DECATUR, Ill. -- On Sunday, Dec. 15, Millikin University will honor 80 graduates from the Class of 2024 with an in-person Winter Commencement ceremony beginning at 2 p.m. at Kirkland Fine Arts Center. The ceremony will recognize undergraduates and those receiving their Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees.
Doors will open at 1:00 p.m. Graduates should be at Kirkland lined up no later than 1:15 p.m. Graduating students will be allowed up to 10 guests at the ceremony.
Millikin community members can also watch the ceremony through a public livestream on Millikin's graduation website at millikin.edu/commencement.
The ceremony will feature remarks from Millikin President Dr. Jim Reynolds and student speaker Luke Manolakes. The Winter Commencement address will be given by Danville, Ill. mayor Rickey Williams Jr., a Millikin graduate from the Class of 2000.
Student speaker Luke Manolakes is graduating with a B.S. in Health Promotion. He is from Champaign, Ill., and is the son of Allison and Dan Manolakes. Initially attending Illinois State University, Luke transferred to Millikin after a year and shifted his major to focus on becoming a personal trainer.
Luke ran track and cross country for the Big Blue and now supports the squad as the Team Manager. He has also volunteered with the Big Blue Swim Team and is active in the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
Luke is currently interning at the Decatur YMCA, providing personal training sessions for people with Parkinson’s disease and recovering from cancer treatments. His busy schedule has him filling many roles, including serving as a lifeguard, teaching swimming lessons, and instructing the Pedaling for Parkinson’s, Parkinson’s on the Move, and LIVESTRONG, a class for adults before, during, and after cancer treatments. After graduation, he intends to begin his career as a personal trainer.
Winter Commencement keynote speaker Rickey Williams Jr. is the mayor of Danville, Ill. Rickey was a Presidential Scholar at Millikin University, earning a B.A. in Political Science in 2000. After graduation, he was awarded a full fellowship to pursue a Ph.D. in Political Science at Emory University.
Rickey served as the Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club from 2006-2012, he helped dramatically increase membership and event attendance while growing revenues by nearly 40%.
From 2013-2019, Richey was CEO/CFO of Project Success of Vermillion County, which provides critical services to local children, including homework assistance, tutoring, and many academic enrichment programs. Under his leadership, Project Success grew the number of program sites, more than double the number of students served, and secured approximately $11 million in new grants.
In Danville, Rickey served as Ward 1 Alderman from 2009-2019, Vice-Mayor from 2013-2017, and was elected Mayor in April 2019. He was re-elected to a second term as Mayor in April 2023.
For more information about Millikin University's Winter Commencement ceremony, visit millikin.edu/commencement.
To arrange coverage, contact Millikin University Public Relations Coordinator Matthew Flaten at 217.420.6636 or mflaten@millikin.edu.
