DECATUR, Ill. – On Sunday, May 18, 91ӣƵ honored more than 270 graduates from the Class of 2025 with two Commencement ceremonies in the Kirkland Fine Arts Center.
Graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Tabor School of Business participated in the morning ceremony, and graduates from the College of Fine Arts and the College of Professional Studies were honored in the afternoon ceremony.
The ceremonies featured opening remarks from Millikin Acting President Mary Black, and student speakers Helena Hashimoto and Anthony “Ez” Ezeanyim shared their thoughts on completing their Millikin journey.
At the morning ceremony, Hashimoto’s presented her speech titled “Fall in Love with as Many Things as Possible.”
“My best Millikin memories are of the communities that were not found but were built. It's been a long time since our freshman year, and most of us won't even recognize who we were four years ago. The year we moved away from home, the year we felt insecure about our choice of major, the year we joined what may have felt like a million organizations there. We covered our laptops with stickers, and I have had the same sticker on my laptop. It reads, ‘fall in love with as many things as possible.’ That's exactly what I did,” she said. “Curiosity is our superpower. Caring is our superpower. That is why we are here. We have this inherent and eternal desire to learn. To grow, to build, to meet, and to do so that you can do it all. And if it all goes well, you'll never lose that curiosity. You will never stop caring, and you will never stop doing a little too much.”
Hashimoto graduated with a double-major B.A. in Communication and Philosophy, with a minor in Organizational Leadership. She received multiple campus awards for her leadership and contributions to Millikin, including the Scovill Prize, the highest honor given to Millikin students.
At the afternoon ceremony, Ezeanyim shared his speech titled “Love, Faith and Success.” Ezeanyim graduated with a B.S. in Multimedia Communication and a minor in Audio Engineering.
“What a wonderful day it is to celebrate something big. Our success, our journey. It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won’t you be my neighbor? There are real questions, and I like to believe your answer would be yes, because through everything we've been through together, classes, group projects, exams, and even questionable assignments towards our degree. We became more than classmates. We became neighbors, we became a community,” Ezeanyim said. “I’m grateful that I've ‘Made It Millikin,’ and as we move forward into this new chapter, let us remember that today is not the end of our journey, but just the beginning.”
Millikin Board of Trustees Emeritus Kara Demirjian Huss gave the morning commencement address. Demirjian Huss is the Founder and President of DCC Marketing and VP and Global Marketing Director of TCCI Manufacturing. Her speech was titled “Your Next Degree.”
“This is your day. You've earned it, and today you walk across the stage and accept a degree you've worked hard for. It is a milestone reflecting your dedication, sacrifice, and persistence. So now what? You've earned your degree, so what's next? Your next degree is one that no one hands you, the one that will shape your future in ways a diploma alone can't. I've seen a lot of impressive resumes, but the real difference makers are the ones who know how to move from knowledge to action, from credentials to contribution,” she said. “Starting tomorrow, you begin earning the degree that isn't printed, but proven, and I like to call it your GSD. “Get stuff done.” You won't find that listed in the curriculum or printed on a syllabus. It's not about titles or accolades. It's about grit, follow-through, and showing up with intention. It's about putting in the work before anyone asks and delivering value in every space you enter.”
Dr. Thomas Mahoney, a Class of 1990 Millikin graduate and a member of the Millikin Athletics Hall of Fame in Football and Wrestling, gave the afternoon commencement address. Mahoney served as Superintendent of Schools for the Oregon, Ill. School District for 13 years, before retiring in 2024, and is recognized as a state and national speaker on educational leadership.
Mahoney’s speech was titled “One Less Student” and reflected on how he overcame a challenging time he experienced while at Millikin. After a challenging sophomore year, Mahoney was suspended and would have to take some time away from Millikin. There was a path to returning to campus, and Mahoney changed his mindset to make his return.
“My life felt like it was going wrong in every area, academically, socially, and as a human being. I kept asking myself, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ I thought the world was against me. What I couldn't see at the time was that there was one common factor in all the things going wrong, and that was me,” Mahoney said. “I didn't recognize how my daily choices were leading my life. The most important investment you can make is in improving yourself. You go with you everywhere, and that will either be your greatest asset or your biggest obstacle. When I returned to Millikin, I knew things had to change, so I got clear about my goals and built a daily structure to help me reach them.”
Millikin Chairman of the Board of Trustees Ronald Branch ’81 congratulated the new graduates, and Lindsey Quick ’15 welcomed the students as new members of Millikin’s Alumni Association. A performance of the “Alma Mater” concluded the ceremony.
Congratulations to all the Class of 2025 graduates!
Wach the Spring 2025 Commencement videos:
Graduates from the College of Fine Arts and the College of Professional Studies participated in the second ceremony at 3 p.m.
You can access the Commencement program at millikin.edu/commencement.
