More than 700 Linfield College graduates will be honored during commencement exercises Sunday, May 31, at 10 a.m. in the Oak Grove at Linfield.
Gale Castillo, president and one of the founders of the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber in Portland and a 1973 graduate of Linfield College, will deliver the commencement address to the Linfield class of 2015.
Adam Ericksen, a 2002 graduate of Linfield and the education director for the Raven Foundation, will present the baccalaureate address Saturday, May 30, at 5 p.m. in Ted Wilson Gymnasium, located in the Health, Human Performance and Athletics Building. Both events are open to the public.
Golden Grads, individuals who graduated from Linfield 50 or more years ago, will also be marching in the commencement ceremony.
Commencement speaker
Gale Castillo is one of the founders and serves as president of the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber, a local chapter of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber in Washington, D.C., the largest Hispanic chamber in the Northwest and the fifth largest chamber of any kind in Oregon. Its mission is to work with all members of the community to increase the economic advancement of the Latino community. Programs include technical assistance to Latino and other small business, scholarships for students, a year-long leadership program, annual trade show and monthly member luncheons and networking events.
Castillo is also the co-owner of Cascade Centers Inc., one of the largest privately held companies that provide Employee Assistant Program services and staff development throughout the U.S.
She has experience in both the public and private sectors, having served as the manager of the Oregon Economic Development Department’s Job Training Administration, and having worked for AT&T, Pacific Northwest Bell and RESTOR Communications.
She’s been recognized numerous times for her leadership and her community service. Last October, she was presented the Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement for the Minority Enterprise Development Week by the Business Development Institute for the integral role she played in minority business development. She also received a civic award from the Center for Women’s Leadership, and was recognized by the Daily Journal of Commerce as one of the 2012 Newsmakers.
Castillo was one of two Oregon delegates selected for American’s Conversation about Women and Leadership in 2010, a congress of national delegates held in 2010 to discuss how to realize equity in opportunity and representation in top positions. In 2009 she was one of 22 Latinas in the U.S. selected to participate in the National Hispana Leadership Institute because of her commitment and community service to the Hispanic community.
She has received numerous awards and honors including the Coretta Scott King Drum Major Award, was named Oregon’s 2004 Minority Small Business Advocate of the Year and was one of the top Women Executives of the Year for Nonprofit Organizations. She has also been honored by the Oregon Women’s Political Caucus, Oregon Business Magazine and the Oregon Human Development Corporation for outstanding leadership and community service.
Castillo serves on several boards and committees including the Linfield College Board of Trustees, Portland State University Board of Trustees, Wells Fargo Community Bank, Portland Trail Blazers Business Advisory Board and Statuary Hall Study Commission, among others.
Castillo, raised in Oakland, Calif., is the first in her family to graduate from college. In addition to receiving her bachelor’s degree from Linfield, she has a master’s from Portland State University and completed the executive education program at the Harvard Kennedy School and the leadership development program at the Center for Creative Leadership.
Baccalaureate speaker
Adam Ericksen is the education director for the Raven Foundation and writes blogs and films vlogs on the foundation’s website that explore the intersections of mimetic theory, the news, religion and popular culture.
Ericksen is a 2002 graduate of Linfield College with a bachelor’s in religious studies and a minor in history. His senior thesis was titled “The Divine in Disguise: How Judaism Deals with Suffering and Death” and he continued that theme with his honors thesis “The Divine in Disguise: How Christianity Deals with Suffering and Death.” He received his master’s in theological studies from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary with an emphasis in theology and ethics. His master’s thesis was titled “Love and Nonviolence in Christianity and Islam.”
Ericksen recently delivered the lecture “Islam and the Practice of Non-violence” at Hope College where he explored mimetic theory and Islam. He was also invited to deliver a similar lecture on Islam and mimetic theory at the symposium “René Girard and World Religions” at the Graduate Theological Union.
Baccalaureate has existed for centuries in colleges and universities as a time of worship for graduating members of the senior class. College officials, faculty and graduating seniors wear academic dress for the occasion. Linfield’s baccalaureate service is ordered according to the traditions within Protestant Christianity and strives to touch on the universal theme of common humanity that can be found in all of the world’s great religions.
Commencement ceremony guests are encouraged to dress for unpredictable spring weather. For more information, call 503-883-2408 or visit www.linfield.edu/president/commencement.
