MSU 2021 Fall Commencement is Dec. 11
Morehead State University has announced details for its upcoming 2021 Fall Commencement.
Two commencement ceremonies will be held for fall and winter 2021 graduates on Saturday, Dec. 11, in the Academic-Athletic Center (AAC). The event will be socially distanced, and masks are required indoors.
Tickets will be required for guests attending the ceremony. Each degree candidate participating in the ceremony will receive eight tickets. Ceremony times are below:
- 9:30 a.m. - Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education and College of Science
- 1 p.m. - Elmer R. Smith College of Business and Technology, and Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
The student speakers for the 2021 Fall Commencement are Dalton Cole Lewis and Anthony Kyle Gibson.
Dalton Cole Lewis of Sterling, Virginia, will serve as commencement speaker representing the College of Science. He is the son of Steve and Celesta Lewis. He will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Physics – Mechanical Engineering Area.
Lewis is the recipient of the Non-Resident Merit Scholarship and has made the Dean’s List every semester as a student and maintained a 4.0 GPA. He participated in an Undergraduate Research Fellowship working with Physics Professor Dr. Ignacio Birriel examining safety equipment using prototypes to test concussive force to helmet and player.
He also volunteered with Physics Professor Dr. Jennifer Birriel to help teach lessons in her Introduction to Physics and Engineering Professions course. He recently completed an engineering internship with Rockland Manufacturing in Bedford, Pennsylvania.
Lewis was an offensive lineman for Eagle Football and made the Pioneer Football League Honor Roll each season. He was also presented with the MSU Sledgehammer Award for Toughness in 2019.
Lewis plans to attend Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in Spring 2022 to study mechanical engineering. His career goals are to work as a mechanical engineer in the automotive or heavy machinery industry.
Anthony Kyle Gibson of Ashland will serve as commencement speaker representing the Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. He is the son of Anthony and Kimberly Gibson, and Pam Welch. He will graduate with a Bachelor of Social Work degree.
Gibson previously served in the United States Marine Corps and earned an associate degree from Ashland Community and Technical College before transferring to MSU in 2019. During his two years in the social work program, he made the Dean’s List every semester, maintaining a 3.93 GPA.
Before enrolling at MSU, he was a supervising peer mentor at Transitions’ Grateful Life Center and peer support specialist/residential aid for Pathways Residential Plus. He has earned multiple certifications as a support and recovery specialist for drug and alcohol dependency. While completing his degree, Gibson became a registered alcohol and drug peer support specialist for Pathways Outpatient. He co-facilitated intensive outpatient care in this role and provided person-centered recovery from January 2018 to May 2020. He was the keynote speaker at the 2020 Bridges Out of Addiction Symposium hosted by the Healthy Choices, Healthy Communities Coalition and currently serves as an authorization lead/counselor/case manager at Riverside Recovery Services.
He and his wife, Courtney, have four children: Jasmine, Braxton, Kevin and Gabriel. He also coaches wrestling at the Ashland Area Wrestling Club, where he works with kids aged 4 to 7. He said being a coach is one of his favorite titles next to being a parent.
He will pursue a Master of Social Work degree at the University of Kentucky and gain dual licensures to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor.
For more information on MSU’s 2021 Fall Commencement and to live stream the ceremonies, visit www.moreheadstate.edu/graduation.
