NEWS

Doug Strickel delivers his keynote speech.

Louisiana Tech University’s two full-length Spring 2025 commencement ceremonies bestowed degrees on 1,094 new graduates on Saturday in the Thomas Assembly Center. The all-time total number of Tech graduates now stands at 116,874.

The keynote speaker for both ceremonies was Doug Strickel, a Tech Class of 1987 graduate in accounting and a member of both the Alumni Association Board of Directors and the College of Business Accounting Advisory Board. Strickel, wireless microphone in hand, took advantage of the space on the stage to deliver a mobile and energetic speech to the graduating students and the audience that had come to watch them.

Offering stories of inspiration for each one, Strickel divided his speech into five life lessons:

“Know who you are.”
“Don’t be defeated by your past.”
“Don’t believe every thought.”
“Just keep moving.”
“Sacrifice for someone else.”

“If you want lasting fulfillment for a lifetime, you help someone else reach their goals,” Strickel said. “You help someone else accomplish something important to them. That’s a fulfillment for a lifetime.”

Also before the students walked the stage in the morning ceremony, College of Liberal Arts dean — and father to two 4.0 spring 2025 graduates — Karl Puljak took some time to speak on community, family, and parenthood, reflecting on the importance of a milestone like graduation in the framework of a person’s life.

“We think about today and are immensely proud,” Puljak said. “We think about the past, when you were younger, and how much you’ve changed and matured. We think about the future, and it’s very scary. We know you’re starting your own path, and it’s not ours, and we know that you are far more prepared than we could have ever been at your age.”

Notably, Harry L. May of Choudrant, LA graduated with his Ph.D. in engineering during the morning ceremony at 77 years old, the oldest doctoral graduate in the University’s history.

In the afternoon ceremony, Loretta Raymond Wiley of Princeton, LA earned her Master of Arts in Counseling and Guidance at age 75.

A couple of the newest Louisiana Tech commencement traditions, like an eruption of streamers during the shifting of the tassels and special appearances by Tech XXII the bulldog, helped send the spring Class of 2025 into the world with emphasis and energy, capping off a strong and eventful academic year in Ruston.