Commencement
Graduating Student Spotlight: Luke Witham MacKenzie Riley Young | May 3, 2022

To afford college, Luke Witham ’22 had to do what a lot of Thomas College students do – work while going to school. For this Lawrence High School grad and education major, Luke decided to work as a substitute teacher throughout his time in college. This year, he was even able to work as a long-term substitute teacher at Lawrence, gaining invaluable experience for his job in teaching post-graduation. Plus, all that hard work has paid off – because he’s graduating from Thomas debt free.

“Thomas was the perfect fit, close to home and a small community school. I started in the fall of 2018 and immediately felt at home, I have been a commuter all four years, but I never felt like an outsider. I think the most important thing over the last four has not been something I have done at Thomas, but rather something I have been able to do because of Thomas,” he said.

Luke said working fulltime to help put himself through school was inevitable, but it was such an amazing opportunity to be able to complete work within his field of study while making money.

“Being able to work on my degree in education, and work in education at the same time has been incredible, it feels like a four-year long internship. One of the biggest benefits has been being able to get so much experience in the field already,” says Luke. “For me the accomplishments are all the little moments from my classroom. Making a difference in one student’s life even if its momentary is a truly amazing experience.” Luke is completing his degree in graduating this May and plans to continue to work in the field of education after graduation.

He says, “I just want to thank all of the amazing professors and classmates I have had the chance to meet over the years. Thomas is a pretty special community.”