Candler Dean Jonathan Strom and Associate Dean Joanne Solis-Walker stand with La Mesa Academy’s faculty and first graduating class on May 9. Photo: Agresta Photography
Inside Cannon Chapel on May 9, 15 students stood at the threshold of an historic moment. After two years of virtual coursework and an in-person residency, the inaugural cohort of Candler’s La Mesa Academy for Theological Studies gathered with their families, faculty, mentors, and community to celebrate the completion of their certificate studies and the beginning of a new chapter in their leadership.
“This is possible because we are part of an institution where the formation of all people is a priority,” said Associate Dean of La Mesa Joanne Solis-Walker, professor in the practice of leadership, during the program’s inaugural graduation ceremony. “Candler’s mission is to educate faithful and creative leaders for the church’s ministries throughout the world. Today, that mission is fulfilled through each of you.”
The ceremony marked the culmination of two years of theological formation, leadership development, and shared learning across languages, cultures, and ministry contexts. Graduates were honored alongside La Mesa faculty, institutional leaders, and distinguished guests, and continued the celebration with a dinner following the ceremony. [See photos of the ceremony on Candler’s Instagram page.]
Solis-Walker speaks during the ceremony. Photo: Agresta Photography
Created for leaders already serving diverse communities, La Mesa is a certificate program offering theological education shaped by cultural responsiveness, research, and digital awareness, with courses in Spanish, Korean, and English. The inaugural class embodied that mission, bringing theology and practical tools back to the communities they serve.
“This cohort is a living testimony to what is possible when diverse voices, cultures, generations, and experiences gather at the table with a commitment to learning, liberation, and belonging.” —Vanessa Brown
For Mary Lee Hardin Willard Dean Emerita Jan Love, who led Candler during La Mesa’s formation and founding, the day carried deep significance. Love played an instrumental role in launching La Mesa and saw the graduation as the fulfillment of a long-held vision. “We had a dream more than six years ago to begin a program like La Mesa,” Love says. “To see it come to fruition in the recent graduating class is a great blessing. So many people have worked so hard to make this dream come true, especially the students. We give great thanks to God!”
Charles Howard Candler Professor of Divinity Ted A. Smith was an early visionary of La Mesa and taught the cohort in ethics. He says that the graduation brought the long journey toward this new model for theological education full circle. “When I saw them walking across that stage this spring, it was even better than a dream come true. It was a glorious reality I couldn’t have imagined.”
Photo: Agresta Photography
Smith described the first cohort as pioneers who have helped shape La Mesa from within through their leadership, questions, and lived ministry experience. “La Mesa is not just their school,” he says. “It is part of their legacy.”
Vanessa M. Brown, senior pastor of Rivers of Living Water UCC of NY and NJ and a La Mesa faculty member, described the inaugural cohort as “a living testimony to what is possible when diverse voices, cultures, generations, and experiences gather at the table with a commitment to learning, liberation, and belonging.”
That belonging was also felt by students like Kwabena Asante, who praises La Mesa as “a place to experience diversity in real-world situations.”
La Mesa graduates look on during the ceremony. Photo: Agresta Photography
Throughout the program, students learned in a virtual environment while building relationships that became visible in person at graduation. The ceremony brought together the families, faculty, mentors, and communities who had supported them along the way. Their presence was a reminder that formation is never done in isolation. It is carried by prayer, encouragement, sacrifice, and shared commitment.
“I am deeply grateful for reaching this point and completing the program,” says La Mesa graduate Mildred Reyes. “As I looked around at all my classmates celebrating with their families, it became clear we had made it this far thanks to our support systems. I hope we continue building those same communities of support for others wherever our ministry leads us.”
Attendees pray over the graduating La Mesa cohort during the ceremony. Photo: Agresta Photography
Preeminent Cuban American historical theologian and United Methodist elder Justo L. González, who taught at Candler from 1969 to 1978, addressed the graduates with a reminder of the significance of their place in La Mesa’s story and in the broader story of theological education.
“You are not just a graduating class, and you are not simply one of many,” González said. “You are part of a unique venture that has now come to fruition. Years from now, when someone writes about the history of theological education in the United States, they will write about how its methods, goals, curriculum, and practices have changed. And they will not be able to tell that story without mentioning Candler School of Theology, without mentioning La Mesa, and without mentioning this class.”
For the inaugural cohort, graduation was more than an ending. It was a sending. Students now return to their churches, ministries, and communities with deeper theological grounding, strengthened leadership, and a broader understanding of how to serve in multicultural and multilingual contexts.
“They will always be the first,” says Solis-Walker. “It started with them and they will pass it on to the next generation of La Mesa students.”
As La Mesa Academy celebrates its first graduating class, it also looks toward the future. This inaugural cohort helped shape the path for those who will follow, becoming part of a story that continues to expand access to theological education for leaders serving diverse communities.
“The graduation of the first cohort of La Mesa students is a sign of hope for the church,” says Candler’s Mary Lee Hardin Willard Dean Jonathan Strom. “These students have demonstrated how engaged learning, creative collaboration, and a deep desire to serve God’s people can bring forth something new and exciting.”
Applications are now open for La Mesa Academy’s next cohort, beginning in August 2026. Leaders serving in diverse communities, bilingual or multilingual ministry contexts, and spaces where theological formation can strengthen their work are invited to apply. To learn more, complete the interest form or begin your application today.
Photo: Agresta Photography