Graduation

138th McPherson College Commencement Ceremony

Saturday, May 9, 2026
9:00 am | McPherson Stadium

2026 Graduate Photo Album
Hi-resolution photos of graduates receiving their diplomas at the commencement ceremony for downloading.

PRELUDE

Brass Quintet Mr. Trae Gehring-tuba, Mr. Eric Goering-trombone, Dr. Isaac Hopkins-trumpet, Prof. Kyle Hopkins-horn, Dr. Kirk MacGregor-trumpet

Amparito Roca by Jaime Texidor Dalmau
Canzona Prima a 5 by Giovanni Gabrieli/arr. Arnold Fromme
Sonata from Die Bänkelsängerlieder by anonymous/arr. Robert King
March from Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst/arr. Jerry Nowak

PROCESSIONAL

Bagpipes Mr. Lonny Liljegren, Mr. Gavin Frazier, Mr. Ben Mourn

Traditional Scottish Bagpipe Tunes

INVOCATION

Dr. Aaron Meis, Executive Vice President

WELCOME

Ms. Kenya McCain, Senior Class Representative

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

Prof. Michaela Groeblacher, Professor of Art

“The Transformative Power of Clay: Lessons for Everyday Life”

PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES

Dr. Matthew Skillen, Vice President for Academic Affairs

CONFERRING OF DEGREES AND HONORS

Dr. Michael Schneider, President
Dr. Matthew Skillen

BENEDICTION

Dr. Aaron Meis

RECESSIONAL

Brass Quintet

Triumphal March from Aida by Giuseppe Verdi/arr. Bill Holcombe

Program Notes

Honor Graduates
Students who have attained a cumulative grade point average of 3.55 will be graduated cum laude (with honors). Students who have attained a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 will be graduated magna cum laude (with high honors). The designation summa cum laude (with highest honors) is reserved for those students who have attained a grade point average of 3.90 or above. Because honors are not computed until all grades have been recorded, honors will not be announced for summer graduates or persons with transfer credit outstanding.

Photographs of Graduates
A professional photographer will be taking pictures of graduates receiving their diplomas. The photos will be available for download free of charge. A link to the photographs can be found on the commencement web page the week after graduation.

A student’s participation in the commencement ceremony neither guarantees nor implies graduation from McPherson College. Graduation is conferred upon completion of all program requirements.

About the Commencement Speaker

Michaela Groeblacher

Born and raised in Austria as a people- and nature-loving, artistic child, Michaela worked as a physical therapist for ten years, before she and her husband and daughter emigrated to the USA in 1989, arriving first in McPherson, Kansas. They later moved to the Pacific Northwest, where she found that landscape design combined her love for art and nature, and she earned a degree that led her to plan and oversee the installation of many gardens in and around Seattle, WA. In 2000, moving back to Kansas challenged her creativity yet again. Influenced by the wide-open spaces, the closeness to land and earth, and encouraged by an artist friend who introduced her to clay as an artistic medium, Michaela began sculpting in clay, which led her to receive a BA in fine arts from McPherson College in 2005. During art classes her childhood love for painting re-awakened, and she started dividing her creative time between working in clay and painting. Eventually she found a way to combine both media and her knowledge as a therapist in her “Clay People” sculptures, many of which were derived from her experience as sculptor-in-residence in a Kansas nursing home (Bethany Home in Lindsborg). In 2014 she graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree from Fort Hays State University, specializing in figurative ceramic sculpture. She has been a member of the art faculty at McPherson College for 14 years and resides in Lindsborg.

Her art work is exhibited nationally and internationally and has received many awards. It is part of private, corporate, and museum collections in the USA and Europe, has been featured on TV, and is published in ceramics magazines and art books.

The Academic Costume

Gowns
Since the clergy were the teachers of the Middle Ages, it was natural that their garb became symbolic of the teaching profession as it moved out of the cloister. In the United States, the general wearing of gowns for commencement began in the 1880s. Gowns were originally designed to be worn open or closed. However, closed gowns have become the tradition in this country. Currently, there are three distinct types of gowns: the undergraduate’s gown with its long, pointed sleeves; the master’s gown with long, closed sleeves; and the doctor’s gown with its rounded, full-balloon sleeves and chevrons.

