Bluefield College will hold its 97th Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 4, 2019, at 10 a.m. on the campus Quad lawn. In the event of rain, the commencement ceremony will move to the Dome Gymnasium. One hundred forty-seven undergraduate candidates and 15 graduate candidates have been approved to receive diplomas during the commencement ceremony. Kelly (Chadwick) Streiff will provide the keynote address for the ceremony.
Kelly (Chadwick) Streiff grew up in Bluefield, West Virginia, before setting out to see the world. She traveled to 37 different countries and called eight different states home, before trading in her passport for a permanent address. She now lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, Peter, and they are expecting their first child in June. Kelly has dedicated her career to non-profit ministry where she has served in a variety of local churches and organizations over the last twenty years. Most recently, she worked as the manager for WinShape Camps for Girls, a summer camp founded by Truett Cathy. She dusted off her passport again in January and currently serves as the Training Coordinator for Oasis for Orphans, a non-profit organization providing orphan care to children in southwest Kenya. Streiff obtained her Bachelor of Arts in youth ministry from King University in 2002.
Dr. Tracey Stout, associate professor of English, will provide a scripture reading for the graduates and Mr. Craig Stout, will bring greetings to the graduates from Bluefield College’s Board of Trustees. The ceremony will also include student addresses from Ms. Allyson Daniele Carter, of Cool Ridge, West Virginia, from the School of Education and Social Sciences; and Mr. Daniel Eric Mason, of Bluefield Virginia, also from the School of Education and Social Sciences. Special music will be led by Dr. Charles Priest and Dr. John-Scott Moir.
Candidates for graduation will participate in the ceremony based on their fields of study. The ceremony will include candidates for Master of Arts in Education, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Nursing, the Honors Program, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and Associate of Science. Bluefield College President Dr. David W. Olive will confer the degrees.
Included in this year’s graduating class are graduates representing Austria, Brazil, Ecuador, Germany, Nigeria, Portugal, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom. A mother and daughter will graduate together as well as a husband and wife in this year’s ceremony.