Baccalaureate celebrates Emory graduates during two multifaith programs

Baccalaureate celebrates Emory graduates during two multifaith programs

May 20, 2025

group of college students and adult advisors

The Emory University chaplaincy hosted a Baccalaureate luncheon to honor all graduating students and recognize student leaders in spiritual, religious and interfaith life. Photos by Becky Stein Photography.

group of college students and adult advisors

The Emory University chaplaincy hosted a Baccalaureate luncheon to honor all graduating students and recognize student leaders in spiritual, religious and interfaith life. Photos by Becky Stein Photography.

group of college students and adult advisors

The Emory University chaplaincy hosted a Baccalaureate luncheon to honor all graduating students and recognize student leaders in spiritual, religious and interfaith life. Photos by Becky Stein Photography.

male college student receiving certificate

The Emory University chaplaincy hosted a Baccalaureate luncheon to honor all graduating students and recognize student leaders in spiritual, religious and interfaith life. Photos by Becky Stein Photography.

male college student and mentor

The Emory University chaplaincy hosted a Baccalaureate luncheon to honor all graduating students and recognize student leaders in spiritual, religious and interfaith life. Photos by Becky Stein Photography.

Emory University chaplains

The Emory University chaplaincy hosted a Baccalaureate luncheon to honor all graduating students and recognize student leaders in spiritual, religious and interfaith life. Photos by Becky Stein Photography.

Baccalaureate is an Emory Commencement tradition that formally celebrates academic and personal journeys for students on both the Atlanta and Oxford campuses.

Atlanta campus recognition

A Baccalaureate luncheon was held May 9 on the Atlanta campus in Cannon Chapel. Hosted by the Emory University chaplaincy, the event honored all graduating students and recognized those who were leaders in spiritual, religious and interfaith life during their time at Emory.

The program featured music; words of welcome from the Rev. Dr. Gregory McGonigle, university chaplain and dean of religious life; invocations from Emory’s multifaith chaplaincy team; and closing reflections from Carol Henderson, vice provost for diversity and inclusion.

Thirty graduating students received Spiritual Life Leadership Awards in the following categories: Hindu Life, Buddhist Life, Jewish Life, Christian Life, Muslim Life and Interfaith Life. The Interfaith Life Award recipients included Inter-Religious Council members and students who participated in the WISE interfaith pre-orientation program (some of whom participated each of their four years at Emory).

These students made a significant impact on the Emory community in many ways by leading spiritual organizations, hosting campuswide holiday celebrations, participating in programs such as the Flourishing Fellows, supporting Emory’s work to build a relationship with Indigenous communities, interfaith internships, arts and service projects, and more.

Oxford campus ceremony

Baccalaureate for students completing their two years at Oxford College was also May 9, at the historic Old Church near the Oxford campus.

The service included music by the Oxford Chamber Ensemble and members of Soul Collective and a greeting from Oxford Dean Badia Ahad, who invited students and their families to look ahead with clarity, gratitude and hope.

During the student reflection, graduate Muram Dafalla encouraged her classmates “to continue navigating our lives with the intent to care for one another” and other student leaders led the Prayers of the Faiths and a Call to Service.

Oxford interim chaplain Brent Huckaby reminded graduates to “slow down and appreciate the joy and beauty of each moment.” As a token of this advice, graduates left the service with a mini labyrinth — a walking path symbol used by various religious traditions — to take with them as they transition to the Atlanta campus.

college students during baccalaureate program

Oxford College held its Baccalaureate service at the historic Old Church near campus. Photos by Jenni Girtman, Atlanta Events Photography.

Oxford College dean Badia Ahad at podium in Commencement regalia

Oxford College held its Baccalaureate service at the historic Old Church near campus. Photos by Jenni Girtman, Atlanta Events Photography.

female college graduate speaking at podium

Oxford College held its Baccalaureate service at the historic Old Church near campus. Photos by Jenni Girtman, Atlanta Events Photography.

college quartet singing on stage

Oxford College held its Baccalaureate service at the historic Old Church near campus. Photos by Jenni Girtman, Atlanta Events Photography.

college baccalaureate service in church building

Oxford College held its Baccalaureate service at the historic Old Church near campus. Photos by Jenni Girtman, Atlanta Events Photography.

college students and families mingle outside church building

Oxford College held its Baccalaureate service at the historic Old Church near campus. Photos by Jenni Girtman, Atlanta Events Photography.

Complete coverage of Commencement 2025

Emory University’s Commencement on May 12 celebrated and honored the outstanding achievements of the Class of 2025. View comprehensive coverage, including keynote speaker Usher, video highlights, photo galleries and profiles of outstanding graduates and award recipients.

Watch the Commencement 2025 ceremony livestream.

Tags

Recent News

By downloading Emory news media, you agree to the following terms of use:

Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License

By exercising the Licensed Rights (defined below), You accept and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License ("Public License"). To the extent this Public License may be interpreted as a contract, You are granted the Licensed Rights in consideration of Your acceptance of these terms and conditions, and the Licensor grants You such rights in consideration of benefits the Licensor receives from making the Licensed Material available under these terms and conditions.

