Five years ago, U.S. House Clerk Cheryl Johnson played a significant role in organizing the certification of the 2020 Presidential election. Three years later, Johnson found herself in the spotlight again, this time maintaining order over the House of Representatives during a weeklong series of votes to determine the next Speaker of the House.

Both times Johnson’s calm, neutral demeanor was on display for a deeply divided nation. In a time where every word and action seemed politically charged, Johnson maintained order with a gavel, a poker face and immeasurable dignity, earning her rare bipartisan praise from Republicans and Democrats alike.

On a Saturday morning that started in rain and shades of gray before giving way to sunshine, Johnson shared her story with Guilford’s Class of 2025.

She told graduates they didn’t just commit to a college when they came to Guilford, they committed to embodying the College’s core values of community, diversity, equality, excellence, integrity, social justice and stewardship.

Johnson spoke directly about that last core value, stewardship. “I urge you to engage in the political debates of the day, run for office, volunteer at a polling place, register new voters, maybe even work in Congress,” told graduates. “There has already been one Guilford graduate to serve in Congress (Howard Coble ’53), maybe the next one is sitting here today.”

Johnson said graduates will face countless obstacles after graduation but none of them will be insurmountable. “When your way forward appears uncertain, lean into the dreams that inspired you to attend Guilford, the values you have developed here — which will continue to evolve as you do,” she said. “And always, be ready for any eventuality.”

[Read the remarks from Guilford's speakers]

Community, resilience, and the power of human connections were themes woven throughout Commencement, held in the College’s 188th year.

Guilford awarded 162 undergraduate and 39 graduate degrees Saturday. Members of the class of 2025 came to Guilford from 20 states and Japan.

Presiding over her first Commencement, Acting President Jean Bordewich encouraged graduates to celebrate the day as the start of a new chapter and fully embrace the impact of their Guilford experience.

“Guilford is not just about what you study here, but about who you become, the values you choose to live by, the risks you take, the service you render to others, the care and nurture you offer and take from the communities you are part of,” she said.

[View photo gallery of the big day]

Julia Spoor ’25 of Jenkintown, Pa., who earned a degree in Education Studies, was selected by her classmates to speak at the ceremony. She told them that community defined her four years at Guilford. She said she began to feel the College’s tug of community when she took a mailroom job in the basement of Founders Hall, meeting other students who came by to pick up packages.

“As I fostered more of these community connections on campus, Guilford began feeling like less of an institution and more of a home,” she said. “Just like any home, being here didn’t always feel perfect or easy, and it didn’t always make sense; but it was always a place where I felt safe, welcome, and appreciated.

“Guilford became a place where I could call on my Quakerism professor to help me jumpstart my car. It became a place where I’d be welcome to crash a class I’d already taken, all because I came to really like a lot of my professors; because they became more than professors; they became friends.”

David Grimsley ’80 of Floyd, Va., spoke last to graduates, imploring them to be their authentic selves as they leave Guilford. “This is the time to stay centered, connected, and authentic to who you really are,” said David. “Authenticity won’t make everybody like you, but it will make you like you.”

The College awarded an honorary degree to Mary de Rachewiltz, 99, an Italian-American poet who spent years teaching Guilford students taking part in the College’s acclaimed Brunnenburg study abroad semester program in Italy. The daughter of American poet Ezra Pound, she was recognized while watching the College’s Commencement online and will receive the degree in person at a later date.

Guilford presented the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award to Lyons Gray of Winston-Salem, N.C., former chair of the Board of Trustees of the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, which awards scholarship aid to women at southern colleges and universities, including Guilford. He served in the N.C. General Assembly, as Secretary of Revenue and on the N.C. Utilities Commission.