136th Defiance College commencement ceremony held
May 15, 2023
DEFIANCE, Ohio -
One hundred and eighteen graduates were awarded diplomas during Defiance College's 2023 commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 13.
Also recognized during the ceremony were Pilgrim Medal recipients Jay Hanson, an active Defiance community member, and graduating senior Grant Johnson, Waynesville, OH. The Pilgrim Medal is the highest honor awarded by the College and recognizes specific traits in awardees: reliance in self, pride in work, courage in conscience, strength in education, and faith in God.
Carolyn M. Small, a longtime faculty member and Faculty Emerita, was awarded an honorary degree.
Delivering the commencement address was Robert Morton, the Superintendent of Defiance City Schools. Morton has been a building principal for sixteen years, the last twelve at Defiance High School.
Grant Johnson, Waynesville, OH, spoke on behalf of the graduating class.
Receiving diplomas were:
Bachelor of Arts
David Andrew Bauer, Defiance, OH; Camryn Bekkering, Portland, MI; Sara Blausey, Genoa,
OH; Austin Tyler Boles, Burlington, KY; Justin A. Caballero, Tampa, FL; Carmen Blanca
Caldwell, Brownstown, MI; Armando Campos Ortiz, Dayton, OH; McKenzie Grace Cooper,
Greentown, IN; Jarvis Mario DeCoursey, Alachua, FL; Kendall Allan Duval, Blissfield,
MI; Theresa Renee Eicher Hudgins, Napoleon, OH; Caitlyn Michelle Good, Napoleon, OH;
Josilyn Marie Guzman, Riverview, MI; Tyler Hines, Cincinnati, OH; Michaela K. Hunt,
Magna Cum Laude; Avonte R. Jones, Columbus, OH; Hailey Elaine Krawczyk, Sylvania,
OH; Daylon David Lange, St. Henry, OH; Easton W. Lewis, Dayton, OH; Joshua Sterritte
Maurer, Springfield, OH; Jack Minner, London, OH; Jadina Ellen Mozzetti, Columbus,
OH; Kaden R. Pirrwitz, Delta, OH; Erdwin Quintana, Fort Wayne, IN; Andy J. Ramirez-Picacho,
Reynoldsburg, OH; Evan Wayne Rummel, Montpelier, OH; Noah Henrik Svanberg, Grand Rapids,
OH; Tyler N. Taylor, Defiance, OH; Rigoberto Villa Jr., Lehigh Acres, FL; Joshua C.
Vischer, Genoa, OH; Desiré Michelle Walker, Detroit, MI; William Colton Westfall,
Bluffton, IN.
Bachelor of Science
Jordan Ambrose, Houston, TX; MacKenzie Paige Armey, Liberty Center, OH; Trisha Kay
Baldwin, Defiance, OH; Dejsani Amari Kedar Beamon, Elgin, IL; Bailey Lynn Bell, Archbold,
OH; Alyssa Geneva Bok, New Bavaria, OH; Austin Tyler Boles, Burlington, KY; Hunter
D. Bostater, Ney, OH; Caitlin Marie Brinegar, Fayette, OH; Kylie Lynn Brinkman, Tontogany,
OH; Darrien Brooks, Detroit, MI; Kimmel Shirley Brown, Toledo, OH; Katherine Dawn
Bundy, Fairborn, OH; Mallery Grace Cardarelli, Defiance, OH; Te'Von Elijah Carson-Payton,
Atlanta, GA; Bryce Cooley, Montpelier, OH; McKenzie Grace Cooper, Greentown, IN; Lauren
Natasha Criblez, Harrod, OH; D'Angelo Celo Espinal, Opa-Locka, FL; Marissa L. Esposito,
Sandusky, OH; Alysia A. Fickel, Defiance, OH; Miguel Angel Gomez, Wauseon, OH; Brooklynn
Sue Grant, Sherwood, OH; Katelyn Laurel Hartzell, Oakwood, OH; Jabryis Allen Heidelburg,
Fremont, OH; Tyler Hines, Cincinnati, OH; Sydney Madison Hoiberg, Kingston Springs,
TN; Austin John Horning, Pettisville, OH; Michaela K. Hunt, Sylvania, OH; Ja'Qway
Kadolphe Janvier, Carol City, FL; Grant Matthew Johnson, Waynesville, OH; Jerome S.
