Lindsey Wilson University School of Professional Counseling Honors 157 Students
Accomplishments and impact of undergraduate, graduate students celebrated at seven pinning ceremonies.
COLUMBIA, Ky. (12/16/2025) — A little more than a week before Lindsey Wilson University history was made on Dec. 13 at Biggers Sports Center with the university's first commencement ceremony, the university's School of Professional Counseling made its own history by holding seven academic celebrations throughout the region and online.
At the seven pinning ceremonies held from Dec. 4-12, the Lindsey Wilson School of Professional Counseling honored 157 students who had earned a bachelor of arts degree in human services and counseling or a master of education degree in counseling through the university's educational outreach program. The ceremonies were held in the Kentucky cities of Harlan, London and Somerset, and in Hillsboro, Ohio, and in Logan, West Virginia, as well as online. That's where the students had studied for their degrees.
"You will be among the first group of students to graduate from Lindsey Wilson University. That's such an exciting and historic event. Your names will be forever etched as the first class of Lindsey Wilson University," Assistant Vice President President of Educational Outreach Tommie Ann Saragas '03 & '05 said during the online pinning ceremony. "It's historic in many ways. What you're doing collectively is amazing."
What most of the graduates will do is serve what Lindsey Wilson counseling professor Kimberly Brown '03 & '05 called "a life of service, a life of healing and profound human connection" in mental healthcare and counseling positions. Many will serve in rural Appalachia communities.
And as graduate student Amanda Smith of Stanford, Kentucky, reminded her fellow graduates at the Somerset pinning on Dec. 9, they are "exactly what this world needs right now."
"We're walking into a mental health and opioid crisis that has touched nearly every family, every church, every school in these areas," she said. "People are hurting, people are losing hope, and people are losing loved ones. And that's exactly why we are needed."
School of Professional Counseling Dean Jeff Crane told the graduates that their degrees are not only an investment in their communities but an investment in themselves as well.
"You invested in yourself through this education," Crane said at the online ceremony. "Your education has provided you with the tools and the knowledge you need to navigate a complex world."
Chelsey Bugg-Baker of Harrodsburg, Kentucky, who earned her bachelor's degree through the online program, said the pinning ceremonies are also a personal triumph because they are "a reminder that we're capable of more than we once believed."
"Like many of you, my journey to this moment wasn't simple or straightforward," she said during the online ceremony. "Every twist and challenge has shaped the counselor I want to become. Each time I doubted myself, I reminded myself why I started -- to be the kind of support that I needed at my lowest point and to be a positive change for people whose lives have been impacted by trauma, addiction and instability."
Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
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Lindsey Wilson University undergraduate student Angela Souders of Somerset, Kentucky, receives her School of Professional Counseling pin from LWU Assistant Vice President President of Educational Outreach Tommie Ann Saragas at the Somerset Pinning Ceremony, held Dec. 9 at New Beginnings Worship Center in Somerset. Souders earned a bachelor of arts degree in human services and counseling. The Lindsey Wilson School of Professional Counseling honored 157 students who had earned a bachelor of arts degree in human services and counseling or a master of education degree in counseling through the university’s educational outreach program at seven pinning ceremonies held Dec. 4-12.
Lindsey Wilson University graduate student Amanda Smith of Stanford, Kentucky, delivers the keynote remarks at the Somerset Pinning Ceremony, held Dec. 9 at New Beginnings Worship Center in Somerset. Smith earned a master of education degree in counseling. The Lindsey Wilson School of Professional Counseling honored 157 students who had earned a bachelor of arts degree in human services and counseling or a master of education degree in counseling through the university’s educational outreach program at seven pinning ceremonies held Dec. 4-12.
Luna Watkins, the 5-year-old daughter of Lindsey Wilson University undergraduate student Tracy Watkins of Science Hill, Kentucky, plays with the tassel on her father’s mortar board at the Somerset Pinning Ceremony, held Dec. 9 at New Beginnings Worship Center in Somerset. Watkins earned a bachelor of arts degree in human services and counseling. The Lindsey Wilson School of Professional Counseling honored 157 students who had earned a bachelor of arts degree in human services and counseling or a master of education degree in counseling through the university’s educational outreach program at seven pinning ceremonies held Dec. 4-12.
