As the sun ducked behind Snow Family Grand Atrium, over 1,400 candles lit the darkness Under the Oaks during Elon University’s annual Numen Lumen Senior Baccalaureate Reflection ceremony May 19.
The senior baccalaureate is a celebration for Elon seniors focused on light, both spiritually and intellectually, according to Elon University. Students from the class of 2026 received an oak sapling at the close of the event, fulfilling a tradition that began in 1991. Every student receives an acorn during new student convocation, and the saplings mark the transformation students experience during their years at Elon — just like an acorn growing into an oak tree.
“You arrived from different places, and all had different stories. Yet, over these past four years, you forged something stronger than difference. You forged a community,” said Rev. Kirstin Boswell, university chaplain and dean of multifaith engagement, during her welcoming remarks…