Hosted by Celeste Thomas, director of multicultural student services and CoachLink coach, and Micah Shristi, director of international student services, the ceremony featured a musical drum performance led by Makinto and his son, Joël Friebe-Makinto.

Since 2016, the ceremony has celebrated graduates who honor their African and international roots. Each receives a handwoven stole of kente cloth, a symbol of prestige in many African societies, or a satin sash featuring the flags of countries they feel connected to.

Sashes at Saturday’s ceremony bore the flags of Albania, Argentina, Barbados, Burkina Faso, the Cherokee Nation, China, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Honduras, Iceland, Mexico, Nepal, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Oromia, Palestine, Peru, Puerto Rico, Senegal, South Sudan, and Uruguay.

Class of 2026 graduates take part in Saturday’s Donning of the Kente Ceremony in 91����Ƶ’s MainStage Theater.

Joël Friebe-Makinto (left) honors his father, Makinto. Celeste Thomas (right) welcomes attendees to the ceremony.

The ceremony celebrates achievement, encourages recipients to continue striving for excellence, and provides an intimate end-of-year experience. Each recipient selected a family member, friend, mentor, administrator, or faculty or staff member to place the stole or sash around their neck and offer remarks, sharing joyful and heartfelt stories and words of praise about each graduate.

Graduates wore the stoles and sashes at Commencement to honor their collective heritage and reflect on shared struggles and successes.

“Our hope is that they feel the support of their village,” Thomas said. “Additionally, we hope the ceremony signals the college’s desire to meet the needs of all its students.”

Micah Shristi honors a graduate during the ceremony.

Since 2016, the ceremony has celebrated graduates who honor their African and international roots.

Participants

The following graduates were recognized:

Makinto, a general theological certificate major from Harrisonburg, was donned by Mukarabe Makinto Inandava and Joël Friebe-Makinto.��

“You’re a clear example of how, no matter your age or where you are in life, you can accomplish anything,” Friebe-Makinto told his father. “You are a continuous inspiration for me and someone I can always look to for guidance.”

Esdras Burgos, accounting and business administration major from Charlottesville, Virginia, was donned by M. Esther Showalter.

Arelys Martinez Fabian, a Spanish language & Hispanic studies and education (PreK–12) licensure from Winchester, Virginia, was donned by M. Esther Showalter.

Zazkia De la Vega, a marketing and business administration major from Cusco, Peru, was donned by M. Esther Showalter. 

Ankita Adhikari, a computer science major from Pokhara, Nepal, was donned by Micah Shristi.

Donovan Arnason, a digital media, photography, and design major from Stafford, Virginia, was donned by Phyllis Braxton Arnason.

Elili Asefa, a nursing major from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was donned by Baati Ayana.

Irais Barrera Pinzon, a political science, Spanish language and Hispanic studies major from Richmond, Virginia, was donned by Wendell Shank.

Mimi Bayongwa, a social work major from Riverdale, Maryland, was donned by Dia Mekonnen and Perpetue Kaimba. 

Lemi Amanuel Bekele, a biochemistry major from Kansas City, Missouri, was donned by Micah Shristi.

Shristi recalled receiving an email from Bekele, who was waiting for his admissions decision in 2019. “He sent me the following email, and I quote: ‘Please answer me. To wait for your answer I am in the forest in a tree to get data and it’s too dark and cold,’” Shristi read aloud. “That same determination carried Lemi through his years at 91����Ƶ.”

Jean Betancourt, a business administration major from Meridian, Mississippi, was donned by Angel Betancourt.

Nia Boyd, an art and writing studies major from Richmond, Virginia, was donned by Lenice Sudds.

Kylik Daquan Bradshaw, a liberal arts major from Crewe, Virginia, was donned by De’Andra Oliver, Te’Ahra Oliver, Theron Oliver, and Kayanna Bradshaw.

“Through every season, you have shown resilience, courage, and determination beyond your years,” Bradshaw’s mother said. “But your greatest gift has always been your heart, your love, your loyalty, and your strength. Even when you were challenged with difficulties, you never let it break you.”

Chase Comer, a political science and history major from Timberville, Virginia, was donned by Amy Miller.

Ruach Dhieu Ruach Deng, a computer science major from Bor, South Sudan, was donned by Micah Shristi.

Odesa Elezi, a nursing major from Harrisonburg, was donned by Luis Elezi.

Jasmin Escamilla Ruiz, a digital media, photography, and design major from Bluemont, Virginia, was donned by Irma Ruiz Ramirez. 

