{"id":6158,"date":"2019-05-28T10:10:52","date_gmt":"2019-05-28T14:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/?p=6158"},"modified":"2020-07-14T15:58:07","modified_gmt":"2020-07-14T19:58:07","slug":"choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/","title":{"rendered":"“Choose civility:” Read the 2019 Transylvania commencement address"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Deogratias Niyzonkiza delivers the 2019 commencement address at Transylvania University.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On Saturday, May 25, 229 students graduated from Transylvania University. Deogratias Niyizonkiza, founder and CEO, Village Health Works in Burundi was the commencement speaker. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery.<\/em>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Class of 2019, good morning and congratulations! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is an\nhonor and a privilege for me to be with you on this special day in your life. Thank\nyou for inviting me. I would like to share with you my brief story, not because\nit\u2019s worthier or more important than anyone else\u2019s, but because it\u2019s the story\nI know best\u2014and because it illustrates so dramatically that the simple act of\ncaring for a stranger can have consequences more beautiful, more far-reaching,\nand more world-changing than you might ever imagine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I\nsee friends like you, it\u2019s not an exaggeration to say that my struggles to\nsurvive the trauma of war and homelessness in New York City would have turned\nmy life into dust were it not for the kindness of my adopted American parents,\nNancy and Charlie Wolf\u2014who would otherwise be considered \u201cstrangers\u201d \u2013 a word I\nuse with both respect and caution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Respect for strangers because,  I would argue, they are the source of some of\nthe most profound of human experiences \u2013 the beautiful and the ugly. Caution\nbecause I am not convinced that we are ever strangers, even when \u2013 and perhaps\nespecially when \u2013 our otherness is used to justify brutality and war. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A year ago, I had the privilege to be here for a Kenan conversation<\/a>, and I shared my experiences founding and serving my organization, Village Health Works, <\/a>in my native Burundi. Many of the students had read my life journey in Tracy Kidder\u2019s book, Strength In What Remains<\/em>. But I know most of you were not present for that, so I invite you to join me for a few moments on my journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2005, after 11 years in the U.S., I went back to Burundi. I knew that my native country had suffered a lot. But what I saw was unspeakable. There were patients watching themselves die in destroyed, repulsive hospitals with no doctors and no medications. I looked into many faces and wondered: in such conditions, how can anyone find happiness again? It was so heartbreaking for me that I couldn\u2019t focus on anything else anymore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My thoughts were bent on how to bring dignified, community-supported medical services to the destitute sick\u2014and how to create a model that could be replicated throughout Burundi and far beyond its borders. It seemed like such a pipe dream. I was often afraid that even my closest friends would think of me as a madman if I told them about my crazy ideas. It was such a nightmare for me to have to struggle with how to explain to my friends that I escaped and left Burundi, but Burundi\u2014and the childhood friends I lost from senseless deaths and other totally preventable tragedies\u2014never left my mind. Or my heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years trying to\nrecover from the trauma of war, I reflected on my childhood life, and concluded\nthat Hutus and Tutsis were not created by God to kill each other, that the\natrocities were a result of poverty, and lack of both education based on\ncritical thinking and access to quality health care. It became clear to me that\nthe collapse of education and the health\ncare systems is the greatest threat to civility, development and peace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was in Burundi in\nDecember 2005, I began to engage the traumatized community in my village and I\nasked them to think of what it would take to\ncome together, put our tragic history aside, and build a model clinic that the\ncommunity would own.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, I\nencountered skepticism and suspicion, but in the end that idea helped them\nlight the spark of their own optimism which had been extinguished by the\nhorrors they had lived through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the community\nwho donated the land to Village Health Works, the land being the only\ncommodity they had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the community,\nwho was desperately poor, dispirited, and disempowered \u2014many\nformer enemies\u2014who became enthusiastic collaborators in a pioneering project\nand who made the bricks to start the foundation of a 50-bed clinic which is soon\ngoing to become a 150-bed state-of-the art teaching hospital.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the process of\nbuilding Village Health Works, local community members (men and women) who\novercame unspeakable tragedies started healing from the trauma of war,\ncultivating trust and becoming good neighbors and friends again. We\nrediscovered civility. We remembered how to rely on one another, bound by\nmutual responsibility.  Today, this\nreliance on the \u201cother\u201d extends far beyond the community we serve in Burundi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An increasing number\nof friends from around the world are behind our vision \u2013 which was seen in its\ninfancy as pure hallucination, to say the least. Our hard journey has made all\nthe difference in so many lives. Doctors come to Burundi to help patients in\nour clinic; educators volunteer to\nlead teacher trainings; economists,\nengineers and agronomists offer their expertise to our staff.  