Over 400 University of Redlands students received undergraduate degrees on the morning of Friday, April 25. (Coco McKown/Submitted)

Over 400 University of Redlands students received undergraduate degrees on the morning of Friday, April 25. (Coco McKown/Submitted)

 

 

The University of Redlands celebrated its 2025 undergraduate commencement last Thursday, with 487 students receiving degrees amid powerful calls for civic engagement and personal resilience on Friday morning, April 25.

Jim Ashby, chair of the university's Board of Trustees, began the ceremony with a challenge. He called on the undergraduates to rebuild democratic discourse in a fractured national landscape, speaking on the importance of civil dialogue and active citizenship.

(Coco McKown/Submitted) 1

(Coco McKown/Submitted)

"The world doesn't need more cynics," Ashby told students. "It doesn't need more bystanders. It needs citizens who are brave enough to speak across lines of difference and lead with both principle and humility."

(Coco McKown/Submitted) 2

(Coco McKown/Submitted)

The student commencement speaker, Gaby Herrera, a student majoring in political science and public policy, complemented Ashby's message by highlighting the transformative power of individual voices.

Herrera stands out as a dedicated leader and advocate for first-generation and Hispanic communities. Herrera's public service experience includes working with State Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh and Assembly Member Robert Garcia, and is preparing to serve at the San Bernardino Superior Court. She is a finalist for the prestigious Capital Fellows Program — a public policy fellowship that offers unique policy-making and development experiences within each branch of the California state government.

(Coco McKown/Submitted) 3

(Coco McKown/Submitted)

Drawing from her own experience as a first-generation student, Herrera urged her classmates to recognize their inherent worth and potential for change.

"We represent the millions of students who work one or two jobs just to stay in school, those who leave their homes miles or even countries away, chasing a dream that was never guaranteed," Herrera said.

Herrera's call to the graduates is to strive for a collective identity as "change-makers."

"We are not lucky," Herrera told her peers. "We are worthy, and we have earned our place here."

Both speakers highlighted themes of perseverance, civic responsibility and personal growth. Ashby called on graduates to "reimagine" and "rebuild" societal systems, while Herrera celebrated the students' collective resilience.

The two-time Grammy Award-winning soprano Angel Blue, a 2005 university alumna, was initially scheduled to deliver the commencement address but provided a recorded message. In her speech, Blue shared reflections on her graduation and encouraged students to pursue their dreams with relentless determination.

Blue has performed on stages around the world, earning acclaim for her powerful interpretations of roles in "La Bohème," "Aida," "La Traviata," and "Porgy and Bess."

Her international career has taken her to some of the world's leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House in London, Teatro alla Scala in Italy, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the National Symphony Orchestra of India, and Teatro Mayor in Bogotá, Colombia.

In 2020, she became the first African American to receive the Beverly Sills Award from the Metropolitan Opera. In 2022, she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wharton Arts Center in New Jersey.

"Keep reaching for your dreams," Blue said, "The only one who can actually stop you is you. Life is all of the hard things and all of the good things rolled into one journey. The sky is not the limit."

Reach Staff Writer Israel J. Carreón Jr. at icarreon@redlandscommunitynews.com; messages may be left at 909-891-0817. Connect with him on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @icarreonjr.