Section 1 – Definitions.

Adapted Material means material subject to Copyright and Similar Rights that is derived from or based upon the Licensed Material and in which the Licensed Material is translated, altered, arranged, transformed, or otherwise modified in a manner requiring permission under the Copyright and Similar Rights held by the Licensor. For purposes of this Public License, where the Licensed Material is a musical work, performance, or sound recording, Adapted Material is always produced where the Licensed Material is synched in timed relation with a moving image.
Copyright and Similar Rights means copyright and/or similar rights closely related to copyright including, without limitation, performance, broadcast, sound recording, and Sui Generis Database Rights, without regard to how the rights are labeled or categorized. For purposes of this Public License, the rights specified in Section 2(b)(1)-(2) are not Copyright and Similar Rights.
Effective Technological Measures means those measures that, in the absence of proper authority, may not be circumvented under laws fulfilling obligations under Article 11 of the WIPO Copyright Treaty adopted on December 20, 1996, and/or similar international agreements.
Exceptions and Limitations means fair use, fair dealing, and/or any other exception or limitation to Copyright and Similar Rights that applies to Your use of the Licensed Material.
Licensed Material means the artistic or literary work, database, or other material to which the Licensor applied this Public License.
Licensed Rights means the rights granted to You subject to the terms and conditions of this Public License, which are limited to all Copyright and Similar Rights that apply to Your use of the Licensed Material and that the Licensor has authority to license.
Licensor means the individual(s) or entity(ies) granting rights under this Public License.
Share means to provide material to the public by any means or process that requires permission under the Licensed Rights, such as reproduction, public display, public performance, distribution, dissemination, communication, or importation, and to make material available to the public including in ways that members of the public may access the material from a place and at a time individually chosen by them.
Sui Generis Database Rights means rights other than copyright resulting from Directive 96/9/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 1996 on the legal protection of databases, as amended and/or succeeded, as well as other essentially equivalent rights anywhere in the world.
You means the individual or entity exercising the Licensed Rights under this Public License. Your has a corresponding meaning.

Section 2 – Scope.

License grant.
1. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Public License, the Licensor hereby grants You a worldwide, royalty-free, non-sublicensable, non-exclusive, irrevocable license to exercise the Licensed Rights in the Licensed Material to:
  1. reproduce and Share the Licensed Material, in whole or in part; and
  2. produce and reproduce, but not Share, Adapted Material.
2. Exceptions and Limitations. For the avoidance of doubt, where Exceptions and Limitations apply to Your use, this Public License does not apply, and You do not need to comply with its terms and conditions.
3. Term. The term of this Public License is specified in Section 6(a).
4. Media and formats; technical modifications allowed. The Licensor authorizes You to exercise the Licensed Rights in all media and formats whether now known or hereafter created, and to make technical modifications necessary to do so. The Licensor waives and/or agrees not to assert any right or authority to forbid You from making technical modifications necessary to exercise the Licensed Rights, including technical modifications necessary to circumvent Effective Technological Measures. For purposes of this Public License, simply making modifications authorized by this Section 2(a)(4) never produces Adapted Material.
5. Downstream recipients.
  1. Offer from the Licensor – Licensed Material. Every recipient of the Licensed Material automatically receives an offer from the Licensor to exercise the Licensed Rights under the terms and conditions of this Public License.
  2. No downstream restrictions. You may not offer or impose any additional or different terms or conditions on, or apply any Effective Technological Measures to, the Licensed Material if doing so restricts exercise of the Licensed Rights by any recipient of the Licensed Material.
6. No endorsement. Nothing in this Public License constitutes or may be construed as permission to assert or imply that You are, or that Your use of the Licensed Material is, connected with, or sponsored, endorsed, or granted official status by, the Licensor or others designated to receive attribution as provided in Section 3(a)(1)(A)(i).
Other rights.
1. Moral rights, such as the right of integrity, are not licensed under this Public License, nor are publicity, privacy, and/or other similar personality rights; however, to the extent possible, the Licensor waives and/or agrees not to assert any such rights held by the Licensor to the limited extent necessary to allow You to exercise the Licensed Rights, but not otherwise.
2. Patent and trademark rights are not licensed under this Public License.
3. To the extent possible, the Licensor waives any right to collect royalties from You for the exercise of the Licensed Rights, whether directly or through a collecting society under any voluntary or waivable statutory or compulsory licensing scheme. In all other cases the Licensor expressly reserves any right to collect such royalties.

Section 3 – License Conditions.

Your exercise of the Licensed Rights is expressly made subject to the following conditions.

