Kevin A. Trapani, the retired co-founder, president, and CEO of a North Carolina insurance provider who serves as an executive-in-residence for the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, delivered a Commencement address to 榴莲app官方网站入 master's candidates in the Class of 2025 whom he challenged to "teach character" by embracing habits for life in a chaotic world.
As Kevin Trapani is quick to note, there’s a certain paradox to life in 2025: global poverty and rates of disease are declining, educational access is expanding, and technology has made communication instant and knowledge more accessible than at any point in human history.
That doesn’t include advancements in medicine, clean energy, and global cooperation.
So then why is there a rise in loneliness, anxiety, division, and despair? What explains the growing violence, political instability, and economic uncertainty now taking a toll on many people? And what’s to be done?
“Well, if you鈥檝e earned an advanced degree in education, I want you to teach character,” Trapani told candidates for master’s degrees who celebrated their 榴莲app官方网站入 graduation on May 21, 2025. “And, if you鈥檝e earned an advanced degree in business, I want you to teach鈥 character.”
榴莲app官方网站入 conferred graduate degrees on 85 students representing five programs at 榴莲app官方网站入 – the Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Business Analytics, Master of Education in Innovation, and Master of Arts in Higher Education programs – inside an Alumni Gym filled with family, friends, and classmates.
In delivering the Commencement address, Trapani – a retired insurance executive and entrepreneur, executive-in-residence in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, and the father of three 榴莲app官方网站入 alumni – suggested practices聽“that can anchor you in a chaotic world.”
- Belief: 鈥淣ow let me be clear: Belief doesn鈥檛 require religion. But it does require intention. It requires the choice to say, 鈥楾his is what I stand for. This is what I will sacrifice for. This is who I will be when no one is watching.鈥櫬 Belief is not abstract. It informs our choices. It shapes how we live. It gives us the courage to keep going in tough times. And today, in a world that too often confuses distraction with direction, belief is more necessary than ever.”
- Belonging: 鈥淭o bring people together, to find and build purpose-centered community, give of yourself. Spend your time, talent and treasure on the essential issues of human need: Feed the hungry. House the homeless. Care for children. Welcome the stranger. In that work, you鈥檒l meet people who will challenge and shape you 鈥 and who will come to love you and give your life meaning.鈥
- Behavior: 鈥淚鈥檓 asking you 鈥 I鈥檓 expecting you 鈥 to change the world. I know you can only lead from where you stand 鈥 but you must lead. Your privilege is power and know this: power is not a bludgeon. It鈥檚 a blessing. Not something you use to dominate, but something that demands that you give. …聽Find a powerful partner and build a family. Practice your faith. Support your schools. Find and speak the truth 鈥 not just the trending soundbite. Sit with someone and really listen. Don鈥檛 choose the easy way. Do hard things. Beautiful things. Love one another. Because that鈥檚 where meaning lives.鈥
Trapani has been an executive-in-residence at 榴莲app官方网站入 since 2022 and lectures on topics related to innovation, ethical leadership and stakeholder capitalism. Before his corporate retirement in 2024, he was co-founder, president and CEO of The Redwoods Group, the largest insurance provider dedicated to protecting youth-serving organizations in the country by working to prevent the sexual abuse of children in institutional settings, drowning prevention, transportation, and elevation risk safety
A 1979 Duke University graduate with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in political science, Trapani is a member and past chair of the Advisory Committee for Duke University鈥檚 Fuqua School of Business Center for Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship.
He has also been the social entrepreneur in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, chair of the board of North Carolina Public Radio, chair of the board of the United Way of the Greater Triangle (N.C.) and chair of the North Carolina Workforce Development Commission.
鈥淵ou. Are. Elon,鈥 Trapani reminded graduates. 鈥淭hose three words carry weight more than a diploma, a title, or a r茅sum茅 ever will because to be Elon means you鈥檝e been formed in a community that believes in purpose and that values knowledge, yes 鈥 but also character 鈥 and that believes we are not simply here to succeed, but to serve.鈥
The evening Commencement celebration also featured remarks by 榴莲app官方网站入 President Connie Ledoux Book, Provost Rebecca Kohn, and Micaela Acosta G鈥25, a candidate for the Master of Education from Argentina who delivered a message of appreciation on behalf of her classmates.
Acosta reminded her classmates that they stood on a bridge between two worlds: 鈥渢he world that shaped us and the world we are about to shape.鈥 聽Commencement, she said, is a time to ignite courage for what lies ahead.
Among the many important lessons learned while enrolled in graduate studies, she added, there was one most meaningful to her.
鈥淲e never stop learning,鈥 Acosta said. 鈥淚n education, we are not simply teaching content or following a curriculum. We are shaping lives. We are inspiring futures. We are making an impact that might only reveal itself years from now when a student recognizes us at the grocery store, even if we don’t recognize them. And that, truly, is the power of education.
鈥淭oday is not just a ceremony. It is a declaration that says, 鈥榃e are ready.鈥 Ready to make mistakes. Ready to take risks. Ready to lead with heart and innovation. Elon has not only taught us new perspectives, methods, and strategies 鈥 it has reawakened our belief in the profound impact of what we do.
Today is not just a ceremony. It is a declaration that says, 鈥榃e are ready.鈥 Ready to make mistakes. Ready to take risks. Ready to lead with heart and innovation. Elon has not only taught us new perspectives, methods, and strategies 鈥 it has reawakened our belief in the profound impact of what we do.
