On June 11, 346 graduates marched across the Centennial Green stage to receive their hard-earned Walla Walla University (WWU) diplomas. We celebrate their success with an extensive community who helped Walla Walla University in preparing them for lives of curiosity, community, and connection.

Faith in God

Exceptional education at Walla Walla University has always begun with the integration of faith and learning. Today, this integration is supported in many ways by our partnership with Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), an association of 150 higher-education institutions across the nation and more around the world.

CCCU invests in professional development and scholarship to ensure Christ-centered leadership excels in classrooms and boardrooms at WWU. It publicly highlights the contributions of its member institutions to the common good and supports our efforts to offer quality education in an environment that fosters our sincerely held religious beliefs.

WWU is also blessed with purposeful investment in our students from our own denominational organizations, including the North Pacific Union and Upper Columbia Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and our very own University Church.

University Church graciously provides a space of both worship and learning where students are involved in running sound, setting lighting, performing music, and volunteering in the church’s food pantry, Eden’s Pantry. They organize and present weekly vespers programs and are encouraged to enter into the blessing of serving others.

Excellence in Thought

Our many partnerships help WWU students expand their learning to the world outside the classroom. For example, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has invested in our students and faculty by supporting research ideas and science facilities. Among other things, their funding has helped students study seagrass wasting disease in the Salish Sea, significantly expanded our campus bioengineering lab capabilities, and allowed undergraduate students to present research at regional conferences.

Another partner, Enactus, helps students connect with excellent thinkers. This global network of young leaders harnesses business skills to catalyze positive social and environmental change, and WWU’s active chapter encourages students to take action for the greater good.

Successful lives and careers are launched thanks to a long list of opportunities, such as the global study programs offered through Adventist Colleges Abroad, hands-on teaching experiences provided by our local elementary and high schools, rigorous internships with Adventist Health, and clinical preparation from partners like Providence Health to prepare nursing students to act with confidence and compassion.

Beauty in Expression

An important part of the WWU experience is encouraging our students to celebrate beauty through seasonal music programs, art gallery shows, presentations from visiting speakers, and student life events highlighting the diversity of our community. We appreciate the many bright, creative, and successful alumni and professionals who provide this programming.

We also appreciate partners like Cascade Collegiate Conference, which encourages our students to engage in beauty through sport, and the American Association of Colleges and Universities, which supports our university’s pursuit of equity, innovation, and excellence.

Generosity in Service

At WWU, students are prepared not just for their career, but also for their calling. Our partnerships ensure that compassion for others is imbued through classroom experiences and in-person initiatives meeting real needs in local and global communities.

For example, students can join Engineers Without Borders to build long-lasting engineering solutions around the world. Blue Zones Project Walla Walla Valley helps students invest in the well-being of our neighbors. Students respond to service calls affiliated with the General Conference of the Adventist Church or Adventist Frontier Missions.

CARE Project places students on projects throughout the Pacific Northwest through Adventist Community Services. Another partner, Washington Campus Coalition for the Public Good, recognizes our students every year for their passionate commitment to service and leadership.

These partners and many others are part of a mighty village that helps Walla Walla University pursue its mission to convey to students a wisdom that translates academic achievement into responsible citizenship, generous service, a deep respect for the beauty in God’s creation and the promise of recreation through Jesus Christ. We deeply appreciate their investment in our students and our mission, and we are confident that their support will continue to bless the lives of our students long after our yearly graduation celebrations end.

The original version of this story was posted on the North Pacific Union Conference news site.