When the Class of 2025 chose him as their commencement speaker, Dr. Trent Voth didn’t want to waste any of their “most cherished minutes.”
Commencement took place on May 18 in Memorial Hall. Well over half of the 110-member class came from the state of Kansas, with the rest from 11 other states as well as England, Iceland and Spain.
Voth, assistant professor of Bible and religion, asked some members of the class ahead of time what they’d like to hear at commencement. What came through clearest was “some tips for post-college life.” He had three.
One was a trick for ensuring any resume and cover letter contains the key words to get it noticed by AI, and to push the applicant forward for a face-to-face interview, and therefore more likely to make a good impression.
The second was the paradox of happiness, that “it’s surprisingly hard to be happy when that’s all you’re trying to be” – a statement backed by scientific research into the nature of happiness.
Instead, Voth said, “It’s better to build a life where happiness is the byproduct of your choices rather than the direct goal.”
To do so, focus on these five areas of life, he said: purpose and soul; community and relationships; wellbeing and rest; curiosity and learning; and emotional maturity.
Voth noted that for much of human history, people have pursued these areas of life through religious communities. Now it’s more likely they separate them, and “it can be exhausting. Might I suggest instead that you devote your time and energy to those communities in which these areas tend to overlap for you the most.”
His final tip came from a story about a person who fell into a hole they couldn’t escape. After several seemingly qualified people failed to help, a friend came along and jumped into the hole, too. The first person was dismayed, but the second one was reassuring: “I’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.”
“Don’t forget where you’ve been and what you’ve come through, not just for yourself but for the others you’ll encounter on the way,” Voth said. “Lots of people falling in holes these days. Lots of holes being dug. Lots of friends.
“College is a lot of things… You each – you all – went through something hard. The diploma doesn’t really say that you’re smart, even if you are. What the diploma proves is that you can learn.
“Now you face the challenge of using your ability to learn to help life flourish, for yourself and others. You’ve dug out of tough spots. You know the ways out, or if not, you’re friends with people who do. You’ve overcome a global pandemic. You can survive boring situations – I’ve seen you do it in convo. You can do hard things, and you can do them right, and you can do them well.
“The diploma says you can. The Bethel College lettering on the diploma proves you have a community that supports you.
“We know you can. You’ve already proved it. And you can do the next thing, too. Now that you know the way out, all that’s left to do is take these last few steps.”
Commencement weekend events included a reception for three senior art majors, Gracie Higgins, Tacoma, Wash., April Powls, Garnett, Kan., and Lizzie Schmucker, Goessel, Kan., on Friday evening, and the nurse pinning ceremony on Saturday afternoon.
On the morning of May 18, the traditional baccalaureate service took place at Bethel College Mennonite Church. The theme was answering God’s call, as reflected in the biblical book of Isaiah.
In addition to vocal music from the small a cappella groups Open Road and Woven and the Bethel College Concert Choir, the service included short reflections from three graduating seniors: Loggan Birch, Burleson, Texas, Lynnzey Young, Gas City, Ind., and Ben Rudeen, Osage City, Kan.
Two seniors participated in the commencement ceremonies by offering an invocation prayer and a benediction: student chaplain Tobin Wise, Pleasant Hill, Mo., and Class of 2025 representative Ben Bollinger, Hesston, Kan.
Dr. Robert Milliman, vice president for academic affairs and dean of students, presented the Ralph P. Schrag Distinguished Teaching Award to Becky Bartell, director of the Department of Nursing.
Bethel is a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1887 and is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel was the first Kansas college or university to be named a Truth, Community Healing and Transformation (TCHT) Campus Center, in 2021. For more information, see http://www.bethelks.edu
