‘Elon will never leave you’ | Class of 2026 embrace relationships and connection during Numen Lumen: Senior Baccalaureate

“You may be leaving Elon, but Elon will never leave you,” said Jana Lynn Patterson, as a reminder to the Class of 2026 and herself as they all prepare to close their chapters at Elon University. Patterson, associate vice-president for student life, dean of student health & well-being, and assistant professor, is retiring this summer after 40 years with the university.

“Elon is not just a place, it is a network of relationships that travels with you,” said Patterson, as she addressed the soon-to-be graduates during Numen Lumen: Senior Baccalaureate Reflection on May 19, Under the Oaks.

Since 2022, Elon has hosted the Numen Lumen: Senior Baccalaureate Reflection during Commencement Week as a reimagining of the traditional baccalaureate ceremony. Patterson was introduced Tuesday night by Kendall Lytle ’26, who was one of Patterson’s students in Elon 1010, the introductory course required for all first-year students. Lytle spoke of the impact Patterson had on her Elon career, calling her the one of the “many superwomen” of Elon.

“My heart hurts for a future Elon without her tireless leadership. But, I am beyond excited to see what life after Elon brings her, and I am especially honored that she gets to make her grand exit alongside the rest of us,” Lytle said.

In her remarks, Patterson spoke of how she is having many of the same feelings as the outgoing class: nervousness, anticipation and even sadness. But that it’s also an “extraordinary privilege” to be with one another, connect and be part of one another’s journeys. She reminded them that Elon has always been a community “defined by care,” where relationships are built in the small moments.

“These moments do not come with applause. But they matter. They say to another person: You matter. You belong. You are seen,” said Patterson. “Carry your moments with you. The big ones—and the quiet ones. They will guide you. They will ground you.”

Elon is not just a place, it is a network of relationships that travels with you.

Jana Lynn Patterson, associate vice-president for student life, dean of student health & well-being

Numen Lumen: Senior Baccalaureate Reflection is a celebration of community, light and achievement that provides an opportunity for reflection on the light students will take into the world. The ceremony’s name echoes Elon’s motto, “numen lumen” which means “spiritual light” and “intellectual light.”

At the beginning of their Elon career, during New Student Convocation, students receive an acorn, and at the end of Numen Lumen: Senior Baccalaureate Reflection, they each receive an oak sapling. This year, in addition to the sapling, students also received a copy of “Breaking Glass: Tales from the Witch of Wall Street,” by Patricia Walsh Chadwick P’16, who will deliver the commencement address on Friday, May 22.

“Elon is Hebrew for oak, and it’s because of that, on that first day, we get that acorn. And that acorn, as well as the sapling, are both a representation and a reflection of ourselves, and that journey over four years,” said Nic Fillipa ’26, senior class president, who welcomed the Class of 2026 to the event. “We all started here as acorns, and this week, we will leave as young trees – ready to go and grow in the world.”

Anne Ghosen ’26, a cinema & television arts and communication design double major, described receiving her sapling as a satisfying experience.

“It’s very full circle. When we first did Convocation, I had no idea what to expect when we got that little acorn,” said Ghosen, who is from Allendale, New Jersey. “This was a time to reflect and look back at how much I’ve done and how much I’ve grown since that first Convocation. It’s also a really cool feeling to see a physical representation of our time at Elon.”

Following the “Greeting of the Drums,” by Bashir Shakur, Forrest Matthews and Lamar Lewis and Fillipa’s welcome, Rev. Kirstin Boswell, university chaplain and dean of multifaith engagement, offered words of reflection to the class, reminding them of what they have conquered during their time at Elon.

“You kept becoming. You studied. You engaged. You served. You created. You cared for one another, and you kept on showing up,” Boswell said. “These were not easy years. But they shaped you into a generation that is not only informed, but is discerning. Not only challenged, but compassionate. Not only aware of suffering, but determined to make meaning within it.”

Boswell also acknowledged Jason Titunik, a member of the Class of 2026, who died in July 2023.

“Even in celebration, we acknowledge sorrow,” said Boswell. “It is a sacred grief when one who began the journey with us is not here to share the milestone with us.”

The ceremony included musical reflections from students and faculty. Malia Horst ’26, Lucas Velasco-Shen ’26 and University Accompanist Tyson Hankins performed a rendition of “The Climb,” made famous by singer Miley Cyrus. Andrea Baca ’26 and Velasco-Shen ’26 also performed a rendition of “Milagro de Amor,” by Athenas.

A tradition of the program, “The Meaning We Make,”  allows students to give selected readings from religious texts, poetry, nonfiction and other writings and reflect on how those choices represent their time at Elon. Grace Frances Stetler ’26 read Matthew 7:24-25, Simon Mendelsohn ’26 read a quote from “Pirkei Avot,” Huria Tahiry read the poem “The Guest House,” by Mawalna Jaladin Muhammad Balkhi, Diana Jimenez-Carreno ’26 read a quote from Javier Zamora’s memoir “Salito,” Fatmata Binta Bah ’26 read “A Missive to Youth,” by Amadou Hampâté Bâ, and Ahron Jay Frankel ’26 read an excerpt from “Rahiya Tu Ruk Na” (Traveler, Do Not Stop) by Deepak Jatoi.

Rocco Albano ’26 read an excerpt from a 1990 Kenyon College commencement address, delivered by Bill Waterson, the author of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. Waterson advised graduates to find their own life’s meaning and not be tied to the “imaginary ladder of success.”

“Reading those turgid philosophers here in these remote stone buildings may not get you a job, but if those books have forced you to ask yourself questions about what makes life truthful, purposeful, meaningful, and redeeming, you have the Swiss Army Knife of mental tools, and it’s going to come in handy all the time,” read Albano from Waterson’s address.

“My time here at Elon has helped foster (my) interests and develop them in a myriad of ways, even outside of things typically considered essential for my major or potential career,” said Albano. “I hope that in your time here in these ‘remote brick buildings’ that you too have had the chance to engage not only with course content and syllabi, but also with meaning, and that you carry those lessons with you into the rest of your life as well.”

Fabin Covington ’76 began the “passing of the light,” as Covington and multiple other Elon alumni passed a candle flame from alumni to student, and student to student. As the candles were illuminated, Mindy Monroe ’26, Velasco-Shen and Hankins performed “Bridge of Light” by P!nk and Billy Mann.

Elon President Connie Ledoux Book offered her final words to the graduates before the Commencement ceremonies on May 22, reminding them of the symbolic nature of the sapling they are about to receive and the “life of love” they formed at Elon.

“Remember the roots that you formed at Elon. They include the hard days — and those days strengthened you. The experiences that made you more compassionate, more humble, more willing to give things a second, third, or even fourth try,” Book said. “In addition to a life of love, embrace a life of risk-taking. Try things more than once. Be dissatisfied. In my experience, that is the fullness of life — and often where hope for something better begins.”

The 136th Commencement Ceremonies

Elon University will celebrate more than 1,500 graduates during two ceremonies on Friday, May 22, in Schar Center for the university’s 136th Commencement Exercises.

The 9 a.m. ceremony will honor graduates from the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and the School of Communications. The 2:30 p.m. ceremony will recognize graduates from Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences; the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education; and the School of Health Sciences.

More information on Elon’s 136th Commencement is available online.