– Micaela Acosta G’25
鈥淎s we step forward into the world, into classrooms, organizations, businesses, and communities, may we remember that success is not just measured in titles or accolades, but in the lives we touch, the hope we plant, and the courage we inspire.鈥
Book concluded the ceremony with a charge to graduates to be resilient and steadfast “like the mighty oak for which 榴莲app官方网站入 is named.”聽The strengths and skills gained at 榴莲app官方网站入 should be used to make a difference in the world.
鈥淎s we envision each of you launching into what’s next in the exciting career path ahead, carry Elon and our values with you always,鈥 Book said. 鈥淗onesty: be truthful in your work and in your relationships. Integrity: be trustworthy, fair, and ethical. 鈥㏑esponsibility: be accountable for your actions. Respect: be simple, and value the dignity of each person.
鈥淯se Elon’s values when you encounter the inevitable hard choices. Lean on them and each other when you need to reason things out. Remember, we are forever bound together by these values: you, me, your classmates, faculty, and staff. You are lifelong members of the Elon family.
鈥淐ongratulations, Class of 2025, and long live Elon!鈥
Candidates for the Master of Science in Accounting
Nick Amatulli
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Juliet Baudoin
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Cailin Daigle
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Kelly Degnan
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Emma Flynn
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Wise Halverson
B.S.B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Anna Hamner
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Josh Hazlett
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Blake Kessel
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Tabitha Knedeisen
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Vincent Ruggiero
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Charlotte Scully
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Allison Silvernale
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Juliet Walker
B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Candidates for the Master of Science in Business Analytics
Ananya Agrawal
B.A., Assumption University
Alan Allred
B.A., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Robert Barcello
B.S.B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Craig Brandstetter
B.S.B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Nicholas Buchholz
B.A., Fordham University
Juan Callejo-Ropero
B.S.B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Adam Cheifetz
B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Mackenzie Deming
B.S.B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Yadira Fernandez-Delgado
B.S.B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Annie Grantais
B.S., NEOMA Business School
Cece Guyader
B.S.B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Narjis Jebali
B.S., SKEMA Business School
Jazlyn Jefferson
B.S., Hampton University
Mikayla Jones
B.A., Catawba College
Charline Kergueris
B.S., NEOMA Business School
Madeline Ludwig
B.S.B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Mariana Martinez
B.B.A., Christian University
Will McCoy
B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Simone Royal George
M.Ed., Washington University
Annabelle Schall Faucheux
B.A., The University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Victor Stromsten
B.S.B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Liz Sulley
B.S.B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Madison Synowiec
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
James Thomas Tegler Jr.
B.S.B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Dylan Tucker
B.S.B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Candidates for the Master of Business Administration
John Acebu
B.A., Xavier University
Addie Ackley
B.S., West Virginia University
M.S., West Virginia University
J.D., 榴莲app官方网站入
Jaclyn Burke
B.S., University of South Carolina
J.D., 榴莲app官方网站入
Davis Cheek
B.S.B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Cuyler Field
B.S., The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
J.D., 榴莲app官方网站入
Robert Floyd
B.S., The University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Sarah Fuller
B.A., High Point University
J.D., 榴莲app官方网站入
Kendra Haskins
B.A., Duke University
Tarah Holland
B.S., North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Steven Lawrence Losiewicz
B.B.A., Greensboro College
Emily Lyons
B.S., Western Carolina University
Brooke McCormick
B.A., Monmouth College
J.D., 榴莲app官方网站入
Aaron Mellette
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Eduardo Mendes Flores
B.A., Texas A&M University
J.D., 榴莲app官方网站入
Ayo Onasanya
B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
J.D., 榴莲app官方网站入
Moni Pao
B.S., North Carolina State University
William McGeachy Roberson
B.A., Davidson College
William Rock
B.S., Trident University
Ryan Xavier JaNeil Sanders
B.S., 榴莲app官方网站入
Patrick Schwartz
B.S., University of Hartford
Jon Seaton
B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Edith Sanchez Smith
B.A., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Sean Walker
B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Daniel Warren
B.A., The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Aaron Whetstone
B.S., Clemson University
Katie Wolfe
B.B.A., The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Candidates for the Master of Arts in Higher Education
Emma Rose Varner Calhoun
B.A., Duke University
Seth Lawrence Lasher
B.S., Kentucky Wesleyan College
Logan Montana Morral
B.A., York College of Pennsylvania
Cassandra McLean North
B.A., Roger Williams University
Rebecca Emily Osborne
B.A., North Carolina State University
Asmaa Zaitoun
B.S., University of Jordan
M.A., University of Jordan
Candidates for the Master of Education
Micaela Acosta
Bachelor鈥檚, Universidad Nacional de Catamarca
Huanhuan Cai
B.A., Southwest University of Political Science and Law
Rocio Castillo Garcia
Bachelor鈥檚, Escuela Normal Particular Autorizada in Queretaro
Erika Conde Garcia
Bachelor鈥檚, Universidad Del Valle
Hailey Firmin
B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Lu Li
B.A., Tonghua Normal University
Rebecca McLamb
B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Ana Gabriela Pe帽aranda
Bachelor鈥檚, Universidad de Cuenca
Yuli Andrea Peralta Verano
Bachelor鈥檚, Institucion Universitaria Colombo Americana
Zo毛 Rein
B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Matthew R. Trez
B.A., 榴莲app官方网站入
Nan Ye
Bachelor鈥檚, Shenyang Normal University in Shenyang
Qianhan Yi
Bachelor鈥檚, China West Normal University
Yuqi Yuan
Bachelor鈥檚, Yunnan Normal University,
Foreign Languages College in Kunming