President Gregory Hess rings out the Class of 2020.
Artie Equihua gave the Commencement Address.
the 182nd Commencement Ceremony at Wabash College was a virtual event.
Faculty Marshal Jim Cherry watches the "virtual processional" of the Class of 2020.
Associate Dean and Registrar Jon Jump read the names of the graduates.
Gregory D. Hess, the 16th President of Wabash College.
Dean of the College Scott Feller presented the Butler Prize and Sparks Awards to Nathan Gray and Hunter Jones, respectively.
Artie Equihua -- as seen on TV.
Artie Equihua: "Maybe if we continue to embrace uncertainty, control our attitude, recognize others, or even lead by example, we might be able to make living in these times of pestilence easier for everyone. But only if we do it the Wabash way."
Artie Equihua represented the Class of 2020 at the College's Virtual Commencement.
Artie Equihua was the only member of his class in the Chapel -- listening to the President's charge to the graduates.
President Gregory Hess rings out the Class of 2020.
Professor of Religion David Blix.
Commencement Speaker Artie Equihua watches his classmates sing Old Wabash.
In a Wabash College Commencement unlike any prior, senior Artie Equihua encouraged his fellow 2020 classmates to remain grateful when encountering hard circumstances along life’s journey.
“We chose a school that would challenge us,” Equihua reminded his classmates with a laugh. “We have a shared understanding that nothing worthwhile comes easy.”
Equihua was the featured speaker during the virtual celebration of Wabash’s 182nd Commencement where President Gregory D. Hess conferred degrees upon 178 men of the Class of 2020. Two other class members will speak at an on-campus Commencement being planned for the fall.
The ceremony began with a video montage of the graduating seniors set to a Glee Club performance of “Alma Mater,” and concluded with a special rendition of the seniors singing "Old Wabash" via submitted videos.
In his last Commencement as Wabash President, Gregory D. Hess reminded the Class of 2020 from the lectern in the Pioneer Chapel that they had sat in the very same building to be rung in four years ago.
“We gave you the keen eye of a Wabash education,” said President Hess, “so that you might see diverse points of view and be challenged by them. We gave you the tools of a life-long education: to think critically, to read and write clearly, to solve and reflect, to immerse yourselves in your surroundings and your inner lives, and to help you identify your authentic selves. And this semester, you were given a double-dose of how to deal with obstacles.
Hess praised the graduates for their collective accomplishments in their time at the College and reminded them that, “we are capable of so much when we blur our differences and bond together.”
Dean of the College Scott Feller also presented both the Frank Hugh Sparks Award and the John Maurice Butler Prize, the top student honors for a Wabash graduate.
Hunter Jones earned the Frank Hugh Sparks Award for All-Around Student Achievement, which is named in honor of the College’s eighth president and given to a senior who has done the most to promote the true spirit and purpose of Wabash College.
Nathan Gray claimed the John Maurice Butler Prize for Scholarship and Character, which has been given annually since 1923. The prize is voted on by the entire Wabash faculty and is given to a student of high character and great ability.
Before ringing out the class with the bell Caleb Mills used to call the very first Wabash students to class, President Hess charged the Class of 2020: “Now go forth into this world as very good Wabash men. I will try to do that, too.”