Congratulations to the Class of 2021

On May 19th, the 2021 CST graduates and CST faculty, as well as hundreds of family members and friends, tuned into an online Commencement service for the second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the community missed being together in person, the ceremony meaningfully honored the accomplishments of a class that spent more than a year of their time at seminary primarily in online study, as comments of support filled the chat of the livestream.

President Kuan opened the service in the atrium of the Claremont campus library in front of Claire Falkenstein’s sculpture, a piece of art imitating one of the windows in St. Basil’s Catholic Church in Los Angeles, which is said to symbolize infinity. He explained:

“We award your degrees today in front of this symbol as we celebrate the infinite ways you will bring your studies, your research, your faith, your commitments, your goals, and your aspirations, to bring more justice, more peace, more change into our aching world. We also stand in front of this sculpture of interconnected glass, symbolic of the ways we, too, are connected to one another. With our ecumenical partners and interreligious affiliations. With you, our students from across the globe, and with communities of people who have nurtured and supported you throughout your studies. So, today we award degrees, united through technology, faith, perseverance, determination, and community. We thank God for each of you and we celebrate with you your next steps.”

One significant portion of Commencement following the awarding of degrees was the student and faculty awards.

Faculty Fisher Awards

Fisher Faculty Teaching Award: Barbara Nixon

Fisher Faculty Mentoring Award: Andrew Dreitcer

Fisher Adjunct Faculty Award: Christine Kang

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry Exemplary Teacher of the Year Award: Frank Rogers, Jr.

Student Award Winners

Presidential Awards for Academic Excellence:
Master of Arts, Jess Navarette
Master of Divinity,
Stephanie Clifford Herrman and Payton Walker Hoegh
Doctor of Ministry,
Julian Alexander King and Sangsoo Lee, D.Min.;
Doctor of Philosophy, Jessica R. Chapman Lape, Scott P. Bayer, and Habib Todd Andrew Boerger

Award for Excellence in Biblical Studies: Catherine Love 

Church of the Good Shepherd Preaching Award: Camille Rodriguez Araullo, Julia Davis

Disciples Seminary Foundation Award: Louise Sloan Goben, Robin d. Robinson, Richard Jon Lucchesi

First UMC of Santa Monica/Edwin & Frances Witman Pastoral Care Award: Julia Davis

Hoyt Hickman Award for Outstanding Liturgical Scholarship and Practice: Saebae Nam

Jack Coogan Award for the Creative Use of the Arts in the Life of the CST Community:
Hannah Jane Boggs, Jessica R. Chapman Lape, and Hyunjae Lee

Korean Alumni/ae Association Award: Hyunjae Lee, Jessica Kim

Fellowship Seminarian Award: Moon Young Kong

Jeanne Audrey Powers Award: Hannah Jane Boggs, Julia Davis, and Eunhye Grace Lee

Ralph and Muriel Roberts Award in Youth Ministry: Timothy Sa Young

Harry Hosier Spirit Award: Nikia Smith Robert

Please join us in congratulating CST’s resilient and passionate Class of 2021!