Georgia Southern University honored its Fall 2025 graduates Tuesday evening with the annual Lantern Walk, held this semester inside the Williams Center Multipurpose Room. Graduates gathered for a send-off marking their final days before commencement.

The event offered food and drinks, dessert, and a cap-decorating station where students personalized their graduation caps with paint, glitter, and custom messages. Surrounded by friends, family, and faculty, graduates reflected on their time at Georgia Southern and prepared to join the university’s expanding alumni network.

Alumni Director Ava Edwards delivered the keynote address, offering a high-energy, heartfelt message about perseverance, opportunity, and authenticity.

Edwards opened by highlighting the achievements of notable Georgia Southern alumni, from Nike executives to CBS correspondents, CEOs, and many other leaders. She emphasized that the graduates in the room share the same foundation.

She acknowledged that each student’s journey to graduation came with challenges, saying, “Your path to get here tonight was filled with surprises, with ups and downs, but you made it. You’ve been climbing that hill for four or five years, and now you’re finally on the downslope.”

In her final message, Edwards emphasized the value of authenticity and the power of each graduate’s unique background. “Your experiences, your values, the way you were raised – all of that makes you impactful,” She said. “The workplace needs you.”

The ceremony concluded with graduates each receiving a lantern and officially being welcomed into the community of more than 162,000 Georgia Southern alumni, marking the start of their next chapter.

Congratulations to Fall 2025 graduates, including two of our own, Carly Kennedy and Cameron Scharf.