Fort Lewis College celebrated its Fall 2025 commencement as more than 180 graduates were challenged to carry forward one of the institution’s core lessons: use words, knowledge and compassion to build bridges in a divided world.
During the ceremony at Whalen Gymnasium, keynote speaker Betty Dorr, professor of psychology at Fort Lewis College, urged graduates to recognize the power of language, calling on them to speak with intention, care and integrity as they step into their next chapters.
“Words matter,” Dorr told graduates. “They shape relationships, influence communities, and create the kind of world we choose to live in. Use your words to uplift, to listen with compassion, and to build understanding, especially when you disagree.”
Dorr encouraged graduates to trust themselves, take risks and pursue their aspirations with courage and self-compassion, reminding them that their Fort Lewis College education prepared them to navigate complexity and difference with thoughtfulness and care.
Board of Trustees Chair Janet Lopez described the Fall 2025 class as a generation uniquely positioned to serve as bridge builders—students who began their college journeys at the end of a global pandemic and are graduating at a time marked by polarization and uncertainty.
“As graduates of a liberal arts institution, you are prepared to build bridges across lines of difference,” Lopez said. “Not only because of who you are, but because it is in the DNA of the institution you are graduating from.”
Fort Lewis College President Heather Shotton encouraged graduates to pause and recognize the collective effort behind their achievements, emphasizing the role of family, community and mentors in their journeys.
“This moment belongs to you, but remember that it also belongs to the families, communities, elders, and mentors who lifted you up along the way,” Shotton said.
Shotton highlighted the ways graduates across disciplines connected passion to purpose throughout their final weeks at Fort Lewis College, noting the pride faculty and staff expressed in their students’ growth and character.
“Their pride wasn’t only in your accomplishments; it was in your character, your curiosity, your commitments, and your heart,” Shotton said.
Graduates were also reminded that leaving campus does not mean leaving the Fort Lewis College community.
“And although you leave Fort Lewis today, you will always be part of this community, forever a part of the FLC family,” Shotton said. “This circle of relationships. This web of stories. This place that shaped you and was shaped by you.”