Undergraduate Commencement

Hannah Caruso ’25

Social work  •  Camp Hill, Pennsylvania

Hannah Caruso had always thought she’d become a nurse. Then, during her first year at Messiah, she encountered some significant health challenges. “I ended up suffering from several concussions that affected my memory and ability to take exams so severely that I had to pull out of the nursing major,” she says.

This turn of events caused deep distress and uncertainty. “All I could think was that my dream of being a nurse was gone, and what was I going to do?” she recalls.

But the Lord was keeping watch over Caruso. Amid that challenging first year, He spoke to her in several ways, including through Powerhouse, a weekly student-led time of corporate worship and reflection, and through her first-year seminar examining When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. “During Powerhouse, I found the Lord constantly reminding me that He was still with me and guiding my steps,” she shares. “My first-year seminar also significantly shaped my faith and helped me see more clearly how I wanted to serve.”

In this way, Caruso found a new path. “God was showing me that all along I was truly meant to be a social worker,” she says. “These past years in social work have been truly amazing and left me fulfilled.”

While landing on her major took some time, Caruso’s senior field placement enabled her to launch her profession right after graduation, serving as a caseworker on the child protective services unit in nearby Dauphin County. “I’m excited work alongside those there to make a difference in the lives of those in the Harrisburg community and surrounding areas.”

Caruso dreams of one day being involved in anti-trafficking work, but wherever she lands, she says, “My Messiah education has taught me to value each life I come in contact with even more.”

Joshua Calderon ’25

Christian ministries and leadership  •  Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Having sensed a call to enter ministry, Joshua Calderon says that choosing Messiah University felt like a natural decision. While his vocational path seemed clear, he saw the Lord refining him in his second year. “My faith has grown through experiencing God’s providence through good and bad,” Calderon says. “He has used various circumstances, like all my friends graduating my sophomore year, to draw me closer to Himself.”

Challenging assignments offered opportunities for Calderon to experience the Lord’s closeness, too. “My senior year, I wrote a nearly 40-page paper on my theological beliefs, which I never thought I’d say,” he relates. “I have grown personally and academically through a deepening of my passion for studying and writing and grappling with big questions in regard to my faith.”

An international trip also proved to be pivotal. “I was able to go to the Dominican Republic for six weeks to minister and serve at an orphanage,” he says. “It was a blessing, as it allowed me a practical and life-changing way to live out what I had been learning in class.”

With plans to attend seminary this fall, Calderon continues to trust God for the future. “I wish to be a pastor, and I see my time and education here at Messiah being a solid foundation for that to build off from.”

Abby Weller ’25

Music education  •  Grove City, Pennsylvania

In choosing to study music with a vocal concentration, Abby Weller continued a legacy of personal and collective musicianship modeled by her parents, both of whom serve as music teachers. “Through performing in shows and dancing for 15 years, and by being in a world where music was ever present, I fell in love with what a life in the arts looks like,” she says. “I’ve experienced formative growth through participation in music, and being able to facilitate those learning opportunities for others has been my dream for a long time. Every student deserves the opportunity to connect with music in a way that could change their life, as it changed mine at a young age.”

At Messiah, learning under gifted instructors and engaging with diverse repertoire expanded Weller’s vision even wider. “This major has allowed me to truly see the world in a different light — to see the world for what it could be with faith, hopefulness and determination,” she reflects.

During her student teaching experience, Weller had the chance to put her values into practice. “Music educators have the unique opportunity to not only teach a beautiful art form, but to connect to humanity and history, and to promote the growth and development of all students,” she says. “Through well-rounded, inclusive music programs, we can equip the next generation of students to lead with excellence, diligence and empathy for the world around them.”

Next, Weller will pursue her master’s degree in choral conducting at the University of Georgia to be further equipped to bring the rich tradition of musical education into public school classrooms. Inspired by Christ’s invitation to serve as salt and light, she says, “Pouring into others and their growth is one of the truest ways to connect to the world around you.”

Dustin isanogle ’25

Accounting  •  Frederick, Maryland

For Dustin Isanogle, college has been as much about acquiring professional skills as about learning how to endure — and even embrace — the journey of trial and error. Coming to Messiah to play baseball, Isanogle chose to study applied health sciences, then realized the major wasn’t an ideal fit for him. He changed to entrepreneurship but still didn’t find his niche. It wasn’t until he took a financial accounting course that, he says, “I finally found my passion.”