Donations of time, money and skills of people\nwho are strangers to the people of Burundi but feel tied to their well-being\nhave made our rural community feel welcomed into\nthe world community. That restores our self-respect, dignity, and our hope. And\nmy American friends who have joined to care for strangers have deepened their\nown dignity and added to their own store of hope too. It has expanded\ntheir sense of citizenship, of civility. Being able to serve a cause that matters\nbeyond oneself is a privilege, and an honor. It\nsurely has been one I am most proud of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also believe that\ngiving to strangers creates a balance in the world \u2013 a balance to human beings\u2019\nlong, ugly history of taking from strangers, probably beginning when one\nproto-hominid knocked another with a\nbone and took his delicious saber-tooth tiger steak. The history of taking from\nstrangers may have reached its heights in the imperial plunder of the African\ncontinent. But wherever we are in the world, giving to strangers gets the\nbalance right again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And from a place of\nbalance, anything becomes possible. It\u2019s a transformative foundation, and I can\ntell you so many stories showing how Village Health Works is transforming lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I often use the word \u201clucky\u201d in telling my own story, and of course, \u201clucky\u201d is how much of it felt to me. But luck <\/strong>came in the form of the kindness of others like my beloved adopted American parents, Nancy and Charlie Wolf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this day of your graduation, and as you step forward into the adventure that will be your next chapter, I\u2019d like to ask you to meditate on the luck that you\u2019re born with and the luck that you\u2019ve accumulated, the luck of your upbringing and the luck of a great education. All of that luck \u2013 even the luck to be able to work hard towards your goals \u2013 comes from the kindness and compassion of those we know, and those we don\u2019t: strangers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have been privileged to have a president and a faculty that foster an environment in which you have learned about the awful inequalities in the world \u2013 the appalling disparities of health, and wealth, and opportunity. You have been lucky to be at such a beautiful university that has given you the opportunities to become involved with the community around you as part of your education as a way of showing you how to turn towards <\/strong>these problems \u2013 to care and engage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The choice is yours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here\u2019s\nmy hard-won advice: choose to serve, to give back, to teach, to inspire others,\nand to pursue sustainable acts of kindness and compassion. Choose civility. Choose\nto be citizens who are not just out to make a living,\nbut who are living to make a difference. Choose to do this for those\nnear to you and for those we call strangers, with whom you have little in\ncommon but your shared humanity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choose to\nlearn from our challenges, then have the courage to step out of them and our\nhistory so that we can become global citizens\u2014living every day with compassion,\ncuriosity, humility, and gratitude! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In doing so, you will make our world a better, safer and more peaceful place. The future is yours. I can personally attest that good deeds sustain long after the original action, often growing and expanding in ways that no one can predict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for allowing me to share these reflections with you on this joyful day of your graduation from Transylvania University. I very much wish you the best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congratulations and good luck. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deogratias Niyizonkiza, founder and CEO, Village Health Works in Burundi was the 2019 Transylvania University commencement speaker.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":6159,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[30,1],"tags":[141,238,36],"feeds":[],"class_list":["post-6158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-news","tag-campus-events","tag-class-of-2019","tag-commencement"],"yoast_head":"\n"Choose civility:" Read the 2019 Transylvania commencement address - Transylvania University - 1780<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Deogratias Niyizonkiza, founder and CEO, Village Health Works in Burundi was the 2019 Transylvania University commencement speaker.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""Choose civility:" Read the 2019 Transylvania commencement address\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Deogratias Niyizonkiza, founder and CEO, Village Health Works in Burundi was the 2019 Transylvania University commencement speaker.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"1780\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/transylvaniauniversity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-28T14:10:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-14T19:58:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/190525TransyGradJRA147-e1559051858207-1200x630.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Megan Moloney\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@transy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@transy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Megan Moloney\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Megan Moloney\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f5f54fa5ba5374dd078215cc3e8d7288\"},\"headline\":\"“Choose civility:” Read the 2019 Transylvania commencement address\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-28T14:10:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-14T19:58:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1480,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/14\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/190525TransyGradJRA147-e1559051858207.