VMI Holds Commencement for Class of 2025

A stormy week surrendered to a warm morning under a blue sky as VMI held its commencement ceremony and conferred degrees on the Class of 2025 in Cameron Hall May 17, 2025.

The Regimental Band played “Pomp and Circumstance” as over 300 cadets marched into the arena to the cheers and applause of thousands of family members, friends, and supporters.

In his final commencement speech, Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins ’85, VMI’s 15th superintendent, welcomed the assembly and noted that the great personal achievement of graduating from VMI is not reached alone but with the help of family, friends, faculty, staff, and coaches who encouraged, guided, and sustained the cadets.

Wins shared that when the Class of 2025 matriculated, the world was emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike so many other colleges, VMI returned to completely in-person classes that fall semester, although many safety protocols were maintained.

“Your first year was also my first full year as superintendent. In many ways, we have grown together,” Wins reflected. “I challenged you when we first met to own the narrative about VMI and the Corps of Cadets and maintain a commitment to honor and integrity in everything you do. You rose to the challenge magnificently.”

Wins told the cadets that when they met their rats last August, they ran a Rat Line focused on professionalism and purpose. “You have proven to be excellent mentors and have positively influenced the next generation of cadets.”

He encouraged them as they begin their next journey to remember that every decision or challenge they undertake can be successfully navigated by applying basic principles of leadership: Character, courage, and commitment. “The character you developed over the past 4 years is a hallmark of our education program and part of our mission. You will find that your character will breed trust in others, and trust is a key to every relationship. It took courage to select VMI and endure our unique form of education. When faced with mental, physical, and social pressures, you didn’t quit. Stay committed. You understand the brother rat spirit. Be the leader who others look to for strength and encouragement,” said Wins.

Wins challenged them to serve the people around them. “At its very foundation, leadership is about serving. Class of 2025, the open road now awaits you. I wish you my sincerest congratulations and the brightest future possible,” he concluded. Wins then introduced Jonah Jurack ’25, peer-elected valedictorian.

VMI—No Ordinary College

Jurak stated that VMI is no ordinary college, and its unique characteristics are what attracted the Class of 2025 to come to Lexington for their college education. Jurak recalled their memories as rats on Matriculation Day.

“We were herded like sheep into barracks. When the drums sounded and the upperclassmen slow-marched into New Barracks, our new reality came into focus.” He stated that those early memories are just a fraction of what sets VMI and its graduates apart from their peers. In addition, there are the values, the bonds of brotherhood, and the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy. The Honor Code was instilled in them, and they soon understood the gravity of succumbing to temptation. “VMI boasts the strongest honor system in the nation, maintaining a single-sanctioned, swift, and fair gavel of justice. This ideal will help inform our decisions as military officers or as business leaders.”

Jurack also said that VMI taught them the importance of shared suffering. “We strained as rats together, we contracted COVID together, and most importantly, we broke out of the Rat Line together. If one of us failed to uphold the standards of cadets, we would all suffer the consequences. But without shared suffering, there can be no brotherhood that will last a lifetime.”

In closing, Jurack asked his brother rats to reflect on their 4 years at VMI. “What lessons did you learn? How did you grow as a man or woman of character? How can you translate these lessons into your upcoming careers? I ask you to uphold VMI’s legacy and ideals, strive for excellence, and live an exceptional life defined by honor. Don’t be ordinary! ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.’”

The son of Peter James “P.J.” and Kaaren Jurack from Manassas, Virginia, Jurack finished as a distinguished graduate with Institute honors, a designation for cadets with at least a 3.5 GPA, and completed a cross-disciplinary honors curriculum. He majored in international studies with minors in Arabic, Spanish, and national security. He held rank, serving as Echo Company commander, was an Honor Court prosecutor, and the Blue Ridge Battalion commander for Army ROTC. He was the Navigators Bible Study cadet-in-charge, a Miller Academic Center tutor, a VMI Museum tour guide, and a member of multiple honor societies. He commissioned into the U.S. Army infantry branch.