LaToya Fernandez, an MA in restorative justice major from West Hartford, Connecticut, was donned by Lyric Bryant.

Genesis Figueroa, a political science, Spanish language and Hispanic studies major from Millersburg, Ohio, was donned by Mia Figueroa.

Leah Frankenfield, a psychology major from Moraga, California, was donned by Rachel Tusing.

Sofia Garcia Pini, an MA in restorative justice major from Buenos Aires, Argentina, was donned by Joe Cole.

Jamila Gaskins, an MA in conflict transformation major from Los Angeles, was donned by David Evans.

Emily Guin, a nursing major from Lovettsville, Virginia, was donned by Juan Guin.

Jacqueline Jackson, a nursing major from Staunton, Virginia, was donned by Jacqueline Badger-Jackson.

Jayda Lenae Jones, a social work major from Goodview, Virginia, was donned by Kim Jones.

Yohanna Kebede, a computer science major from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was donned by Haweni Tolosa.

Emae Klompenhouwer, a social work major from Newport News, Virginia, was donned by Remco Klompenhouwer.

Ramata Lam, a biomedicine major from Baltimore, was donned by Kaitlyn Upshaw.

Mallery Salemah McShine, an MA in restorative justice major from Fredericksburg, Virginia, was donned by LaToya Fernandez.

Dia Mekonnen, a social work and political science major from Silver Spring, Maryland, was donned by Deanna Reed.

Abraham Mekonnen, a computer science major from Harrisonburg, was donned by Noel Abeje. 

Last summer, Mekonnen interned at Morgan Stanley in New York City. This summer, he is headed to Northern California, where he will work for Palo Alto Networks. “How many people can say they’re hopping from Wall Street to Silicon Valley at 23 years old?” his close friend Abeje said. “Here’s the thing about Abraham: when the rest of us go to a mall, we typically just shop. Abraham asks the storekeepers how much they made that week and whether they’d recommend entering the industry. He’s constantly studying the world, ambitious, resilient, and relentlessly curious.”

Fadi William Michael, a marketing major from Bethlehem, State of Palestine, was donned by Jim Leaman.

Diego Morales Torres, a computer science major from Ponce, Puerto Rico, was donned by Team Oosthuizen.

Zipola Nayituriki, a social work major from Harrisonburg, was donned by Mary Ann Zehr.

Tasia Ocaranza, an MA in education major from Staunton, Virginia, was donned by Kathy Evans.

Taylor Helenna Parker, a digital media, photography, and design major from Charlottesville, Virginia, was donned by Mikaela Brooks Fauver.

Royale M. Parker, a business administration and psychology major from San Bernardino County, California, was donned by Ruby Parker and Roy Parker.

Jennifer Perera, an MS in biomedicine major from Miami, was donned by Jose Perera.

Robyn Chardaé Pratt, an MA in education major from Newport News, Virginia, was donned by Sandra Pratt.

Sarah Prroj, a business administration major from Shkoder, Albania, was donned by Micah Shristi.

Sharon Salinas Morales, a restorative justice in education major from Harrisonburg, was donned by Andrew Claassen.

Jacob Sankara, an MA in conflict transformation major from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, was donned by Gloria Rhodes.

Roumany Sefin, a business administration and medical lab science major from Port Said, Egypt, was donned by Jim Leaman.

Zoe Seifu, a nursing major from Harrisonburg, was donned by Nati Seifu.

Anisa Yousef Sharhabeel, a business administration major from Rockingham, Virginia, was donned by Rita Tutu.

Shayleigh Michelle Sims, a biology and secondary education (6-12) licensure major from Palmyra, Virginia, was donned by Kathy Evans.

Emily Suarez Nunez, a nursing major from McGaheysville, Virginia, was donned by Silvana Nunez.

Guadalupe Tenorio Ramirez, an accounting and business administration major from Hopewell, Virginia, was donned by Lindy Backues.

Cheylan Ury, a psychology major from Staunton, Virginia, was donned by Shaion Ury.

Interim President Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus poses with Class of 2026 graduate Emily Suarez Nunez following the ceremony (left). Alumni returned to campus on Saturday to honor friends at the ceremony (right).

“We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together,” Shristi said in his closing remarks. “What a beautiful space.”

The Donning of the Kente Ceremony is sponsored by Multicultural Student Services, International Student Services, and the Black Student Alliance.

Watch a video recording of the ceremony below!

