The two speakers at William Woods University's undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies May 11 know the school from first-hand experience.
Undergrad speaker Kathleen Kunkler and graduate speaker Julie Dill are both former students to have earned their respective degrees from the institution.
Kunkler, the vice president and financial advisor for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Kansas City, graduated from WWU in 1982 with a bachelor of arts degree in English communications. She was also recently appointed to the university's Board of Trustees.
Dill has made more recent - and momentous - connections to the school's graduate program, when she and Amy Adams were named the first graduates of the school's doctorate program in December. Six more students will follow in her footsteps at the commencement with Doctor of Education degrees in educational leadership.
Kunkler said that when WWU President Jahnea Barnett asked her to give the commencement speech, it was a surprise and an honor.
"I think I had one of the ultimate college experiences; I was a student athlete, I was in a sorority, I got in my fair share of trouble down there and I had fun, and I was a part of student government," said Kunkler. "Given the experience I had there, and that I get to come back and share a little bit of my story with these kids ... it's very flattering."