ETSU celebrates 2,012 graduates at Spring Commencement

Yahoo10-05-2025

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — East Tennessee State University (ETSU) hosted its 2025 Spring Commencement ceremony on Saturday.
Two thousand twelve graduates received master's, bachelor's, and doctoral degrees. ETSU President Brian Noland stated that one-third of these students were first-generation graduates.
'I had a chance to shake the hand of a young man earlier today that I've known since he was in the second grade,' Noland said, 'And to see him walk across the stage and receive his degree was really powerful. To see undergraduate students whom I had the honor to meet in high school and to see doctoral students who will now go on and carry on the flag of the faculty.'
'So across the board, it's just a wonderful day on our campus for both our families, their families, and families all across the region,' he said.
Noland said he leaves this semester's graduates with three things to remember:
First, to remember how today felt, to pass that feeling along to a neighbor or a friend who's undecided about their future and encourage them to go to college. The second is to say thank you, tomorrow's Mother's Day. So say thank you to those who sacrificed so much to make your dreams possible. And then, third, to remember that your education doesn't end today.
Dr. Brian Noland
Rogersville's Missy Testerman, the 2024-2025 Tennessee Teacher of the Year, was one of two commencement speakers.
'You are stepping into a world that is complicated; yes, but it is also crackling with possibility,' Testerman said in her speech. 'Your calling is not to fix everything. It's to find the place where your passion meets the world's needs, and to begin there.'
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