More than 2,000 Honored at Spring 2023 Commencement Ceremonies

“We are proud of you. you represent our success stories. We believe in education here, but while we believe in it, you, in fact, are living proof of that belief,” he said. 

A total of 2,132 spring and summer 2023 graduates received 2,278 degrees and certificates during Idaho State University’s annual spring commencement ceremonies on May 6. Three ceremonies were held in Reed Gymnasium. 

Idaho State Board of Education member Cindy Siddoway, an Idaho State alumnae, urged graduates to spread the message that higher education changes lives. 

“I have personally experienced how higher education can change the trajectory of one’s life,” she said. “I would not be standing here today addressing each of you, had it not been for my time here on this campus. Be proud of what you have accomplished. College is not easy, but you have persevered, and you will soon reap the reward.” 

At the morning ceremony, graduate Savannah Crow reminisced about her time at ISU, while looking to the future. 

“For me, being a Bengal is hiking up to the pillars above campus at night to think when i was restless and stressed. being a Bengal is having dinner at Turner with my friends and playing ping pong for hours. For me, being a Bengal is losing my voice and cheering until my hands were numb at football games and getting in trouble at basketball and volleyball games for being a little too competitive,” she said, “Most of all, being a Bengal is committing to a journey of a lifetime which involves success, sacrifice, and hard work.”

At the afternoon ceremony, Student Speaker Alexis Parra said her experiences at Idaho State have helped her lead the classes of students she already teaches. 

“We will be bringing all of these lessons with us on the next stage of our journey. For me, I now get the opportunity of being able to pass these lessons down to my own student,” Parra said. 

At the evening ceremony, Student Speaker Caleb Wilson told his fellow graduates that the degrees they received were building a foundation for the project that is their lives. 

“In every construction project there are surprises and problems that have to be solved,” he said. “Sometimes there are smashed fingers and bruised egos. Sometimes parts of the building break. These problems test the strength of the builders and the building, and often change the course of the construction project and the building itself. In your life there will be similar hard times, but I know you will be guided by the foundation you’ve built for yourself.”