On Saturday, May 17, 2025, Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois, held a ceremony honoring the graduates from the Class of 2025. These events marked the College’s 156th Commencement exercise. While the Commencement ceremony was initially scheduled to close graduation weekend, Friday night’s student-centered Senior Convocation was cancelled after storms knocked out power to campus. The Commencement ceremony was streamed live on the Blackburn website.
President Larry K. Lee presided over the ceremony and shared congratulatory remarks with the graduates, faculty, staff, students, and families in attendance. “What makes our campus so attractive is not just the physical landscape and the tree canopy. The reason this beauty draws me in is because of who we are. We are at a work college, and this campus has been built, maintained, and renovated by our students and alumni. So, when you look around today, remember that this campus was and continues to be maintained by many individuals in this audience, current and proud students.”
The Commencement ceremony on Saturday featured remarks from keynote speaker and Class of 2016 Blackburn College alum Jared Jones, who serves as the Director of Team Travel & Logistics for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). Jones used his journey and leveraged his academic work and preparation in the College’s unique Work Program as a story to share with those entering the workforce or advancing their education. “When I came to campus in the fall of 2012, I was a sports management major, played baseball, trying to figure life out like I think many of us were, I was fortunate to get a job in athletics my freshman year that ended up leading into my sophomore, junior and senior year as athletic student manager,” he shared. “I’ll be honest with you. When I sat in those seats nine years ago, I didn’t realize how special this place was. I can tell you wholeheartedly, I do now. But everything you gain here will set you apart in the next stage of life.”
During Commencement, academic and leadership awards were presented to the graduating class, including naming Rachel Christine Huddleston, an Elementary Education major from Maryland Heights, Missouri, as Valedictorian. Grace Elizabeth Mackey, an Elementary Education major from Chatham, Illinois, and Jessica Nicole Muckensturm, a Biology – Environmental Track major from Belleville, Illinois, were named co-salutatorians.
The Blackburn Alumni Association also presented its Outstanding Graduate Award to Alexis Mosby, a Biology major from Carlinville, Illinois. Mosby, who also served as Student Marshal – Blackburn’s highest honor for a senior student – for the Class of 2025, delivered remarks to the gathered crowd. “When I first learned I’d been chosen as Student Marshal, all I could say was, ‘Wow, what an honor.’ I was genuinely shocked because I still saw myself as the shy freshman who first walked onto campus. Blackburn — especially the Work Program — changed that.”
She continued: “Our Student-Managed Work Program is what truly sets Blackburn apart from other colleges across the country. We’re given a rare level of trust and ownership on campus, and that has shaped my leadership skills and given me the confidence to adapt and take initiative. These are skills I’ll carry with me for life.”
President Lee concluded the ceremony with a charge to the Class of 2025, “Let’s take a moment to recognize something unique about your journey. You are the class that followed a global pandemic. And then last night, a horrific windstorm. You’ve experienced uncertainty on a scale few before you have known. Many across the country saw dreams put on hold and plans disrupted. But not you. You stayed the course. You showed resilience. You adapted, pushed through, and today, you are here. That perseverance is something no one can take from you, and that particular characteristic will serve you well for a lifetime.”