At one time, the color of the gown denoted the wearer’s area of educational specialty, but in the United States the majority of gowns are black. Some universities have designated a particular color as appropriate for their gown, such as the Yale blue, the Cornell red, and the Northwestern purple. These are symbols of the schools’ colors rather than an area of educational specialty.

Gowns of the medieval period were woolen. Some were decorated, and some were lined with fur for warmth. In later eras, velvet came into use, primarily for decoration. In the nineteenth century, the bachelor’s gown was of worsted material; master’s and doctor’s were silk. Trim was used only on doctoral gowns, and the velvet trim on the facing, as well as the bars and chevrons on the sleeves, was either black or the color of the trimming on the hood. Contemporary materials of rayon, nylon, and polyester have replaced the lightweight wool formerly worn for warmth.

Hoods
Originally the hood was the upper part of the cowl worn by monks and friars of the Middle Ages and was designed to keep rain and drafts off its wearer. When not needed, it was pulled off and allowed to hang down over the tippet, or short cape, which was layered over the gown for additional warmth. Later the hood and tippet were joined in the American-style hood.

According to tradition, all hoods are of black material. Bachelor’s and master’s hoods have a “simple” shape attached to a tippet or small cape. The bachelor’s hood, from Oxford, should be three feet long. The master’s hood is four feet long, and the doctoral hood and panel are an additional six inches in length. The hood is usually the same material as the gown.

In medieval times, the hood lining was often fur, but in 1426 an order issued at Oxford allowed people to use hoods lined with silk for the summer months. Currently, most hoods are lined with rayon, nylon, or cotton satin instead of the more expensive silk or fur.

The trim around the edge of the hood, two to five inches wide, represents the department or faculty of learning. The hood lining is in the colors of the college or university conferring the degree. It is appropriate for the individual to wear lining colors of either the institution granting the degree or the institution to which the wearer is officially connected.

Caps
The Oxford cap or mortarboard worn by all graduates from a degree-granting institution comes from the biretta, a cap worn by the Venetian doges during the Italian Renaissance. This cap originally fit over the ears and had a square top with no tassel. Current usage has modified it to a black square on a skull cap pointed front to back. The attached tassel designates the area of educational specialty of the undergraduate degree.

Tassels
Graduates of McPherson College earning a bachelor of science degree wear gold tassels. Those receiving a bachelor of arts degree wear white tassels. Master of Education graduates wear blue tassels.

The College Seal
“Life and Light” (John 1:4) is sometimes given as an interpretation of the Greek motto on the McPherson College seal. The horizontal line (zoe) indicates life. The vertical line (phos) indicates light. The seal was designed in 1920 by W.E. Brubaker. The year 1887, which appears on the seal, is the date of the founding of the college.

The seal is reserved for use on official McPherson College documents and publications. It is stamped in raised letters on diplomas and transcripts, and a gold replica is placed or stamped on many official college certificates of award.

Brent A. Aamodt, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Health Science: Movement

Ghaliyah Qa’Shae Nacole Ali, BS
Sociology: Criminal Justice

Maelynne Atkins, BA
Art & Design: Pre-Art Therapy
Biology

Tarrance David Austin, BS
Business Administration: Accounting, Finance

Joe Balboni, BS†
Business Administration: Management

Kennedy McNeil Batchelder, BS
Automotive Restoration: Management
Communication

Jo Bejar, BS
Automotive Restoration: Technology, Management

Olivia Bell, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Psychology: Health & Human Services

Adam Benalcazar, BS
Automotive Restoration: Management

Matthew Bomersback, BS
Cum Laude
Business Administration: Management , Finance

Hunter Boneau, BS
Business Administration: Management

Isabella Bradley, BS*
Automotive Restoration: Art and Design
Business Administration
Studio Art
Photography

