Student-led ceremonies recognized graduates through cultural traditions, blessings, and community celebrations
May 2026 – In the days leading up to Commencement, student-led organizations at Drew Theological School gathered to celebrate graduating students through a series of cultural and spiritual ceremonies marking the close of the academic year.
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The week of celebrations began with Korean Night, hosted by the Korean Student Association, which honored graduating students while celebrating Korean culture and community. The organization, made up of dozens of active members, seeks to support the well-being of Korean students while fostering cultural exchange across campus.
Later in the week, Drew’s African Students Community at Drew (AfriSCaD) student caucus celebrated their graduating student members during their fourth annual Rite of Passage ceremony.
AfriSCaD offers students the opportunity to form relationships, connections, and a sense of community while transitioning from Africa to the U.S. The caucus is a resource for African students in need of support navigating the differences within the foreign community and the ability to remain present to the African identity, cultures, and integrity.
During the ceremony, Dean Edwin David Aponte offered words of encouragement to graduates as they prepared to enter a new chapter beyond Drew. Quoting Psalm 37, Aponte encouraged graduates to “commit your way to the Lord” and reminded students not to compare themselves to others as they begin life after Drew. “It’s not a race against one another,” he said. “We are in a marathon together, serving the one who calls all of us.”
Each graduating student was individually blessed while surrounded by loved ones and members of the Drew community.
The week concluded on the eve of Commencement with a joint Rite of Passage ceremony hosted by the Black Ministerial Caucus (BMC) and the Women’s Ministerial Alliance (WoMA). The ceremony honored students who identify as female and/or as members of the African Diaspora, celebrating not only their academic accomplishments, but also their personal, spiritual, and vocational journeys.
