Hardeman County Students Graduate From Union University
Five hundred six students graduated from Union University on May 2, 2026, during spring commencement services, including three from Hardeman County.
Karlee Lanier graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy, Candra Woods graduated with a Master of Social Work and Jasmine Gibson graduated with a Master of Social Work Advanced.
Andrew Walker, dean-elect of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, delivered the commencement address. Walker challenged graduates to resist what he called the “mythology of disruption” – the cultural pressure to build platforms, chase significance and define success by visibility and accomplishments.
Instead, Walker called graduates to a life of ordinary faithfulness, drawing on 1 Timothy 6:6 – “Godliness with contentment is great gain” – as his central text.
“God will ask whether we were faithful, not whether we were elite,” he said. “That is your inheritance. Go claim it.”
Located in Jackson, Tenn., Union University is a liberal arts-based university affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. Founded in 1823, Union is the oldest institution relating to the Southern Baptist Convention.
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