Utah State University Brigham City, Tremonton, Kaysville Celebrate Class of 2022

Utah State University Brigham City, USU Tremonton and USU Kaysville are proud to have celebrated the class of 2022 on Friday, April 15. The class of 2022 consists of 385 individuals earning five undergraduate and two graduate certificates and 84 associate, 197 bachelor’s, 85 master’s and eight doctoral degrees.

“Join me in extending a congratulations to our 2022 graduates,” said USU Associate Vice President for the Brigham City Region Dan Black. “Tonight’s commencement is a great achievement for all our students.”

The campuses celebrated graduates with a ceremony at Box Elder High School in Brigham City. Black welcomed the graduates and introduced the student speakers, followed by the commencement speaker, Julie Hartley, associate commissioner for Academic & Student Affairs with the Utah System of Higher Education.

The first student speakers were a mother-daughter tandem. Kari Lamoreaux graduated with a doctorate from the College of Agriculture & Applied Sciences. She was joined by her daughter, Alexis Phillips, who completed her cosmetology license and three associate degrees all in 2022 at the Kaysville Center. The original plan was for Lamoreaux to earn her Ph.D. while Phillips graduated high school, but the pandemic and other factors changed those plans.

They then gave the agricultural analogy of how cattle in the Rocky Mountains instinctively run away from storms to the east, only to prolong their exposure to the elements, as the storms move from west to east. In contrast, bison instinctively run west, charging through the storm.

“Notice that both the buffalo and the cows experience the exact same storm,” Phillips said. “The difference is in how they react.

The duo then likened this analogy to the college experience and later life, encouraging graduates to face storms head-on, not try to run and avoid them.

“This juxtaposition is an excellent metaphor for all of us because all of us are dealing with storms,” Lamoreaux said. “We simply cannot avoid them no matter how far or fast we run. The only choice we have is how we respond to the storms. We can be buffalo, or we can be cows. Let’s go face the storms together.”

The second student speech was from Brigham City graduate Elise Woolstenhulme, who received her Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. In the address, Woolstenhulme gave examples of successful people who, at first, experienced failures. She then said that these failures will build individuals into who they ultimately become.

“When we move forward from here, onto new paths, we can’t take it to heart when we find failure along on our way,” she said. “It is part of the journey to being the most successful version of ourselves, and while I don’t know what mine and your futures hold, I do know that those same people that have supported us in this journey will continue on with us into the next.”

Hartley then gave the graduation address, focusing on graduates giving to the community that gave them the gift of education. Hartley also encouraged the graduates to find their own special ways of impacting the world around them.

“Reciprocity implies that the person to whom you give a gift has an obligation to you in return,” Hartley said. “And what does the community expect back? I think it’s safe to say that we expect you to be lifelong learners, to have caught the spirit of curiosity, to have learned critical thinking, and how to evaluate the quality of sources, how to ask the right questions and where to go to find answers. I think it’s safe to say that we expect you to apply the skills and knowledge that you have acquired in your major to make the world and this community a better place.”

USU President Noelle E. Cockett then provided a virtual message and conferred upon the students their degrees, and the graduates received their diplomas. The celebration concluded with a welcome address from Steven L. Palmer, president of the USU Alumni Association.

About USU

With two locations in Box Elder County, Utah State University Brigham City and Tremonton offer students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university. With more than 100 degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees, plus technical education offerings, USU offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at brighamcity.usu.edu.

Located in the center of Davis County, Utah State University Kaysville offers students the personalized attention and small class sizes of a small-town college with the resources of a large university. With degree options ranging from associate to doctorate degrees, plus technical education offerings, USU Kaysville offers programs that help fuel local economies and empower individuals and their communities. Learn more at kaysville.usu.edu.