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WEST POINT — Point University welcomed the newest members of the Class of 2023 as alumni during a commencement ceremony held Saturday at Unity Baptist Church in Newnan, Georgia. A total of 124 students earned associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

This spring’s commencement speaker was U.S. Army veteran and Point University alumnus Cliff Rash. Speaking from Philippians 3:12-14, Rash focused on encouraging graduates to “press on” after earning their degrees.

“Where you are now is only a place to propel you to where you will be,” Rash said.

Rash shared three points for graduates to remember as they move on from their time at Point University. His first point was to expect to face some type of opposition.

“You must find a way to improve yourself for yourself,” said Rash, who shared about his own experience and struggles in Army boot camp.

Rash next urged graduates to never have the attitude that they have “made it.” He challenged them to find 10 people to pour into and encourage, with the hope that they would do the same, and the results would continue to multiply and change the world.

“Your degree isn’t for you,” Rash said. “It’s for you to help the next person behind you.”

Finally, Rash encouraged graduates to have a creed to live by, setting goals and standards for their lives and never forgetting them. As he closed his address, Rash asked the graduates, “Are you going to be what the world needs? Are you going to be who God called you to be?”

Each year, the University recognizes an outstanding graduate from both the residential and online bachelor’s degree programs with the Hathcock Award, the highest honor given to a graduating Point student. Named for the university’s founder, the award is given based on academic achievement, character, and servant leadership. This spring’s Hathcock Award recipients are Roshannah Rash, an accounting major from Pooler, Georgia, and Sky Parrish, a child development major from Byron, Georgia. Family and friends of graduates who were unable to attend in person may access the recorded commencement ceremony on the University’s YouTube page; visit point.edu/commencement for more details.