On May 5, more than 1,500 of Eastern’s graduating students shook hands with President Bill Perry uniformly dressed in floor length graduation gowns with a crowd of family, guests and friends in the wings.

The 2012 graduation was divided into four sections with each college having its own ceremony in Lantz Arena.

The College of Sciences began the day of events at 9 a.m. and concluded with the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences at 6 p.m.

Student Body President Ed Hotwagner spoke at all four graduations giving variations of the same speech.

Graduation was proof of what hard work and dedication can lead to, Hotwagner said.

“Today, you proved that through all of the quizzes and tests and projects and speeches and 8 a.m. classes…it all paid off,” Hotwagner said during his speech. “Today, you proved to yourself that no matter what obstacle or how hard you have to work that you made it.”

Hotwagner went on to tell the graduates it was OK if they do not have concrete plans for their future because there is always uncertainty.

“One of my best friends graduated last year, and she didn’t have a plan,” Hotwagner said. “She looked into law school. She looked into hotel management. She looked into bartending. She ended up running the campaign for Chapin Rose for (Illinois State Senate), which she won in March. And today she is a wedding planner and couldn’t be happier.”

Emeri Shearrill, who received her bachelor’s in sociology, said she is proud to be an Eastern graduate.

“It’s a great feeling; I feel accomplished and that I was able to do it in four years is a great feeling,” Shearrill said.

Shearrill said she plans on going to graduate school to receive her master’s in social work.

Caley Elzy graduated with a bachelor’s in elementary education with a concentration in mathematics.

She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA and called her experience at Eastern great, but “overwhelming.”

“I didn’t expect (the four years) that I was here to go that fast,” she said.

Elzy was a transfer student.

Elzy is the first on her mother’s side to graduate with a college degree, and the second on her father’s side.

In the future, Elzy would like to teach fourth or fifth grade, but said with the economy still the way it is that she is focused on getting any teaching job.

“I’ll definitely live at home for the first year, and I’ll substitute teach for a while,” she said.

Elzy also said she hopes to find a job that will keep her in Illinois.

“I’ve actually moved around my whole life because my dad was in the Air Force, so I want to set down roots somewhere,” she said. “Illinois would be where I want to stay.”

Because of the high number of applicants entering the job market at the same time as her, Elzy said she is scared but also confident in the proper education Eastern gave her to excel in her chosen field.

Rachel Wagner, 47, of Plainfield, came to see her daughter, Kayla Wagner, graduate.

Kayla Wagner received her bachelor’s in kinesiology and sports studies in order to become a physical education teacher.

“It’s scary; with the way the economy is, (I’m) wondering if she will find the job that she’s hoping to find,” Rachel Wagner said.

Rachel said she sees the younger generation looking at the job market in a different way than she did when she first started working.

In the last decade or so, college graduates were more likely to use one job as a stepping stone to another instead of staying in the job for 10 to 20 years like older generations.

“I guess for life experience it’s good and for meeting new people and things like that, that’s good, but for planting roots and establishing families and tradition can make it more difficult,” Rachel Wagner said. “It kind of depends on what your dreams are for the future.”

Kayla Wagner is moving back home to student teach, but Rachel Wagner said she might move back to the Coles County because her fiancé has job opportunities in the area.

Rachel Wagner said she is glad her daughter made the decision to attend Eastern.

“Her experience here, I have to say, has been more than we could have hoped for,” she said. “Not only the academics, but then the exposure to all kind of real-world situations and developing compassion for different needs—it’s been great.”

Ayaka Hisanaga received her master’s in clinical psychology with her family, which traveled from Japan to be with her, watching in the wings of Lantz Arena.

“A lot of people helped me—it feels special,” Hisanaga said.

Six years ago, Hisanaga traveled from Yokohama, Japan, to Charleston to start her undergraduate career in psychology.

Of the accomplishment, Hisanaga said she felt like she was experiencing déjà vu, but also said she was excited to start a new chapter in her life.

“I’m moving back home (to Japan) for a few years before I going into a Ph.D program,” Hisanaga said. “I figured I should spend some time with my family.”

Hisanaga, who raised about $2,000 in the span of six months for survivors of the 2011 earthquake, also said she plans on volunteering in the northern part of Japan.

“The country is still in bad shape. It will take a few years to actually get everything back,” she said. “I’m pretty sure there is a need for mental health professionals.”

Hisanaga said she will miss Eastern.

“It feels weird. It’s become kind of like my second home. I became an adult here,” Hisanaga said.

Nike Ogunbodede can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].