Cadets’ Foundations of Character Built on Rock

Turner Gallo ’25,  Class of 2025 president, also shared farewell remarks to his brother rats.

He spoke on the tools the VMI system provides, which reminded him of the biblical passage in the Book of Matthew, chapter seven.

“Four years of struggle, hardship, and choosing the hard right over the easy wrong have allowed for the very foundations of our character to be built on solid rock,” said Gallo. “I don’t doubt that when the rain comes down, the rivers rise, and the winds blow, those who chose the easier path will quickly crumble under the burden of the weight they may be asked to carry.” He reflected that the VMI system breaks rats down and builds them back up to become cadets with humility, grit, tenacity, and integrity.

Gallo compared the characteristics of a successful VMI cadet to those of the characters in Howard Pyle’s classic tale, “The Story of King Arthur and His Knights,” comparing King Arthur’s journey from a boy to a noble king and leader with their own journey as cadets. “Each of us at VMI has been assayed every day for 4 years, and the quality of our mettle has been determined. You’re all men and women of grit, integrity, and courage, and it has been my distinct honor to spend these past 4 years with you,” he concluded. He then introduced the commencement speaker, retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Darren McDew ’82, former commander of the U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

Decide to be Better Tomorrow Than Today

McDew, a retired four-star general, served as regimental commander when he was a 1st Class cadet. He was also Wins’ uncle dyke. McDew’s charm and easy demeanor were immediately apparent with his good-natured ribbing and self-effacing humor.

In thanking the faculty and staff for all they do for the cadets, he quipped, “You take the lumps of coal—who try to remain lumps of coal—and put pressure on them to make them diamonds.”

When he offered serious words he wanted to ensure the cadets remembered, he paused his speech and made eye contact with each of them.

Retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Darren McDew ’82, former commander of the U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, delivers the commencement speech to the Class of 2025.—VMI Photo by H. Lockwood McLaughlin.

“This is a turbulent time. It wasn’t easy when you started this journey. It wasn’t easy in the middle of this journey, and we’re going to cast you out of the nest. You think you’re going to zoom away from here, but we’re casting you out. But only to do good, to be the example,” said McDew. He reminded them of the large class ring they all wear on their fingers, a physical representation of the merits of VMI, merits that not everyone admires or respects. Their challenge, he said, will be living up to their potential and promise. “For 4 years, you have been given the most wonderful and glorious leadership laboratory known to mankind. That’s a wonderful gift, especially if you take full advantage of it,” said McDew. “Your generation is full of people who love celebrities, but you have a set of indisputable qualities that are in high demand but extremely short supply. Don’t waste them.”

McDew closed by offering the cadets three words: “Beware. Decide. Be. Life tests are coming. They look like moral dilemmas. Beware, someone is going to challenge you. Decide right now the type of person you’re going to be in crunch time. Be that person every day—you can’t wait until you feel like it. You have to decide every single day that you’re going to be better tomorrow than you are today.”

McDew retired with more than 3,300 flight hours and decades of operational leadership. He continues to champion ethical leadership, integrity, and opportunity through his service on the boards of Abbott, USAA, GE Aerospace, Parsons Corporation, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the Manns Horne Youth Foundation.

Awards Bestowed

The First Jackson-Hope Medal for highest attainment in scholarship and the Commander Harry Millard Mason Academic Proficiency Award went to Gabriel Patrick Williams ’25, an international studies major from Ashland, Virginia.

Receiving the Second Jackson-Hope Medal for second highest attainment in scholarship and the Colonel Sterling Murray Heflin 1916 Academic Proficiency Award was James Andrew Boynewicz ’25, from Virginia Beach, Virginia, who majored in biology.

Courtney Nicole Novotny ’25, a biology major from Reading, Pennsylvania, received the Society of the Cincinnati Medal for efficiency of service and excellence of character and the Richard J. Marshall and Sumter L. Lowry Awards.

Commencement concluded with a benediction offered by Col. John P. Casper ’04, VMI chaplain, followed by Cadet Devin Auzenne ’26, the new regimental commander, relieving the Class of 2025 of their duties as they cheered and tossed their gloves in the air.

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