Johnson, Warner Robins, GA; Kathryn S. Johnson, Blissfield, MI; Marell "Rello" Jordan,
Chicago, IL; Max Junior Julien, Palm Springs, FL; Trey Bryant Keefer, Fayette, OH;
Dylan Matthew King, Las Vegas, NV; Anthony Kostecki, Columbus, OH; Hailey Elaine Krawczyk,
Sylvania, OH; Colin J. Krick, Antwerp, OH; Alivia Mae Kruczkowski, Holland, OH; Lily
Linke, Westerville, OH; Taylor Linkous, Mount Gilead, OH; Seth Majewski, Brooklyn,
OH; Lisa-Maria Markau, Berlin, Germany; Keringten Christopher Martin, Houston, OH;
Mikeaya Sierra McLaurin, Fremont, OH; Sophia M. Moller, Pickerington, OH; Jadina Ellen
Mozzetti, Columbus, OH; Maricella Davina Najar, Adrian, MI; Jordan Mae Nighswander,
Elmore, OH; Destiny Osaretin Oshodin, Toledo, OH; Seth Gabreil Pearson, Fort Wayne,
IN; Noah Parker Pistory, St. Louis, MO; Madison Lynn Pueschel, Sturgis, MI; Abbegail
Mary Rank, Maumee, OH; Marissa Marie Roberts, Warren, OH; Autumn M. Saddler, Sheffield,
OH; Hunter Morgan Schwochow, Clyde, OH; Nicole Renee Sims, Camden, OH; Brianna Marie
Lee Snider, Lima, OH; Garrett J. Snyder, Defiance, OH; Alexandria K. Sparks, Trenton,
OH; Taylor Steinbrunner, Beavercreek, OH; Hunter Alexander Stettner, Camden, TN; Parker
Raymond Tilse, Wauseon, OH; Briana Townley, Paulding, OH; Jessica Louise Trausch,
Bryan, OH; Mackenzie Reneé Umbaugh, Plymouth, IN; Cassidy Nichole Weiss, Richmond,
IN; Julia Ann Yeager, Defiance, OH.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Laura A. Moore, Pioneer, OH; Gabrielle M. Plummer, Defiance, OH; Elias Frankie Rogers,
Elmore, OH.
Master of Arts in Education
Daniel Hurd, Hiram, OH; Derek R. Lucas, Eaton, OH; Lindsey M. Stack, Norton, OH.
Master of Business Administration
Amber Julianne Baldwin, Defiance, OH; Mackenzie Claire Benham, Marshall, MI; Taylor
Biggs-Specht, Cincinnati, OH; Sean Lee Coressel, Defiance, OH; Emily Elizabeth Cotten,
Fayetteville, GA; Curtis Jon Croy, Ottawa, OH; Gabriel Scott Curell, Lapeer, MI; Taylor
Christine Day, West Mansfield, OH; Nathen R. Henricks, Bryan, OH; Jeremy Jeremiah
Jimenez, Cape Coral, FL; Daylon Lange, St. Henry, OH; Sam Miller, Edgewood, MD; Nicholas
Ian Albert Minshall, Bethel Park, PA; Cohen Michael Nies, Logansport, IN; Tyler R.
Towns, Pittsboro, IN.
Associate of Arts
Caden Brown, Defiance, OH; Mackenzie Reneé Umbaugh, Plymouth, IN.
Chartered in 1850, Defiance College is an independent, liberal arts-based institution in Northwest Ohio, offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of service and engagement. DC has created a unique career readiness program called Jacket Journey to help students learn career skills in and out of the classroom. The four pillars of its mission guide the College: To Know, To Understand, To Lead, and To Serve.
