Lander President Richard Cosentino, left, stands with William H. Floyd, III, executive director of the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. Floyd served as the keynote speaker at both commencement ceremonies Wednesday, May 7. Photo by Laura Wood.
Lander University’s graduates were reminded that the workforce is ready for them during the Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremonies held Wednesday, May 7.
William H. Floyd, III, the executive director of the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, reminded students of four important things when entering the workforce: be aware, set goals, be prepared and be collaborative.
“All you need to know about finding the right job, you learned at Lander University,” he told students.
“Awareness, goal setting, preparedness and collaboration are not novel ideas but lessons you’ve learned through your time at Lander.”
Continuing to Grow
For Latajarae Boone, getting her MBA from Lander was like a family reunion after getting her bachelor’s degree from Lander in 2023.
“Lander treated me like family from the beginning,” said Boone. “So coming back for my MBA felt like a family reunion – a supportive and familiar environment where I knew I would continue to grow.”
Boone said her studies have helped her in her current job with understanding the responsibilities and decision-making of management.
“As a result, I’ve been able to step in confidently when leadership is needed, which led to me becoming a team lead,” she said.
“I’m proud to say that I’m the youngest female working on my floor, yet one of the few who has truly mastered the role. Lander gave me the tools, confidence and clarity to thrive and stand out in a competitive workplace.”
Chandler Patterson, left, and Lucia Solano, walk through a tunnel of cheering faculty after commencement on Wednesday, May 7. Photo by Deb Crenshaw-Nygro.
Looking Toward the Future
On graduation morning, Xavier Holley, a computer science major from Aiken, was all smiles, summing up his feelings as “excited, fantastic – I’m done!”
Holley said his best memories of Lander included intramural basketball and presenting at Lander’s annual Academic Symposium. Intramural basketball, he said, was where he met the people he hangs out with the most.
Following graduation, Bearcats will be heading to work as part of the workforce or into graduate school.
Julia Werner, a music education major from North Charleston, will begin a job as a teacher in Dorchester County, and pointed to in-classroom experiences during her time at Lander that have prepared her for her career.
Taelyn Calwile, an education and child development major from Fountain Inn, will begin an online master’s program for social work.
“I’m looking forward to walking into this new moment of adulthood and independence and learning more and more about myself,” Calwile said. “Applying all of what I learned in college in real life.”
Silas Schiera, a music performance major from Greenwood, will embark on a senior trip that’s anything but boring after graduating. He’ll be flying to Seattle with his bicycle and biking back to South Carolina.
Lander University held its Spring 2025 Commencement Ceremonies May 7. Photo by Deb Crenshaw-Nygro.
‘Right Behind You’
Charlie and Emily Anne Beiers looked forward to graduating together. They are two-thirds of a set of triplets; their sister attends another college in the Upstate.
Charlie and Emily Anne ended up at Lander to play competitive collegiate golf, but they aren’t the first in their family to attend, as their mother also graduated from Lander.
Coming to Lander, Emily Anne said, meant the two could be a part of a close-knit community in a place where they felt like they could really get involved.
Get involved they did. Along with playing golf for the Bearcats, they were both part of the student advisory board for the College of Business and joined Beta Gamma Sigma, the international business honor society. Charlie worked for Lander athletics and was part of the Sport Management Association, which gave him the opportunity to work at numerous sporting events around the Southeast -- including this year’s Super Bowl. Emily Anne is a member of a sorority and was a presidential ambassador.
“Growing up, you kind of have to be friends,” Emily Anne said. “We’re triplets, we’re all the same age so we shared everything. We shared a car all throughout high school, even part of freshman year of college, he and I shared a car. But there was like a turning point for me that we became friends, truly.”
The siblings were able to lean on each other during their time at Lander.
“It’s just having that constant life support,“ Charlie said. “Sure, your friends are going to be there, but your siblings are that built-in friendship.”
Emily Anne is returning to Lander in the fall to begin the MBA program and Charlie is planning to head into the workforce.
“We’ve both carved our own paths at Lander, but to get to share the moment of graduating from Lander together is pretty cool because not only is it something that our mom has done too, but just to know everything we’ve done for the past four years is an emotional moment,” Charlie said.
“I’ll be right behind you,” Emily Anne said to Charlie about walking across the stage.