After settling on a major, Isanogle continued to see the learning that came from exploration and experimentation. “The accounting professors provided healthy classroom environments that encouraged me to push myself and grow beyond my own limitations,” he recalls.

In his senior year, Isanogle connected with a regional accounting firm for an internship, another opportunity to grow. “Actually doing tax returns is naturally very different from reading a textbook,” he relates. “But thanks to my background in these topics, I’ve been able to climb the learning curve.”

The experience also reinforced the value of holding his profession loosely and being willing to change course, as the Lord leads. “My goal is to impact people for the kingdom of Christ — not to live comfortably but to live according to His will for my life,” he reflects. “I know God will make it clear to me the path He wants me to take.”

Isanogle’s found this to be true in his life as an athlete, too, saying, “My faith journey has also shined a light on new path, and that’s coaching. I love connecting with 18–22-year-old men on a deeper level than baseball could ever provide.”

Isanogle has a lot to look forward to, including marrying his fiancée, whom he met at Messiah, but for now, he’s sitting with gratitude. “My education at Messiah has shaped me in more ways than I could ever ask from an institution,” he shares. “The faith, academics, athletics and relationships have given me a gift that creates a life worth living.”

John Steele ’25

Civil engineering  •  Hatfield, Pennsylvania

John Steele wanted to use his lifelong love of math to honor God and serve others, so he settled on a civil engineering major at Messiah. He says he quickly saw how his faith, natural abilities and area of study could intersect as faculty invited him to engage not only on an academic level but also a spiritual one. He reflects, “It’s really special how professors pray for us before exams and read us passages from Scripture to encourage us.”

His passion and faith were further ignited as he engaged with the Collaboratory, an academic ministry partnership that creates opportunities for engineering students to use their skills while working with missions-focused organizations around the world.

Through the Collaboratory, Steele joined teams constructing a bridge for a school in Mexico and drafting building expansion plans for a ministry serving vulnerable children in India. “Through my study and my involvement in the Collaboratory, I’ve seen God present in so many ways,” he says. “These experiences shaped me to realize the implications behind the codes and specifications we learn in class, to understand how powerful engineering is and to see the duty the engineer has to develop safe solutions.”

As an athlete, Steele participated in track and field during his time at Messiah, another experience that helped him more deeply comprehend how to abide in Jesus. “Everything that I do, whether on the track, in the classroom or hanging out in my dorm, is all informed by my identity in Christ,” he says. “My education here at Messiah has allowed me to see how things I once perceived as secular, such as doing calculations or coming up with designs for a bridge, can be viewed with God at the center of it all.”

Upon graduation, Steele joined an engineering firm specializing in bridges and will work toward becoming a licensed professional engineer, and he looks forward to his and his fiancée’s upcoming wedding.

Mireliz Bermudez ’25

Early childhood education and special education (dual certification)  •  Reading, Pennsylvania

Mireliz Bermudez realized early in life that she had natural gifts in teaching and advocacy — and that she could use her abilities to serve others. “I was the oldest daughter of a bilingual household, so I grew up teaching my siblings and being the household tutor and translator,” she shares.

She also learned to appreciate the potential that education can unlock: “I come from a family that prioritizes education as an honor and a transformative process that can empower people and communities to change.”

These formative values and experiences led Bermudez to pursue a dual education certification at Messiah — a decision that’s taught her how education paired with advocacy can be mutually impactful. “When I need to be courageous or persevere, I think of the students I’ve taught,” she says. “They inspire me to be better.”

Bermudez’s extracurricular activities while at Messiah reinforced the concept of shared blessing. As refugee coordinator at the Agapé Center for Local and Global Engagement, she and other students volunteered each week at an after-school program for English learners. “I experienced service in a life-giving way,” she says. “Although to us it seemed like a small action, the students acted like it was Christmas every time we came,” she says. “I learned a whole new definition of gratitude.

Next, Bermudez will enter law school to prepare herself for a career in child advocacy and public service. “I’m ready and empowered to make a difference in my community,” she says. “My confidence stems not only from the vigorous academic training but practical leadership opportunities that taught me to find my voice.”