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Campus Events\",\"Class of 2019\",\"Commencement\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Events\",\"News from Transy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\\\/\",\"name\":\"\\\"Choose civility:\\\" Read the 2019 Transylvania commencement address - Transylvania University - 1780\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/14\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/190525TransyGradJRA147-e1559051858207.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-28T14:10:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-14T19:58:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f5f54fa5ba5374dd078215cc3e8d7288\"},\"description\":\"Deogratias Niyizonkiza, founder and CEO, Village Health Works in Burundi was the 2019 Transylvania University commencement speaker.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/14\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/190525TransyGradJRA147-e1559051858207.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/14\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/190525TransyGradJRA147-e1559051858207.jpg\",\"width\":1800,\"height\":1057,\"caption\":\"2019 Commencement Transylvania University Lexington, Kentucky Saturday, May 25, 2019 Photo by Joseph Rey Au\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"“Choose civility:” Read the 2019 Transylvania commencement address\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/\",\"name\":\"1780\",\"description\":\"The Official Blog of Transylvania University\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.transy.edu\\\/1780\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f5f54fa5ba5374dd078215cc3e8d7288\",\"name\":\"Megan Moloney\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\"Choose civility:\" Read the 2019 Transylvania commencement address - Transylvania University - 1780","description":"Deogratias Niyizonkiza, founder and CEO, Village Health Works in Burundi was the 2019 Transylvania University commencement speaker.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\"Choose civility:\" Read the 2019 Transylvania commencement address","og_description":"Deogratias Niyizonkiza, founder and CEO, Village Health Works in Burundi was the 2019 Transylvania University commencement speaker.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/","og_site_name":"1780","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/transylvaniauniversity","article_published_time":"2019-05-28T14:10:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-07-14T19:58:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/190525TransyGradJRA147-e1559051858207-1200x630.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Megan Moloney","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@transy","twitter_site":"@transy","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Megan Moloney","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/"},"author":{"name":"Megan Moloney","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/#\/schema\/person\/f5f54fa5ba5374dd078215cc3e8d7288"},"headline":"“Choose civility:” Read the 2019 Transylvania commencement address","datePublished":"2019-05-28T14:10:52+00:00","dateModified":"2020-07-14T19:58:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/"},"wordCount":1480,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/190525TransyGradJRA147-e1559051858207.jpg","keywords":["Campus Events","Class of 2019","Commencement"],"articleSection":["Events","News from Transy"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/","url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/","name":"\"Choose civility:\" Read the 2019 Transylvania commencement address - Transylvania University - 1780","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/190525TransyGradJRA147-e1559051858207.jpg","datePublished":"2019-05-28T14:10:52+00:00","dateModified":"2020-07-14T19:58:07+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/#\/schema\/person\/f5f54fa5ba5374dd078215cc3e8d7288"},"description":"Deogratias Niyizonkiza, founder and CEO, Village Health Works in Burundi was the 2019 Transylvania University commencement speaker.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/190525TransyGradJRA147-e1559051858207.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/190525TransyGradJRA147-e1559051858207.jpg","width":1800,"height":1057,"caption":"2019 Commencement Transylvania University Lexington, Kentucky Saturday, May 25, 2019 Photo by Joseph Rey Au"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/choose-civility-read-the-2019-transylvania-commencement-address\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"“Choose civility:” Read the 2019 Transylvania commencement address"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/","name":"1780","description":"The Official Blog of Transylvania University","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/#\/schema\/person\/f5f54fa5ba5374dd078215cc3e8d7288","name":"Megan Moloney"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/190525TransyGradJRA147-e1559051858207.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4900,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/02\/renowned-humanitarian-to-deliver-transylvania-commencement-address-may-25\/","url_meta":{"origin":6158,"position":0},"title":"Renowned humanitarian to deliver Transylvania commencement address May 25","author":"Office of Marketing and Communications","date":"February 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Deogratias \u201cDeo\u201d Niyizonkiza, a leading advocate for the world\u2019s most impoverished people and founder and CEO of Village Health Works in Burundi, will deliver Transylvania University\u2019s commencement address on May 25.","rel":"","context":"In "News from Transy"","block_context":{"text":"News from Transy","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/Deo-at-the-Podium.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/Deo-at-the-Podium.