Horace Bradshaw VI, BA
Digital Media: Visual Design

Matthew A. Bouwkamp, BA†
Art & Design: Graphic Design

Nathan G. Brown, BS
Mathematics: Licensure

Tristen Brown, BS
Sport Studies
Philosophy and Religion

Caitlin Buendia, BA
Digital Media: Visual Design

Marcus Alan Burton, BS
Cum Laude
Health Science: Movement

Fabian Camacho, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Elementary Education
Mathematics

Anthony Joseph Campanelli, BS
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Anthony Campos, BS*
Business Administration Finance

Canon Cavanaugh, BA
Summa Cum Laude
History: Licensure

Reagan C. Chapman, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Business Administration: Finance

Michael Phillip Christensen, BS
Cum Laude
Business Administration: Finance

Brandon James Clifford, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: History
History

Abigail McLendon Coe, BS
Automotive Restoration: History
History

Travaris Coleman, BS†
Business Administration: Management

Mason Walker Cox, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: Technology
Business Administration

Kayla Crocker, BS
Health Science: Allied Health

Aeneas Davis, BS
Psychology: Child Development

Andrew Dehn, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: Management

Anthony Paul DeVries, BA
History: Licensure

Brayton Scott Dewell, BS
Cum Laude
Environmental Stewardship

Katie Lynn Dix, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Elementary Education
Theatre
Communication

Kyle J. Doberer, BS
Cum Laude
Biochemistry
Business Administration

Noah Durham, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: Management

Leo Egging, BS
Environmental Stewardship

Aaron Elvin-Temple, BS†
Summa Cum Laude
Psychology: Health & Human Services

Dominic Essumang, BS†
Sport Studies

Tara Kathryn Vitucci Feeney, BS
Automotive Restoration: Management

Octavius Flient, BA
Theatre
Communication

William Zachary Foote, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Health Science: Allied Health
Psychology

Ian Chapin Foster, BS
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Tyler Foster, BS
Cum Laude
Psychology: Health & Human Services
Sociology: Criminal Justice

Donavan Ray Franklin, BS*†
Sport Management

Elias Samuel Freed, BS
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Caitlynn Frost, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Elementary Education: Special Education

Kadin Gehring, BS†
Business Administration: Finance

Zachary Lance Gerber, BS
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Austin M. Glezen, BS
Sport Management
Coaching

Amanda Goering, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Environmental Stewardship

Joseph Gonzales, BA†
Communication

Nicolas James Gonzalez, BS
Health Science: Movement

Gabe Goodnight, BS*
Sport Management

Lamar Gordon, BS*
Sport Management

Jacob Alan Guignard, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Business Administration: Management

Mekhi Guiton-Haslip, BS*
Sport Management

Alexander Haberstroh, BS
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Jacob Hammon, BS
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Caden Hardgrave, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Business Administration: Accounting , Finance
Communication

Jewel Marie Hardin, BA
Magna Cum Laude
Art & Design: Graphic Design Photography
Communication
Storytelling

Arianna Harlan, BA
Summa Cum Laude
Art & Design: Graphic Design Photography
Studio Art

Grant Bowie Harned, BS*
Environmental Stewardship

Zachary Dean Hawley, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Environmental Stewardship
Sociology
Photography

Vanessa Mavie Hofer, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Sport Management
Communication

Jack R. Holderman, BS
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Steele B. Jackson, BS†
Cum Laude
Business Administration: Management

Romin Jimenez, BS
Health Science: Movement

Ayden Johnson, BS
Psychology: Health & Human Services

Anthony Kaiser, BS
Business Administration: Accounting

Daniel Kaiser, BS
Business Administration: Accounting , Finance

Brady Kaplan, BA
Communication

Keelee Lynn Kemp, BS
Health Science: Allied Health
Psychology

Kamal Kennedy, BS
Cum Laude
Sport Management
Coaching

Brysen N. Kerby, BS
Cum Laude
Biology
Communication

Ty M. Kraemer, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Environmental Stewardship

