SEVEN students graduated from Eucon International University on Saturday: four with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree, two with a Master of Business Administration degree, and one with a Bachelor of Arts in Bible.
Eucon held its 13th graduation ceremony at its Adonai Auditorium in Gualo Rai at 10 a.m. The guest speaker was Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools Vice President Dr. Tanmay Pramanik.
Eucon President/Administrator Dr. Christian Wei, in his remarks, quoted Matthew 28:19: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.”
He reminded the graduates that whatever they have learned at Eucon, no matter where they go, no matter their profession or vocation, “don’t forget that you have been called to be the disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Those who received their Bachelor of Science in Education degree are Ying “Heidi” Huang, Lea Marcial, Caleb “Joshua” Yan and Yi Jin Zhu.
Ren Quiang Qui is the lone Bachelor of Arts in Bible graduate while Hanna Hyesha Deleon and Rapture P. Tarlit received their Master of Business Administration degree.
Also witnessing the graduation ceremony were MBA professor Dr. Carmen Fernandez; Eucon Vice President Sean Sartler B.B.A, M.Div., D. Min, Ph.D; Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Wade Bacon, M.S., Ed.D.; Dean of Academic Affairs Christa Wei Smith, M.S., Ed.D.; Assistant Professor Nathaniel Smith; Associate Professor/Director of Admission Lucy Sartler; instructors Sheng Xian Wang, Jin Tang, Xiao Wei Hong and Jia Zhang.
Commencement address
A wife and mother, Ying “Heidi” Huang, whose age, she said, is twice her classmates’, said: “I could even be called their aunt.”
But, she added, “I did not let these differences become reasons or excuses for me not to study.” She quoted a Chinese saying: “Live until old, study until old.”
But everything was not easy for her, she said. She experienced a lot of suffering — her father’s untimely passing, her baby boy’s death in her womb the day before he was born, the pain in her C-section wound and finally, her gallbladder surgery.
“Often, it was a time of darkness and desperation, but I know I could not drown in sadness forever. I needed to trust in the Lord and believe that He is always good,” she said adding that her Christian faith helped her cope with life’s difficulties.
“I believe that Jesus Christ understands me, cares for me, and loves me quite profoundly no matter what happens to me,” she said.
A journey
Caleb “Joshua” Yan said, “I wouldn’t be here without God’s help,” adding that only what’s done for Christ will last. He said education is a journey.
About halfway through his brief stint as an intern, he thought that the only thing he would be able to remember about that period of his life was the “late-nighters” he had to pull to get everything prepared. However, toward the end, he realized that memories were not on his desk at 2 a.m., but in the classroom where he had fun. The 7th and 8th graders he had taught “made up the most memorable part of my college experience.”
“It was a learning curve for me,” he added.
Yan has the following advice to students: “Your life has just started. You are each laying the foundation for who you will become in the future.”
An invisible film
Yi Jin Zhu said she was filled with emotion as she looked back to her college days. During those four years, she said they were busy with different things: as student body officers, rushing through papers the night before the due day, and preparing a bunch of lesson plans. “The long and short college days have become an invisible film that will be treasured in our minds forever,” she said.
Some of them, she added, will go to graduate school, some will work, and some will start a business, “but we will all eventually work for the same goal — to glorify God.”
Ren Quiang Qui said he never imagined he would graduate as a theological student from an American university in a small Pacific island. He is much older than the other students, and he also went through many difficulties in life. In his second year on island, he lost his unborn baby boy. Then the island was hit by Super Typhoon Yutu, and, like everyone else, he had to face the challenges caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic.
He said studying was hard, especially when one is a “second language” student.
He said he is a slow learner of languages, adding that he is not even very good in speaking Mandarin.
Before attending high school, he said he could only speak his hometown dialect, Hainanese.
At Eucon, he needed to listen to the lectures in English. He also found out that each professor had a different style which he found enjoyable.
“All our teachers opened doors to let me see the palace of knowledge and [allow] me to taste the theological banquet. Thank God who gave me a chance to study here and find out about these abundant treasures,” he said.
Graduation does not mean that he is finished with studying, he said. It means a new beginning to serve, to seek God’s mercy and His glory, and to go further, he added.
“If we know God’s grace and mercy, we can have a positive attitude to do something,” Ren Quiang Qui said.
God’s will
Rapture Tarlit gave all the glory and honor to God “who is my help and refuge.”
He quoted 1 John 2:15: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” This verse, he said, should remind everyone not to focus on earthly things.
“We need to set our goals and objectives based on the will and purpose of God. Every strategy, vision and mission, and purpose of our lives, and the company or any organization we belong to, need to be guided and directed in the will and purpose of the Lord. We must have the mindset of Christ to serve and be a blessing,” he said.
From left, Bachelor of Arts in Bible graduate Ren Quiang Qui, Bachelor of Science in Education graduates Ying “Heidi” Huang, Lea Marcial, Caleb “Joshua” Yan and Yi Jin Zhu.
Dr. Christian Wei, EUCON International University president/administrator, delivers his remarks during the commencement exercises at EUCON’s Adonai Auditorium in Gualo Rai on Saturday.
Masters of Business Administration graduate Rapture Tarlit with EUCON International University President/Administrator Dr. Christian Wei and Vice President Dr. Sean Sartler.
Masters of Business Administration graduate Hanna Hyesha Deleon poses for a photo with EUCON International University President/Administrator Dr. Christian Wei, right, and Vice President Dr. Sean Sartler.
