Berea College celebrates 219 graduates at May commencement

May 5, 2025

BEREA, Ky. – Berea College celebrated 219 graduates this past weekend at the 2025 commencement ceremony. 

The Class of 2025 includes students from 21 states and 28 countries, covering 32 different majors and 28 different minors. 

The class also includes 103 first-generation college graduates. 

“As you step forward into the world, take with you the lessons you’ve learned here—not only in the classroom but also in the connections you’ve built, the challenges you’ve overcome, and the values you embody,” Berea College President Cheryl L. Nixon told the graduates. “We are so proud of you and cannot wait to see the positive impact you will make.”

J. Drew Lanham, distinguished professor of wildlife ecology, master teacher and wildlife biologist in the Clemson University Forestry and Environmental Conservation Department, spoke to the graduating class about being committed to teaching and learning, even beyond their college careers. 

“We will always commit to be students, commit to always being someone’s teachers, always learners in life’s exchange,” Lanham said. 

A native of South Carolina, Lanham’s most recent scholar efforts look at the confluences of race, place and nature. In his work as a conservation and cultural ornithologist, Lanham has mentored nearly 50 graduate students, published extensively in scientific literature and has taught courses in conservation biology, forest ecology, wildlife policy, ornithology and environmental literature and nature writing. 

Lanham is also South Carolina’s poet laureate. He has authored several publications, most recently “Sparrow Envy—A Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beasts.”

Lanham also spoke to the group about the idea of giving and receiving over and over again as the prepare for life after graduation.

"We recognize today that we are world citizens, tied tightly together sharing the same plight," Lanham said. "There is a cycle of recognition, reconciliation and, in som ways, reparation in our journeys here to this commencement day and beyond it."