Corban sends latest class into the world
At graduation, a plea for students to be leaders
Corban University graduates bow their heads during the invocation Saturday.
Dee Moore Special to the Statesman Journal
"Remember that everyone of you here today ... will impact others. You will influence others. Leadership in its purest form is influence," Cameron, a state representative from Salem, told his audience.
Asking the students why they worked so hard to earn their degrees, he posited, "I would suggest that it is to serve others."
Cameron told the students that the "best leaders are followers" and he suggested that by devoting their lives to Christ they would learn to be good leaders and servants of humanity.
Cameron was awarded an honorary doctorate from the university for his service to the community. Along with him, more than 250 graduates received their degrees while more than 2,000 friends and family were present for the occasion.
Before the ceremony, students posed with family for pictures, adjusted ties, applied makeup and fixed hair, often having to re-do much of what they had just done thanks to the numerous hugs and kisses bestowed on them.
The presence of wind and rain didn't daunt the spirits of the graduates; laughter and conversation flowed, their futures shining bright despite Oregon showers.
Graduating seniors Allyssa Bost, 22, of San Jose, Calif.; Ashley Strom, 21, of Salem; and Tiffany Petersen, 21, of Grants Pass, were busy helping one another adjust caps and gowns between nervous giggles. All three women have earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in elementary education.
Though they are happy to see their families and return home, the women agreed that Corban had been the right choice for them, and they said they would miss the camaraderie of the university.
Bost came to Oregon for her education thanks to happy memories of a brief time here as a student.
"I lived in the area for a year while in high school," she said.
She returns to San Jose with a summer job waiting for her but will have to get out and look for something more permanent. She doesn't anticipate difficulty finding a teaching position back home, though.
The same can't be said for Strom, who said Salem has few open teaching positions. She is going to be spending her time job hunting during the next few months. She hopes to teach kindergarten or first grade.
Petersen will be returning home to Grants Pass, but she won't completely be leaving Corban behind. Her four years at the school were a blessing, she said.
"It was where God told me to go," she said. "It was a perfect fit. The school did all it could for us as students."
She hopes to teach middle school-level history. Her face lights up when she discusses the topic.
"I love it," she said. "I could spend all day in Powell's Books store's history section."
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