is considering taking classes to get his MA degree. Pray for these future leaders of Micronesia, that God would use them to help their communities and be a blessing, honoring Him with their lives.

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