By Bryce Preston
On Friday, February 4, 2022, President Lewis announced in an email to the Houghton community that a speaker has been chosen for this year’s commencement ceremony. Rev. Gabriel Salguero will address the graduates at Houghton’s 135th commencement ceremony, which is set to be held in Wesley Chapel this May.
Salguero serves as a pastor at The Gathering Place, a large multi-ethnic church in Orlando, Florida. He is also the founder and the president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition. Salguero’s work has been featured on the Discovery Channel and the Oprah Winfrey Network, and he has been named one of America’s most prominent Latino evangelical leaders by numerous publications including The New York Times and Huffington Post.
President Lewis explained that the process of selecting a commencement speaker involved thought and prayer. “More than anything I wanted to invite someone grounded in our Christian faith, to inspire, encourage, and challenge the class of 2022 and the Houghton College community. Rev. Dr. Salguero will certainly do all of those for us. His ministry and his message challenges the church to courageously live out our faith.”
Excitement about the announcement has also been expressed by members of the Class of 2022. Logan Callen (‘22) explained, “Being a theology major who is looking at this kind of work for my future, I couldn’t be happier with the announcement that Dr. Gabriel Salguero would be our commencement speaker! All of his amazing work in the world is truly inspiring and a model for the kind of path that I want to take.”
Faculty members have also expressed their enthusiasm over the commencement speaker selection. Dr. Änna Pettway has incorporated Salguero’s work into her curriculum for Psychology of Race and Racism for several years. She commented,
“I was so thrilled to hear that our commencement speaker this year will be someone who has challenged me and so many of my students to think about activism as an extension of their faith.” Pettway continued “Rev. Salguero introduced me to the God of Hagar – a God of proximity and solidarity, who hears us and sees us and meets us right in the middle of our suffering, and encouraged me to be a person of proximity and solidarity, who hears others and meets others right in the middle of their suffering.”
Along with the email announcement about the speaker came an update on the college’s plans for this year’s graduation weekend festivities. At this time, the college plans to offer an in-person celebration of the Class of 2022, including a Baccalaureate Service on Friday, May 13 and the Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 14, both of which will be held in Wesley Chapel.
Hannah Heinl (‘22), the Class of 2022 Representative on Student Council, said, “I am excited for graduation and all that is being planned or in the process of being planned. I know that everyone involved in the planning process is also excited and hopeful that this year, graduation will look a little more normal than it has for the past few years.”
This spring will also mark President Lewis’ first commencement at Houghton. When asked about this new experience, Lewis said, “The first day of classes and commencement, as the bookends of the academic year, have always been my favorites. I am proud of all the Houghton class of 2022 has accomplished in face of unprecedented circumstances and challenges, and I am excited about how God is going to use them to change the world.” Commencement is a time of celebration of both the graduating Class of 2022 and of President Lewis’ first year at Houghton. The people of Houghton are thrilled to include Rev. Dr. Salguero as part of this ceremony.★
