In an age of instant communication, celebrity status seems to be both readily attainable and desirable, but it is rarely enduring, Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater told a class of about 300 graduates and their guests during Palm Beach Atlantic University's fall commencement ceremonies on Saturday.

Instead, the state senator from North Palm Beach encouraged graduates to pursue a life of service. "The strength of what we create, the legacy we define for ourselves and our families lies in the service we provide others within our communities," said Atwater, R-District 25.

"From Palm Beach Atlantic's faith-centered perspective, you have been provided with an especially unique set of tools with which to participate in the development of our community. Given the richness of the curriculum and its various and sundry options for service, you will touch many, and you will be touched by many more."

Atwater also challenged each graduate to become "a mentor, a role model who has been shaped by values."

Atwater's remarks set the tone for a ceremony which included the posthumous presentation of a degree to Sgt. Jeremiah McGraw, a U.S. Marine reservist from Boynton Beach who completed his coursework prior to his death Sept. 10 during a parachuting exercise in Hardee County. His mother, Juanita, received a standing ovation as she accepted his diploma.

McGraw, 22, graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in organizational management.

McGraw finished basic training in December 2005, attended Marine combat training in January 2006 and received training as a motor transport mechanic in early 2006. He returned home and was assigned to a local Marine Corps reserve unit, the 4th Air-Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (4th ANGLICO), based in West Palm Beach. While serving as a reservist, he advanced to the rank of sergeant.

He was due to be commissioned as a second lieutenant, said 4th ANGLICO Inspector-Instructor Lt. Col. Sam Cook, who attended the ceremony with the McGraw family.

"He had exactly in his mind what he wanted to do and how to do it," Lt. Col. Cook said.

Saturday's ceremony also was marked by a number of firsts. It was the first commencement led by new University President Lu Hardin. Also, the first graduates of the Master of Science degree program in Organizational Leadership in Orlando received diplomas.

It was the first time that one undergraduate, Chiara Casiraghi, was named the outstanding graduate of two schools. Casiraghi, a native of Toronto, is the outstanding graduate in both the School of Communication and Media and the School of Music and Fine Arts. Casiraghi majored in both communication and dance.

Both Casiraghi and Jared Stockstill, the Outstanding Graduate for the Rinker School of Business, spoke to their peers about their experiences at PBA. "What I will miss most is the family I have found myself a part of," Casiraghi said.

"Let's take what we have learned and what we have accomplished at Palm Beach Atlantic and have a fruitful life," she said.

Also receiving recognition was School of Ministry graduate Clayton Taylor, who earned an associate of arts degree in urban Christian ministry studies at age 73.