23 May 2025, 6:00 a.m. MDT
Throughout the month of April, thousands of graduates from institutions within the Church Educational System donned a long black ceremonial gown and a cap and tassel to commemorate the completion of a certificate or degree.
Among Ensign College, BYU–Idaho, BYU–Hawaii and Brigham Young University, more than 12,000 certificates and degrees — associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorates — were conferred to graduates from all 50 U.S. states and dozens of countries.
The graduates — which included a 19-year-old graduate from Ensign College and a 79-year-old graduate from BYU — represent a variety of ages, races, backgrounds and circumstances.
Here’s a look at this year’s cohort, plus some graduates’ thoughts on the unique blessings that come from the Church Educational System.
Ensign College
In his remarks to almost 1,700 graduates on April 11, Ensign College President Bruce C. Kusch noted that one of the things he loves most about the college are the students from around the globe.
For decades, the school has attracted international students to its Salt Lake City campus. Now because of its partnership with BYU–Pathway Worldwide, Ensign College is serving thousands more.
“Each of you graduating today, whether you are from Roy or Rio de Janeiro; from Sandy or Seoul, you should feel a great sense of accomplishment and achievement,” said President Kusch.
Roughly 60% of the 2025 Ensign College graduates were from outside the United States, representing 80 countries.
In their time at Ensign College, said President Kusch, many students have learned to appreciate diverse cultures, master a language other than their native language, or work side by side with someone who thinks differently than themselves.
“But in the midst of all of the differences, you have learned that we, as children of God, are much more alike than we are different. I hope you will never forget these character-forming experiences,” said President Kusch.
Moroni Gaona Villanueva, a graduate from Veracruz, Mexico, who earned a bachelor’s degree in finance, said his experiences at Ensign College have empowered him both professionally and spiritually.
During his speech at commencement, Villanueva spoke of how he met his wife, Megan, at the campus cafe on the second day of fall semester in 2018. The two married a year later and both earned associate’s degrees. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was surging, he started his career, he and his wife prepared to welcome their first child and he enrolled to begin classes toward his bachelor’s degree. Over the past few years, they’ve added two more children to their family.
“There were many nights when my wife and I, after putting our three children to bed, stayed up until 1 or 2 a.m., pushing through exhaustion to meet deadlines and fulfill our responsibilities,” he recalled.
His time at Ensign College, however, taught him “when we trust in the Lord, miracles happen.”
Fellow commencement speaker and graduate Emily Roberts, who earned an associate’s degree in interior design, noted that their educational experiences have helped them grow in their discipleship of Jesus Christ — the mission of the Church Educational System.
“Let’s thank Him by using our talents and skills to serve others and prepare the world for His return,” Roberts told her cohort of graduates.
BYU–Idaho
During commencement exercises on April 11, BYU–Idaho President Alvin F. Meredith III invited more than 2,500 graduates to think of all they’ve been blessed with during their education.
Not only have they learned from expert faculty who make student learning their highest priority but they have been mentored by employees and staff. “You have had opportunities to lead in the classroom, in activities, and in your church units. You have benefited from free tutoring, mentoring, advising and counseling,” noted President Meredith.
Those on campus have also had the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities to explore southeastern Idaho’s “epic” landscape and countless outdoor activities. “And because of the tremendous investment from the Church, you have received this excellent education at an exceptionally low tuition,” said President Meredith.
But most importantly, graduates have had countless opportunities to grow in their discipleship of Jesus Christ, President Meredith said.
“You have been given much. … What is required of you now is to go forward and do what His disciples do,” said President Meredith.
Emily Aldridge, a BYU–Idaho graduate in special education, said she was grateful for those spiritual lessons she acquired while on campus.
Her education has given her “incredible mentors” and a supportive network in her new profession as well as strengthened her connection to Jesus Christ, she told BYU–Idaho News.
“As a Special Education K–12 major, I’ve learned not only the legal side of teaching — like IEPs and paperwork — but also the importance of working closely with parents and IEP teams. My Christ-centered education has taught me how to listen, understand, and collaborate with these families in a compassionate and meaningful way,” she commented.
BYU–Hawaii
Throughout its history, BYU–Hawaii and its students have been guided by prophets, seers and revelators, noted R. Kelly Haws, assistant commissioner of the Church Education System, during commencement on April 18.
“Somehow, this university, and each of you,” he told graduates, “have taken your history from such simple beginnings, inculcated a deep spirit of Ohana, sprinkled in a bit of surfing, and somehow … somehow you’ve become a vibrant, visionary, university with academic discipline and excellence, bringing together all of you beautiful students, from 33 countries, who have committed yourselves to being a university with the Lord as its founder,” Haws told around 350 graduates.
Rosalind Pedron, a Samoan graduate majoring in political science and Pacific Islands Studies and the student speaker at commencement, said she learned “a million and one lessons” from her time at BYU–Hawaii. But of the most important things she learned was to better listen to the quiet, gentle promptings of the Spirit.
It was due to those quiet, gentle tugs at her heart that she served a mission, transferred from a university in Australia to BYU–Hawaii, married her husband and decided to pursue a degree in Pacific Island studies, Pedron related.
“Fellow graduates, as we stand on the shoulders of those before us, as we become diplomats, lawyers, teachers, businesswomen, businessmen, doctors, artists, parents and more, I hope we never forget to follow those gentle pulls in our hearts, guiding us to greater joys than we could ever imagine,” she said.
Brigham Young University
It’s no surprise that BYU President C. Shane Reese — who earned a doctorate in statistics — shared a few stats about graduates in his commencement address on April 24.
“BYU graduates are more likely to marry. They also tend to have more children than the average American. BYU graduates are also roughly twice as likely to donate to charity and about four times as likely to volunteer,” he said.
In addition, “A sizable plurality of BYU graduates go into professions like education and healthcare. And in an age of increasing social isolation and institutional disintegration, BYU graduates tend to be civically engaged and connected to their neighbors, communities, and church congregations,” President Reese related.
Graduates of Brigham Young University, statistically speaking, will have more opportunities to lift others, serve neighbors and to influence the world the better, he said.
Paraphrasing the sign that sits on the corner of campus on Cougar Boulevard, President Reese told graduates, “You’ve entered to learn, now go forth to serve.”
In speaking about her education, BYU engineering graduate Rebecca Frei emphasized the need to serve. “Whatever it is we’re doing in the world, we should be doing something that will positively impact others — that will create good,” Frei told BYU News.
During her time at BYU, Frei participated in a global engineering program, a study abroad and two internships. “Through engineering, I’ve found I can make an impact. I want to serve other people, and I want to help other people feel the love of God,” she said.
BYU graduate Mia McGuire, who will soon begin a doctorate program, has already begun to see the good enabled through her education.
Partnering with a BYU professor, McGuire was able to use her programming and animation skills to create an app that promotes social media safety for autistic users.
“BYU has taught me that there’s not really a difference between spiritual and secular knowledge,” McGuire told BYU News. “All truth teaches us about how God works. He wants to teach us about chemistry, physics, biology and math because He designed all these things. God is the perfect scientist.”
McGuire said she also appreciates the support she’s received juggling motherhood with education. “A family doesn’t hinder your goals — it enriches and enhances them.”
