In several weeks, seniors graduating at the end of the Fall 2013 semester will receive their diplomas and bid Grand Valley State University adieu. A group of these seniors gathered Monday to take a moment to remember their time at GVSU and toast with President Thomas Haas in celebration of completing their education.

“It’s a nervous time as we anticipate what the future will hold for us,” said Ricardo Benavidez, president of Student Senate. “Reflecting on our time at Grand Valley, think of all the things that have changed. Take a moment and think about all the memories we’ve had.”

This toast with T. Haas was the second installment of the event that started last year, and the university plans to hold an event to toast the seniors before every commencement, Benavidez said.

He encouraged the seniors to think back on their first Presidents’ Ball, the first time they visited campus and other memories including, he joked, their first pendulum ride.

In a video played after Benavidez’s introduction, GVSU faculty, staff and fellow students around campus congratulated the graduating seniors and wished them luck in their future endeavors—including Facilities Services, the Alumni House, the Career Center, as well as many other departments around campus.

Haas said the seniors now know what it really means to be a Laker because of the experiences they’ve had in their time at GVSU.

“You are all leaders of great character; you all have experiences here that no one else has,” he said. “When I talk to the incoming first year students, I tell them that they all have choices. You chose to come to this university and I hope it was a good one for you.”

GVSU has almost 92,000 alumni at this point in time, and what has kept them all together was envisioning better future careers and possible future families, Haas said.

“Our model is really unique,” he said. “People know about Grand Valley and Lakers. We are America’s largest smallest university, and I think there’s a lot in that. I am very proud to be a part of it.”

The seniors will walk across the stage in a little more than two weeks, but Haas said all of those graduating will still be Lakers for a Lifetime.