CMU hosts Kinomaagewin Celebration for the Indigenous 2025 graduating class
Friends and family gathered in the Center for Student Inclusion and Diversity on Wednesday night to honor Indigenous Central Michigan University graduates of 2025 with a Kinomaagewin Celebration. The ceremony was hosted by the Office of Indigenous Affairs.
Decorative gold foil lined the tables and excited chatter filled the room as the graduates and their loved ones took their seats. Some women adorned bright ribbon skirts and intricate beaded earrings, contributing to the colorful atmosphere of the night.
Vito Buckanaga sings and plays a hand drum at the Kinomaagewin Celebration at the Center for Student Inclusion and Diversity on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (CM Life | Mia Kerner)
Kasey Perez, the director of the Office of Indigenous Affairs, said that this celebration for the Indigenous graduates was the first of its kind on CMU’s campus.
“We have students from different tribes throughout the U.S. and Canada, and so CMU has to become a home away from home for these students,” Perez said. “To be together and honor them and showcase them is important.”
The graduates that were honored in the celebration were:
- Kaine Andy
- Jasmine Elizabeth Cabarrubia
- Lucas Dye
- Joseph N. Fisher II
- Colleen Green
- Jeramie Mangus
- Judy Pamp (Waabanoqua)
- Mary Perez
- Mason Squillets-Peterson
The night commenced and concluded with a song and hand drum accompaniment by singer Vito Buckanaga. The room stood silently in reverence for each performance.
Melissa Issac, owner and CEO of Edukwe Consulting, provided the invocation for the attendees before their meal, and shared her educational journey that led her to where she is today.
A CMU alumna, Issac said that she was once "kicked out" from the university for her grade performance, only to return years later to earn her bachelor’s and eventually master's degree.
She said her educational and professional journey was paved with roadblocks and setbacks, but also unforeseen achievements, such as her guest appearance at former U.S. President Biden’s State of the Union Address at the request of Jill Biden.
Issac spoke about the power of ancestral guidance and the importance of maintaining one’s cultural identity in addition to their education.
“Your cultural identity is just as important (as education)," Issac said. "Start to nourish that, and when you put those two things together … people are going to be taken aback by you, you’re that powerful.”
She also told the attendees not be afraid to leave home and move away from their comfort zone, as their community will always be there for them when they return.
The graduates were presented with Ojibwe Floral graduation stoles, made by Heart Berry, an Indigenous women-owned business in Minnesota, before they were sent off to their official commencement and whatever future lies ahead.