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/Deo-at-the-Podium.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/Deo-at-the-Podium.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/Deo-at-the-Podium.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/Deo-at-the-Podium.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5981,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/transylvania-to-graduate-226-seniors-may-25-renowned-humanitarian-to-deliver-commencement-address\/","url_meta":{"origin":6158,"position":1},"title":"Transylvania to graduate 226 seniors May 25; renowned humanitarian to deliver commencement address","author":"Office of Marketing and Communications","date":"May 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Transylvania University will award Bachelor of Arts degrees to 226 seniors at its commencement on Saturday, May 25.","rel":"","context":"In "News from Transy"","block_context":{"text":"News from Transy","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"commencement audience in front of Old Morrison","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/commencement.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/commencement.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/commencement.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/commencement.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/commencement.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/commencement.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6025,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/transylvania-setting-stage-for-saturday-commencement-watch-live-on-facebook\/","url_meta":{"origin":6158,"position":2},"title":"Transylvania setting stage for Saturday commencement; watch live on Facebook","author":"John Friedlein","date":"May 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The university will celebrate 229 of its graduating seniors as they embark on their new lives beginning Saturday morning, May 25 at 9 a.m. on Old Morrison's lawn.","rel":"","context":"In "Campus Updates"","block_context":{"text":"Campus Updates","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/campus-updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Putting out chairs on Old Morrison lawn","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/chairs-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/chairs-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/chairs-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/chairs-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/chairs-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/chairs-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1247,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2018\/02\/pulitzer-prize-winning-author-renowned-humanitarian-to-speak-at-transylvania-on-march-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":6158,"position":3},"title":"Pulitzer Prize-winning author, renowned humanitarian to speak at Transylvania on March 1","author":"Office of Marketing and Communications","date":"February 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Transylvania University\u2019s 2018 Kenan conversation featured Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder (left) and Deogratias Niyizonkiza (right), the subject of his book, \u201cStrength in What Remains.\u201d LEXINGTON, Ky.\u2014Transylvania University\u2019s 2018 Kenan conversation will feature Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder and Deogratias Niyizonkiza, the subject of his book, \"Strength in What Remains.\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/02\/deokenan.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/02\/deokenan.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/02\/deokenan.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/02\/deokenan.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/02\/deokenan.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/02\/deokenan.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6142,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2019\/05\/transylvania-community-family-friends-celebrate-graduation-of-229-students-saturday\/","url_meta":{"origin":6158,"position":4},"title":"Transylvania community, family, friends celebrate graduation of 229 students Saturday","author":"John Friedlein","date":"May 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"More than 200 graduates crossed the stage in front of the university's iconic Old Morrison administration building to receive their Bachelor of Arts degrees, while family and friends celebrated their many accomplishments.","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Crowd on Old Morrison Lawn","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/drone.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/drone.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/drone.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/drone.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/drone.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/05\/drone.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1340,"url":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2015\/05\/transylvania-university-commencement-may-23\/","url_meta":{"origin":6158,"position":5},"title":"Transylvania University commencement May 23","author":"Office of Marketing and Communications","date":"May 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"LEXINGTON Ky.\u2014Transylvania University\u2019s commencement on Saturday, May 23, marked the start of a new journey for graduating students, who are well-prepared to join the workforce or continue their education at graduate or professional schools. The students of the class of 2015 received their bachelor\u2019s degrees during the 9:30 a.m. ceremony\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.transy.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/news\/images\/illustrations\/commencement_inside.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6158"},{"taxonomy":"feeds","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feeds?post=6158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}