Pomp and Circumstance: Luke's Graduation from Iowa State University

 

Our son Luke graduated from Iowa State University on May 17, 2025 with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Kinesiology. We are. Here he is above with his fiancee Megan. 


Four years ago, when we brought Luke to Ames for his freshman year, we first saw the campanile (in the background), an iconic structure on campus. Luke decided to attend Iowa State fairly quickly. When my sister Theresa brought Luke and her son Will to Iowa State for a visit, Luke said it just clicked. 


Above are Luke and his roommate Jack. Luke is wearing a Haitian stole, to represent his country of birth and a George Washington Carver stole from his scholarship program.

The graduation lasted from 7 to 9:30 pm. We got there quite early and while we waited, look whose name we saw flash on the sign.

We were able to see Luke process, one of about 1,200 graduates from the College of Health Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Other colleges at Iowa State had their graduations earlier in the day.


The graduation took place in the Hilton Coliseum, where Iowa State plays their basketball games. 


Above, outgoing president Wendy Wintersteen addresses the graduates and congregation.

Above are Luke and his roommate Jack with President Wintersteen on campus. Luke and Jack had a fun project of getting their photos taken at as many campus buildings as they could.



Luke approaching the stage. He is carrying the Haitian flag. We are proud of his Haitian heritage.


Receiving his degree.


Big smile you can see from here.

The graduate!

I have to give a shout out to this guy. He dismissed row after row of graduates with unflagging enthusiasm. It's inspiring to see people do things well.

Here are some other photos from the weekend. Above are Megan, John, and Luke at a balcony off a study room in Luke's apartment.


Luke and I after his graduation.


The following photos were taken by Megan around Iowa State's campus.






We are very proud of Luke and all he accomplished at Iowa State University. Next up: he and Megan are getting married in June. They will make their home in Chicago, and Luke will start a BSN/MS program in nursing at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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