The cultural ceremony celebrates graduates who recognize their African and international roots. Each graduate receives a handwoven stole of Kente cloth, a symbol of prestige in many African societies, or a satin sash with flags from the countries they feel a connection to. 

Sashes bore the flags of countries including Afghanistan, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, South Sudan, and Sudan.

The ceremony recognizes and rewards achievement, encourages recipients to continue striving for excellence, and provides an intimate end-of-the-year experience. Each recipient chose a family member, friend, mentor, administrator, faculty or staff member to place the stole or sash around their neck during the ceremony and speak about them. Those speakers shared joyful and heartfelt stories and words of praise about each graduate—at times bursting into laughter and, at others, holding back tears.

Graduates wore the stoles and sashes at Commencement for inspiration and to honor, celebrate, connect, and reflect on their collective heritage and communal struggles and successes.

Hosts of the ceremony were Celeste Thomas, director of multicultural student services, and Micah Shristi, director of international student services. 

The following graduates were recognized:

Yishake Abate, donned by Micah Shristi;

Ruth Abera, donned by Shannon Dycus;

Bethel Abiy, donned by Hellena Gebremedhin;

Elphas Andudu Adam Elnail, donned by Evans Adam Elnail;

Ariam Yonas Addisu, donned by Carlin Kreider;

Epherem Yoseph Amare, donned by Ephrata Amare;

Asmait Asgedom, donned by Deanna Durham;

Sha’Dymon Blanton, donned by Floria Hicks and Laurette Tucker;

Amber Bonds, donned by Jacqueline D. Bonds and Nathan L. Bonds;

Réka Bordás-Simon, donned by Gloria Rhodes;

Maru Dorothy Chepchirchir, donned by Valentine Jemutai;

Jailyn Diaz, donned by Martha Delgado and Julio Diaz;

Chidubem Ekoh, donned by Ndidi Ekoh;

Addi Fowler, donned by Jaqueline Fowler;

Karim-Ja’Quan Frazier, donned by Stacey Gibson;

Hellena Gebremedhin, donned by Rebecca Tezazu;

Denait Gebretsadik, donned by Tsegay Berhe, Marta Gebretsadik, and Saba Gebretsadik;

Emanuel Assegid Habte, donned by Hasset Dagnew;

Sulaiman Hashimi, donned by Jim Leaman;

Adesola Jessica Johnson, donned by Dayspring Johnson;

Erika Lopez, donned by Molly Ford;

ML Lormejuste, donned by Royale Parker;

Nicole Marie Mayorga Quintanilla, donned by Gerardo Mayorga and Lourdes Quintanilla;

Frehiwot Mekonnen, donned by Abraham Mekonnen;

Aneisha Emerlyn Moore, donned by Adesola Jessica Johnson;

Damon Morgan, donned by Sheila Morgan;

Cristal Narciso, donned by Mikaela Brooks Fauver;

Mikayla Pettus, donned by Celeste Thomas;

Cecilia Gabriela Rafael Castelan, donned by Susana Castelan and Norberto Rafael;  

Brii Redfearn, donned by Jonathan Swartz;

Marciella Vania Shallomita, donned by Brian Martin Burkholder;

Getachew GebreKiros Temare, donned by Gloria Rhodes;

Rebecca Tezazu, donned by Hellena Gebremedhin;

Riya Tingwa, donned by Karen Farias;

Chuck Tirtasaputra, donned by Melkysedek Tirtasaputra;

Rita Abden Saleh Toto, donned by Grace Toto;

Aixa Mariola Warren, donned by Judy Hiett; and

Fiker Yigzaw, donned by Timothy Seidel.

The Donning of the Kente Ceremony is sponsored by Multicultural Student Services, International Student Services, and the Black Student Alliance.

Then, again, this is a Christian university that says it is “like no other.”

The week was intended to encourage both interfaith dialogue and intercultural awareness, said , 91����Ƶ’s director of and .

Events included a lecture on Muslim prayer practices, a ������á’í devotional, worship services conducted in the Orthodox, Mennonite, and Methodist traditions, a lecture on Jewish faith practices on death and dying, an interactive faith talkback, and an international food festival.

The week opened Friday, Sept. 12, with the Islam-themed talk, sponsored by . “Religions are the most important part of our cultures,” said , at the beginning of his hour-long lecture about the history of Islam, basic Islamic beliefs, and what the ritual Islamic prayer practice (Salat) looks and sounds like.