Attribution.
1. If You Share the Licensed Material, You must:
  1. retain the following if it is supplied by the Licensor with the Licensed Material:
    1. identification of the creator(s) of the Licensed Material and any others designated to receive attribution, in any reasonable manner requested by the Licensor (including by pseudonym if designated);
    2. a copyright notice;
    3. a notice that refers to this Public License;
    4. a notice that refers to the disclaimer of warranties;
    5. a URI or hyperlink to the Licensed Material to the extent reasonably practicable;
  2. indicate if You modified the Licensed Material and retain an indication of any previous modifications; and
  3. indicate the Licensed Material is licensed under this Public License, and include the text of, or the URI or hyperlink to, this Public License.
  For the avoidance of doubt, You do not have permission under this Public License to Share Adapted Material.
2. You may satisfy the conditions in Section 3(a)(1) in any reasonable manner based on the medium, means, and context in which You Share the Licensed Material. For example, it may be reasonable to satisfy the conditions by providing a URI or hyperlink to a resource that includes the required information.
3. If requested by the Licensor, You must remove any of the information required by Section 3(a)(1)(A) to the extent reasonably practicable.

Section 4 – Sui Generis Database Rights.

Where the Licensed Rights include Sui Generis Database Rights that apply to Your use of the Licensed Material:

for the avoidance of doubt, Section 2(a)(1) grants You the right to extract, reuse, reproduce, and Share all or a substantial portion of the contents of the database, provided You do not Share Adapted Material;
if You include all or a substantial portion of the database contents in a database in which You have Sui Generis Database Rights, then the database in which You have Sui Generis Database Rights (but not its individual contents) is Adapted Material; and
You must comply with the conditions in Section 3(a) if You Share all or a substantial portion of the contents of the database.

For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 4 supplements and does not replace Your obligations under this Public License where the Licensed Rights include other Copyright and Similar Rights.

Section 5 – Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability.

Unless otherwise separately undertaken by the Licensor, to the extent possible, the Licensor offers the Licensed Material as-is and as-available, and makes no representations or warranties of any kind concerning the Licensed Material, whether express, implied, statutory, or other. This includes, without limitation, warranties of title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, absence of latent or other defects, accuracy, or the presence or absence of errors, whether or not known or discoverable. Where disclaimers of warranties are not allowed in full or in part, this disclaimer may not apply to You.
To the extent possible, in no event will the Licensor be liable to You on any legal theory (including, without limitation, negligence) or otherwise for any direct, special, indirect, incidental, consequential, punitive, exemplary, or other losses, costs, expenses, or damages arising out of this Public License or use of the Licensed Material, even if the Licensor has been advised of the possibility of such losses, costs, expenses, or damages. Where a limitation of liability is not allowed in full or in part, this limitation may not apply to You.

The disclaimer of warranties and limitation of liability provided above shall be interpreted in a manner that, to the extent possible, most closely approximates an absolute disclaimer and waiver of all liability.

Section 6 – Term and Termination.

This Public License applies for the term of the Copyright and Similar Rights licensed here. However, if You fail to comply with this Public License, then Your rights under this Public License terminate automatically.
Where Your right to use the Licensed Material has terminated under Section 6(a), it reinstates:
1. automatically as of the date the violation is cured, provided it is cured within 30 days of Your discovery of the violation; or
2. upon express reinstatement by the Licensor.
For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 6(b) does not affect any right the Licensor may have to seek remedies for Your violations of this Public License.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Licensor may also offer the Licensed Material under separate terms or conditions or stop distributing the Licensed Material at any time; however, doing so will not terminate this Public License.
Sections 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8 survive termination of this Public License.

Section 7 – Other Terms and Conditions.

The Licensor shall not be bound by any additional or different terms or conditions communicated by You unless expressly agreed.
Any arrangements, understandings, or agreements regarding the Licensed Material not stated herein are separate from and independent of the terms and conditions of this Public License.

Section 8 – Interpretation.

For the avoidance of doubt, this Public License does not, and shall not be interpreted to, reduce, limit, restrict, or impose conditions on any use of the Licensed Material that could lawfully be made without permission under this Public License.
To the extent possible, if any provision of this Public License is deemed unenforceable, it shall be automatically reformed to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable. If the provision cannot be reformed, it shall be severed from this Public License without affecting the enforceability of the remaining terms and conditions.
No term or condition of this Public License will be waived and no failure to comply consented to unless expressly agreed to by the Licensor.
Nothing in this Public License constitutes or may be interpreted as a limitation upon, or waiver of, any privileges and immunities that apply to the Licensor or You, including from the legal processes of any jurisdiction or authority.

Creative Commons is not a party to its public licenses. Notwithstanding, Creative Commons may elect to apply one of its public licenses to material it publishes and in those instances will be considered the “Licensor.” The text of the Creative Commons public licenses is dedicated to the public domain under the CC0 Public Domain Dedication. Except for the limited purpose of indicating that material is shared under a Creative Commons public license or as otherwise permitted by the Creative Commons policies published at creativecommons.org/policies, Creative Commons does not authorize the use of the trademark “Creative Commons” or any other trademark or logo of Creative Commons without its prior written consent including, without limitation, in connection with any unauthorized modifications to any of its public licenses or any other arrangements, understandings, or agreements concerning use of licensed material. For the avoidance of doubt, this paragraph does not form part of the public licenses.