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JACKSON, Tenn. — July 27, 2019 — 51���� graduated 124 students at the summer commencement July 27 at West Jackson Baptist Church. In her keynote address to Union’s 194th graduating class, Beverly Absher-Bone acknowledged that while her words may temporarily inspire and motivate graduates, self-motivation must occur to turn inspiration into action.

“I’ve certainly been inspired over the years by good books and wonderful speakers,” she said. “However, my greatest source of motivation and inspiration to live my best life has come from one source, and that’s God’s Word.”

Absher-Bone is the inaugural dean of the School of Adult and Professional Studies at 51����, and previously served as Union’s director for human resources and as associate vice president for auxiliary operations and strategic initiatives. She will retire July 31 after serving for 15 years at Union.

During her address, Absher-Bone shared the seven best pieces of advice she received from the Bible: obey God, work heartily and enthusiastically, manage conflict wisely, be wise with money and possessions, give generously, love unconditionally and continue learning and growing throughout life.

One of the graduates was Jenni Crumby, 28, of Savannah, Tennessee, who earned a Master of Education degree with a focus in instructional leadership. Crumby is a fourth grade teacher at Oakland Elementary School in Fayette County and studied at Union’s Germantown campus.

“Being surrounded by the students and teachers at Union helped me to gain confidence in my profession and learn new things from others in education,” she said. “The teachers took a genuine interest in us and our growth as leaders.”

With her master’s degree, Crumby plans to “be a leader for other teachers to help transform the way we educate kids.”

Jarren Meredith, a 29-year-old from Memphis, gained his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in leadership at the Germantown campus. Meredith is an electronic data interchange analyst for FedEx Services. He is looking forward to applying the knowledge he gained at Union in his current position and to use those skills to progress into a management role.

“With this piece of my puzzle, I know this would move me forward further in my career,” he said.

As the graduates look ahead to their futures, Absher-Bone charged them with this: “The best advice I ever received and the best advice you will ever receive will be found in the Bible, and everything I’ve said can be summarized in this way: know Christ, serve him and love others. And that, graduates, is the best advice you’ll ever receive.”