Lectures, prayers, incense, music

Monday morning, a mostly different group of 91����Ƶ community members gathered into a tight circle in the 91����Ƶ Discipleship Center. The facilitator, senior Julie Huffer, welcomed the group and briefly explained how the ������á’í devotional would run. Several participants were given yellow strips of paper containing portions of a single scriptural passage. Like Akrami, Huffer took time to explain the basic history and beliefs of ������á’ís before moving into the main part of her program, which included hearing the words on the yellow strips, experiencing silence and prayer, and listening to music from a ������á’í artist, before breaking for refreshments.

Rabbi Joe Blair’s explanation of Jewish practices on death and dying was both interesting and educational on Monday afternoon. “I learned that the Jewish tradition has a specific process of honoring the souls that have passed and honoring the family that has lost them,” said Huffer. “It was interesting because I didn’t know that in Judaism they have such a specific process.”

Held in Martin Chapel, both the Mennonite and Methodist worship services – Tuesday and Thursday, respectively – were sponsored by the , which is accredited by both denominations. They both included hymns, a short message on church history, and what a typical service looks like.

The thurible emitted a faint waft of incense as the priest swung it back and forth in front of the makeshift altar he was blessing in Lehman Auditorium on Wednesday. Although he later explained that his church, , was affiliated with a “simple” branch of Orthodox Christianity, the beautiful icons, heavy, ornately embroidered priest-robes, and formal blessing ceremony seemed mysterious and involved to eyes used to “plain” Mennonite worship practices.

Eye-opening for students

“It was eye-opening and refreshing to participate and experience another faith tradition,” said senior Philip Yoder, raised Mennonite. “I never realized they codified their faith tradition in the 10th century, and they have been worshiping the same way ever since. Even though the practices were old, they infused the service with heartfelt prayers for the students and professors at 91����Ƶ, and that was pretty cool.”

On Thursday evening, around 50 people gathered in to view the Faces of 91����Ƶ Exhibit and participate in an “interactive faith talk-back.” The evening included playing get-acquainted games, circulating through the exhibit, chatting, writing impressions on a large sheet of newsprint, and watching a short movie about the two largest minority groups on campus, Hindus and Muslims (from the series on the YouTube channel SoulPancake).

Senior Jordan Luther said “it was neat” to move beyond the Christian majority on campus and have his eyes opened to the religious minorities in the 91����Ƶ community.

Popular food festival

By far, the most-attended event of the week was Friday’s International Food Fest and Games. This is perhaps to be expected since the time of the event did not conflict with classes or most work-study schedules, and the email reminder sent out by Lepley encouraged people to “bring your taste buds” to partake of enticingly described international foods.

Over 30 vendors prepared food that represented cultures in Saudi Arabia, Korea, Nepal, Kenya and Italy, among others. Students, faculty, staff and other community members intermingled together over what could be described as “a diverse fellowship of believers” or “interfaith communion.” With the Food Fest, the organizers of International Education Week showcased the different faith traditions present at 91����Ƶ in a common space where everyone could laugh, break bread and celebrate their diversity.

The week was organized in conjunction with 91����Ƶ’s International Student Organization, led by junior  of Somali origin and senior Sun Ju Lee of South Korea; the , led by Carmen Witmer; the , represented by ; Cross Cultural Programs, represented by , and , led by

Intercultural communication was an important theme in the Intensive English Program’s (IEP) annual Summer Vacation Course, held July 26 – Aug. 20 at 91����Ƶ. Twenty-eight students attended from eleven different countries, including China, Japan, Egypt, Mexico, and other countries in Europe and Latin America.

The focus on intercultural communication led to discussions with international students at 91����Ƶ who shared their experiences of culture shock and their views on life in American culture. IEP students visited international programs offices at James Madison University in Harrisonburg and the University of Virginia at Charlottesville to discover how these universities work at internationalizing their programs.

Field trips during the four-week program included visits to Washington, D.C., Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of the U.S., and Grand Caverns in Weyers Cave, Va.

Classes in listening and speaking, reading and writing, conversation, and intercultural communication were staffed by four highly qualified IEP instructors. One student commented about one of the teachers, “She is very patient and kind, and an exceptional speaker.” Another wrote, “Reading and writing was sometimes difficult for me, but I was inspired a lot, and I was very glad because the teacher always corrected my paper and gave me encouragement.”

For some of the students, the highlight of the program was the chance to stay with host families. As one student from China wrote: “My host parents are so kind, fervent, and considerate. They cooked various American foods for us and took us to visit several American families to let us know more American culture. Our host family impressed us as friendly and kindhearted. I was so lucky to live in their family.”

Get to know more about the IEP program by reading The IEP Times.