MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University fall graduate Jorge Avila, a political science (pre‑law) major from Murfreesboro and a Blackman High School alum, was uncertain about his collegiate pathway when he entered MTSU in 2022.

“The more political science classes I took, like constitutional law and political theory, the more they motivated me, and I was sold on the idea of law school,” said Avila, an Honors College Buchanan Fellow, the university’s top academic scholarship award. “I’m really thankful I had great professors able to teach these courses and teach them really well.”

Now looking to head to law school, Avila was joined more than 1,600 new Blue Raider alumni who were conferred their degrees in front of thousands of family, friends and supporters during two commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 13, inside Murphy Center. 

‘Real world should be scared of you’

MTSU Class of ’91 alumnus Chris Whaley, president of Roane State Community College in Harriman, told morning ceremony graduates during his keynote remarks to cherish their time on campus, spending those countless evenings of study at Walker Library, navigating the maze that is Peck Hall to get to class, finishing those pesky group projects — all bringing them to the success of today. 

“This campus has shaped you in ways you might not even realize. You’ve learned resilience, like going to Starbucks in the library at peak hours and still believing in hope,” said Whaley, who earned his bachelor’s degree at MTSU. “You’ve learned to grow. To find your people. To discover what matters to you. To figure out what you want — and what you definitely don’t want … which, in my time was any class in Kirksey Old Main in the summer because there was no air conditioning back then.”

Whaley applauded graduates for investing their financial resources, effort, as well as a few anxieties and tears, “and you’ve absolutely invested your time.”

“But whatever you feel, remember this: you’ve already done hard things. You’ve learned, you’ve adapted, you’ve persisted; you’ve survived Murfreesboro traffic at 5 p.m. on Old Fort Parkway. You don’t need to be scared of the real world — the real world should be scared of you.”

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee told graduates they should be proud of joining the roster of more than 115,000 Blue Raider alumni all over the globe, with the vast majority — more than 70% — remaining in Tennessee, “building lives, opening businesses, starting families, and contributing to their communities.”

The 1,626 graduates included 1,331 undergraduates and 295 graduate students, including 262 master’s recipients, 13 education-specialist recipients and 20 doctoral recipients. Additionally, seven graduate students received graduate certificates, according to the university’s Registrar’s Office.

“I encourage you to remain involved with your alma mater, keep up with its success and progress, and be an advocate for the opportunities you were provided here so that others might follow,” McPhee said.

Graduate students and undergrads in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Behavioral and Health Sciences and College of Education received their degrees in the morning ceremony, followed by graduates from the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, College of Liberal Arts, Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment and University College in the afternoon.

‘Don’t forget to remember’

Afternoon ceremony keynote speaker Brady Cooper, senior pastor at New Vision Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, tapped into his 27 years of pastoral service to offer graduates some advice based on the theme of remembering to be thankful.

Cooper also cautioned the graduates, many of whom have grown up with the now ubiquitous social media, to be grateful for their own journeys and accomplishments rather than comparing themselves to others, because “comparison is the enemy of contentment.”

Cooper then reminded graduates to “remember to watch your wake.”

“Wake is the result our life leaves behind. Our character produces our wake, and our wake doesn’t lie. You are 100% responsible for your wake,” Cooper said. “Your wake is either going to propel people or paralyze people.”

He wrapped up, telling grads to “remember to keep your fork,” meaning a person can live weeks without food, days without water and minutes without oxygen, “but not a second without hope. Hope anchors you through the ups and downs of life. Keep your fork because the best is yet to come.”

Avila made the best of his time at MTSU. In addition to courses that shaped his interests and fueled his future, Avila took advantage of numerous opportunities on campus. 

“Academics were really important, but also being able to have student organizations that had students with a lot of similar interests helped me find my place with a community that had a lot of diversity and different perspectives,” said Avila, who “loves debating real-world policy.”

During his time at MTSU, Avila served each year with the Student Government Association, was elected president of the MTSU Democratic Party, and has been heavily involved in the American Democracy Project — including serving as a student panelist interviewing political commentator David Brooks during the annual Constitution Day observance earlier this year.

“If it wasn’t for MTSU, I wouldn’t have had all those opportunities,” said Avila, who plans to attend law school following his graduation.

In case you missed it

You can access a full pdf version of the commencement program.

For those who were unable to attend in person, the ceremonies were live-streamed with recordings available on the livestream channel, on True Blue TV and on the university’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

With the fall 2025 commencement ceremony in its 115^th academic year, MTSU has awarded approximately 192,162 degrees to its students, including associate, bachelor’s, master’s, educational specialist and doctoral degrees, since its 1911 founding.

MTSU fall semester classes ended Dec. 3, with final examinations concluding Thursday, Dec. 11, marking the official end of the fall semester. Winter Session runs Dec. 22 to Jan. 15. The spring 2026 full-term classes begin Tuesday, Jan. 20.

For updates on MTSU anytime, visit https://mtsu.edu or https://MTSUNews.com.  

— Jimmy Hart (Jimmy.Hart@mtsu.edu) and Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)