Westmont College bid farewell to more than 300 graduates on Saturday with a ceremony where they were urged to view the next phase as a chance for “sinking your roots elsewhere.”
“Allow me to conclude simply by encouraging you to think of this transition to life beyond Westmont as a chance to be repotted into new communities, churches, jobs, degree programs or internships ” said history professor Chandra Mallampalli, who is moving to Boston after teaching at Westmont for 22 years. “You’re not launching off the ground on some dark star, supersonic jet but are seeking your roots elsewhere.”
The ceremony on Thorrington Field spanned more than three hours Saturday morning with speeches, prayers and songs before graduates received their diplomas.
The service celebrated Westmont’s inaugural cohort of eight nursing students, marking the culmination of their 16-month education in the Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing program.
Mallampalli was one of several speakers to refer to the Westmont graduating class’ Bible verse, Colossians 2:7. “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
Graduates Mercy Milliken and Tobi Oyebade offered reflections of their time at Westmont after she arrived here from Nebraska and he landed from Jos, Nigeria.
Oyebade recalled getting to Santa Barbara and going to “the bougie-est Target I’ve ever seen” as he began his education at Westmont.
He noted the various challenges some of his fellow graduates faced en route to graduation.
“It’s easy to grow when the soil is filled with love,” he said. “But when love is lacking, when the right soil is not cultivated, it’s hard to grow. As we leave this place today I pray that we will all find where we can take root and thrive and also create fertile land where others can experience the same.”
Saturday’s commencement also celebrated the class of 1973 as members marked the 50th anniversary of their graduation from Westmont.
Additionally, the Westmont Medal went to class of 1991 alumnus Jonathan Walker, co-founder and chief technology officer for AppFolio, which develops software for property managers.
“It’s just my hope for you as you go forward in life that you always look back to the people and the ideas and the experiences that you had that really shaped the beginning of your adult journey,” Westmont President Gayle Beebe said. “And that you can find in Christ a source of companionship and growth that will sustain you the rest of your days.”