Jared Kramp, BS
Business Administration: Management

Cody Kuss, BS†
Magna Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: Technology
Business Administration

Au’mario Edwin-Jabez Landrum, BS
Biology: Pre-PA, Pre-Med

Sidney Leand Larrew, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Business Administration: Accounting, Finance

Traven Lewis-Johnson, BS*†
Business Administration: Management

Cesar J. Lopez, BA
Magna Cum Laude
Philosophy & Religion: Pre-Law

Landri G. Lopez, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Psychology: Health & Human Services
Coaching

Rhyan Alexa-Luv Lucas, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Biology
Spanish

Phebe Lyne, BA
Art & Design: Graphic Design

Seth Madron, BS
Business Administration: Management, Finance, Marketing

Ari J. Manoogian, BS
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Gabrielle Martin , BA
Art & Design: Graphic Design

Becky Munona Masengu, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Biochemistry
Biology

Anitzia Dennis Mayorquin Castaneda, BS
Biology

Exauce Mukuta Mbawu, BS
Health Science: Allied Health

Kenya Yasmin McCain, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Business Administration: Management, Marketing
Communication
Psychology

Desirae Lyn McQuillan, BS
Psychology: Child Development
Sociology

Carlos Mendez, BS
Healthcare Management

Eric Mendoza, BS*
Sport Studies

Meliyah M. Moore, BS
Business Administration: Management

Breanna Morck, BA*
History

Simon Mukadi Mulumba, BS
Cum Laude
Business Administration: Accounting , Finance

Cash A. Nab, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: History
History

Sergio Daniel Najera, BS
Sport Studies

Arthur Lyndon Stanley Nardy, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Sociology: Criminal Justice
Psychology: Health & Human Services

Juan L. Negrete, BS†
Business Administration: Management , Marketing
Spanish

Cole Edward Nichols, BS*
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Kamryn Nolan, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Business Administration: Management

Daniel G. Norris, BS
Business Administration: Management

Eludie Tsasa Nsunda, BS
Business Administration: Finance , Accounting

Isaac Dizolele Nsunda, BS
Business Administration: Management

Alyssa Nutt, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Business Administration: Accounting

Hunter Isaac Ormond, BS
Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Tayton Lee Ornelas, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Psychology: Health & Human Services
Sociology

Ashlee Oster, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Healthcare Management
Business Administration

Francisco Alberto Paradis Hurtado, BS
Cum Laude
Sport Management
Coaching

Marcus Patton, BS*
Sport Management

Breckyn N. Porter, BS
Environmental Stewardship
Studio Art

Samuel Povod, BS*†
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Connor Michael Powers, BS
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Gillian Rodgers, BS
Sport Studies

Adryan Rodriguez, BS†
Business Administration: Accounting , Finance, Management

Kortinzea Iona Renee Rue, BA
Art & Design: Studio Art

Cheyn Sanders, BS
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Alexia Jane Sandoval, BS
Biochemistry
Chemistry

Philip J S Schieffelin, BS†
Summa Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Texas Ranger William Schmidt, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Biochemistry
Business Administration: Management

Ty A. Schroeder, BS
Cum Laude
Business Administration: Finance , Management, Marketing

Ernest Kevin Skehan, BS
Automotive Restoration: Management

Mason Small, BS
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Hannah Merica Smalley, BA
Summa Cum Laude
Art & Design: Licensure

Charles Snyder, BS
Elementary Education: Special Education

Adan Joshua Soto, BS
Sociology Criminal Justice

Jack Talmage Southern, BS
Business Administration: Finance

James W. Sparks, Jr., BS†
Summa Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Taylor Starr, BA
Summa Cum Laude
Art & Design: Graphic Design
Photography,
Studio Art

Joseph Stefanese, BS
Magna Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Kaylee Jean Stegora, BS*
Psychology: Child Development

Blake Mitchel Storts, BS
Digital Media: Communication
Storytelling

Samuel Anthony Stufflebeam, BS†
Automotive Restoration: Management

Blake J. Swingle, BS†
Magna Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: Management

Jonathan Tatum, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Sport Studies

