The culmination of years of work and a weekend of festivities, Union College’s 2019 commencement ceremony was held on Sunday, May 5 at 11 a.m. in the College View Seventh-day Adventist Church. During the proceedings, Union College awarded 226 degrees to 196 graduates who completed their requirements in December 2018, May 2019 or will complete in August 2019—26 students receiving two degrees and two earning three. Twenty-seven students received a master’s in physician assistant studies, the college’s sole graduate-level program.

Though the largest single major represented was business administration with 36 students, more than half of the graduates studied fields related to health care, such as nursing, international rescue and relief, biomedical science and psychology. It’s only fitting the speaker is himself a health care provider and alumnus, Dr. Jason Moses. A 2003 graduate, Moses is now a physical therapist, orthopedic specialist and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Therapists with a practice in Arlington, Texas.

Representing 31 states and 6 countries, each student has a unique story of what brought them to a small college in Lincoln, Nebraska, and how they found their calling. Below, we have included excerpts of interviews with some of this year’s graduates.

Andrew Read

I found a passion for teaching.

Angel Pereira

I hope to inspire a new generation to fall in love with Christ.

Ashton Fisher

I never planned on coming to Union.

Caroline Guchu

My teachers helped me find my calling.

Daisy Alvarez

Working with kids helped me find my calling.

Isaac Lindsay

I found my calling to be a nurse.

Jonathan Daniel

I’m called to youth ministry.

Katie Turk

Teaching in Honduras solidified my calling.

Kimberly Palit

Union helped me define a career path.

Mayra Andrade

Internships prepare me for my career