WESTMONT NEWS
Commencement Offers Promise of Joy Everywhere
The warm hearts and sunny dispositions of 320 graduating seniors lit up the gray skies and light drizzle the morning of May 4. The inspiring talks, prayers and songs of thanksgiving celebrated the class of 2024 and their families and loved ones who came to honor them.
Graduating senior Eden Lawson encouraged his fellow graduates to buck the norms, choose an alternative path and live unexpectedly. “We’re launching out in a culture asking who can shout louder, and I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to whisper,” he said. Read his talk on page 40.
Fellow senior Rebecca Li said her Westmont education stretched her more than she could have anticipated. “If we rely on our might, our power, we miss out on witnessing the spirit break forth into the miraculous mundane,” she said. Read her talk on page 41.
President Gayle D. Beebe presented the Westmont Medal to Palmer Jr. and Susan Jackson. He encouraged the graduates to give back to their communities like the Jackson family, beginning with Palmer’s great-grandfather, who moved to the Santa Barbara area 100 years ago. Susan reflected on her connections to the college and her joy in serving on the Westmont Foundation Board for more than a decade.
Rick Pointer, professor emeritus of history, asked the graduates what story they would tell of their time at Westmont. “How we choose to remember and recite the defining or pivotal seasons or moments of our lives, goes a long way to shaping our sense of ourselves and the world,” he said. Read his talk on page 21.
Edee Schulze, who retired this year as vice president for student life, presented the Dean’s Award to Logan Thompson and Anneline Breytenbach, given to the outstanding male and female graduates who have demonstrated excellence in the classroom, have made superior contributions to an intercollegiate athletic team, and have demonstrated a deep faith in Christ.
Zach Hauw won the Dave Dolan Award, which recognizes the outstanding graduate whose campus leadership has made significant contributions in our awareness and response to the social and spiritual needs of the community, the nation and the world.
Alex Armstrong and Eden Lawson won Kenneth Monroe Awards, given to the outstanding male and female graduates who have demonstrated superior academic achievement in the classroom, excelled as leaders on campus, and shaped other students’ lives through their integrity, character, and faithfulness.
Breytenback, Hauw and Katherine Knapp were honored as First Seniors for achieving perfect 4.0 GPAs during their entire academic career at Westmont.
Provost Kimberly Battle-Walters Denu gave Teacher of the Year Awards to Anna Aboud (mathematics), Elizabeth Gardner (communication studies) and Jeff Schloss (biology).
Amanda Sparkman, professor of biology, earned the Faculty Research Award for her ongoing investigation of the evolution of dwarfism in Channel Islands National Park reptiles.
About 50 Golden Warriors, who graduated in 1974, marched in the procession to celebrate their 50th reunion, including Nancy Favor Phinney, editor of the Westmont Magazine, and Troy Harris, longtime director of risk management at Westmont who has retired.
In his charge, Beebe recalled how the graduates began their Westmont education in the thick of the COVID pandemic, which forced classes to be held online for the first month of the semester. “But your perseverance has paid off,” he said.
Beebe encouraged the graduating class to be aspirational and serve purposes greater than themselves, anchoring their lives to God. He emphasized the importance of strengthening spiritual and intellectual capacities to make a positive impact in the world. “My hope for you is that the challenges that have come to you and the challenges that are sure to come in the years that lie ahead, will not destroy you, but will direct you to the purposes for which God has prepared and equipped you,” he said.