Ky’rell N. Taylor, BS
Health Science: Movement

Thomas Kyle Tencer, BS†
Magna Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: History
History

Layla Towner, BS
Business Administration: Management

Gillian Sharee Ulrich, BS
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Colt Uphold, BA
Digital Media: Communication

Drake Contreras Valenzuela, BS
Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Matthew Patrick Perez-Vigil, BS
Sport Studies

Christopher Wagner, BS
Summa Cum Laude
Health Science: Allied Health

Katy N. Osborn-Ward, BS
Health Science: Allied Health
Biology

Katie Warden, BS
Cum Laude
Sociology: Criminal Justice

Amethyst Weinhoffer, BA†
Art & Design: Graphic Design

Kayik Wildcat, BS
Cum Laude
Sport Studies

Matthew A. Williams, BS
Cum Laude
Psychology: Health & Human Services

Jacob Q. Winters, BS†
Summa Cum Laude
Automotive Restoration: Technology

Alexis Wolfe, BS
Cum Laude
Sociology: Criminal Justice
Psychology: Child Development

Logan Wonser, BS
Psychology: Child Development
Sociology: Health & Human Services

denotes minor emphasis
* denotes summer graduates
† denotes in absentia

Monday, April 27

10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Senior Fest in Friendship Hall
All graduating seniors are required to attend Senior Fest to receive their caps and gowns, ensure they have filled out all necessary forms and surveys, and receive their student athlete and leadership stoles, senior SGA gift, and MC Alumni gift!

To receive your cap and gown, your bill must be paid, including the last payment for a payment plan. Any seniors who are student teaching and unable to attend can reach out to the Registrar’s Office at [email protected] to arrange to pick up your items during business hours before graduation.

Thursday, May 7

1:00 p.m. Class Group Photo at Harnly Garden
All bachelor’s degree students should report to Harnly Garden (in front of Melhorn Hall) at 1:00 p.m. in cap and gown. Please be on time so you do not miss being a part of the group photo. You will receive a link to your free group photo in a future email.

Following Class Photo Commencement Rehearsal for All Graduates
Immediately following the group photos, we will rehearse for the Saturday ceremony. Note: You must attend rehearsal if you plan to participate in Commencement.

Saturday, May 9

8:30 a.m. Line Up for Commencement Processional
We will gather inside Holman Fieldhouse to line up for the processional. Students line up alphabetically by last name in the large gym. Faculty and staff in the small gym. The platform party, faculty, staff and graduates will process in that order from the Fieldhouse to seating on the track.

9:00 a.m. Commencement Ceremony
So that you and your family need not worry about capturing the moment, a professional photographer will take photos of all graduates as they receive their diploma cover. You will receive a link to access your free photo in a later email. The ceremony will also be streamed on this page.

After the Ceremony
The recessional will conclude in front of Miller Library. You, your family, and friends are welcome to linger on campus and take casual photos.

The Boiler House
Will be open on Friday and Saturday for families on campus for graduation.

To order class rings and commencement invites, please visit www.cbgrad.balfour.com.

Graduates’ guests will not need tickets for admission to the stadium. However, lightning, strong storms, or disruptive conditions such as the high winds could still drive the Commencement ceremony indoors to Brown Auditorium. Because tickets will be required for selected guests to gain admittance to Brown Auditorium, graduates will receive tickets, which will be sent to their Bulldog email address.

Important Reminder! You are eligible to participate in the Commencement ceremony provided you meet all the following conditions:

Your financial balance is paid in full.
You have completed the Career Services outcomes survey.
You meet the following academic criteria:
- You have six or fewer credits remaining to complete your degree.
- You have a minimum GPA of 2.0 or higher in both your major and your cumulative residential coursework.
- If you are an elementary education major, you have completed your student teaching.
- If you are seeking secondary teaching licensure, you have completed your major content requirements.

Should you have additional questions about the above conditions or about the Commencement rehearsal or ceremony, do not hesitate to contact the registrar’s office at [email protected].

Past ceremonies:

2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019

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