The Abundance of His Glory

Your generosity empowers Regent graduates to step boldly into their God-ordained calling.

Regent’s Commencement weekend marks two days of journeys completed, lives celebrated, and callings fulfilled. Ahead of the weekend’s final ceremony, the annual Chancellor’s Luncheon at The Founders Inn and Spa offered a more intimate moment — four graduates, face to face with the donors whose generosity helped bring them to this place, sharing testimonies of faith, perseverance, and futures forever changed.

Greta Griswold (LAW), Drew Thomas (CAS), and Rebecca Calder (SBL), along with 2026 Alumnus of the Year Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas (LAW, ’13), each took the floor to share how a Christ-centered education had transformed their paths — and what it means to know donors like you helped make it possible.

For Greta Griswold, the journey to Regent Law began thousands of miles away: “I was a missionary in India and was convinced I would live and die there. However, when COVID hit, everything became uncertain.”

What initially seemed like “a casual, low-stakes, backup plan” soon became God’s clear direction for her life. Griswold recalled wrestling with questions of calling and purpose while seeking the Lord’s guidance. “I realized those questions might point to another area — racial justice,” she said. “With that, I decided to become a criminal defense attorney should I ever go to law school.”

God’s plan became unmistakable when Regent University awarded Griswold a full-tuition scholarship. “I started calling everyone and telling them how I did not know I could even ask God for that,” she said. “I came because of the Lord’s provision, and I would choose it over and over again because of God’s people.”

At Regent Law, Griswold discovered a new passion through trial advocacy and mentorship from Professor Randy Singer. “For the next year and a half, Randy taught me, coached me, hired me, and gave me the opportunity to appear in a medical malpractice jury trial as a law student,” she said.

“Because of the generous support from friends and donors, like all of you gathered here today, I had full freedom at Regent Law to become the best possible advocate I could,” she shared. “Now, I get to return your generosity by serving people who have been harmed. … That is a gift I cannot overstate.”

A Biophysical Science major, student-athlete, and two-year captain of Regent’s men’s soccer team, Drew Thomas came to the luncheon with a simple but powerful question: “What is life?”

“My answer to that question is a major reflection of my college experience,” he explained. “Regent University calls its students to be Christian leaders to change the world.”

Thomas spoke about how God used seemingly ordinary experiences to shape his understanding of purpose and impact. During his junior year, he accepted a job coaching youth soccer primarily to earn spending money for “the occasional and spontaneous trips to Cook-Out and Wawa.” But God had bigger plans.

On the final day of the season, his players presented him with a mug that read: “Good coaches impact the game, but great coaches impact lives.”

“This is when I realized life is about impact and the difference a single person can make in the lives of those around them,” Thomas said. “Life is a quiet, lasting imprint we leave on others.”

That lesson deepened during a 2025 medical-missions trip to Guatemala, where Thomas helped provide care to more than 1,000 families in underserved communities. Although he jokingly admitted he spoke almost no Spanish beyond “Hola,” “Adios,” and “Gracias,” God still used him powerfully.

After spending time playing “rock, paper, scissors” with local children waiting for treatment, Thomas learned the interaction had eased their fears. “Our translator later explained why,” he said. “‘We’re afraid of doctors because they usually mean death. But when we played with him, we forgot all about that fear.’”

Reflecting on both Guatemala and his soccer teams, Thomas said, “I saw how a Christian’s life is a tool God uses to impact the lives of others and to show them the vastness and abundance of His glory.”

He concluded with gratitude for those whose generosity made his Regent education possible: “I want to thank everyone in this room for your impact on my college career and the rest of the students at Regent University.”

Rebecca Calder’s remarkable path to Regent University included combat deployments, military leadership, and making history as the first woman to graduate from the Navy’s elite TOPGUN training program. Yet, despite her extraordinary accomplishments, Calder described a deeper personal struggle that ultimately led her back to the classroom.

“When I began flying, there weren’t many female pilots, and even fewer women flying jets,” she recalled. “Those were pivotal years in my life. They were filled with purpose, responsibility, and at times, overwhelming pressure.”

As a fighter pilot serving after 9/11, Calder experienced firsthand the emotional and psychological weight of leadership under extreme circumstances. “I experienced times of extreme uncertainty, risk, fear, and deep self-doubt — times when there was no checklist to follow, no perfect option, only consequences for my actions,” she said.

Following the tragic loss of a close friend to suicide, Calder began searching for answers. She shared, “My question of ‘Why did this happen?’ shifted to ‘What can I do to help?’”

That search eventually brought her to Regent University’s School of Business & Leadership. “For decades, I didn’t have the words to describe what sustained me during the war,” she explained. “With every class I took at Regent, I started to see things more clearly, that leadership is rooted in service, and I began to heal.”

Calder described Regent as transformational in both her professional and spiritual development. “What Regent has given me is more than just a degree,” she said. “It has given me the framework to understand my experience in the war — something I have never been able to articulate and have lived with for over 20 years.”

She also offered a heartfelt message directly to Regent donors. “Your generosity is not abstract, it is deeply personal,” Calder said. “I’m standing here today because of your investment and belief that God has a plan for every student who comes to Regent.”

Then came a reminder of the eternal impact of faithful giving. “You may never fully see the ripple effects of what you’ve given, but I hope you feel it today,” she said. “Your impact reaches far beyond this campus.”

The luncheon concluded with remarks from 2026 Alumnus of the Year Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas, Commissioner of Education for the state of Florida and former deputy chief of staff for Governor Ron DeSantis.

“We fight for truth,” the 2013 graduate of Regent Law insisted. “We fight for making sure that we’re advancing the cause that’s truly making a difference. And it started for me here at Regent University.”

Reflecting on his time studying at the School of Law, Kamoutsas told guests, “This university didn’t just give me an education. It helped shape how I think, how I lead, and how I want to serve others.”

Raised in “inner city Miami by a single mother with three children in a 780-square-foot duplex,” Kamoutsas said his upbringing taught him the value of faith and education. “We did not have internet. Food was scarce. Times were tough,” he recalled. “Yet from an early age, my mother emphasized the value of both faith and education.”

At Regent Law, he discovered that “law is more than a profession. It’s a calling.”

He credited Regent professors and mentors for preparing him to lead with conviction and humility in public service. “It was what I learned here at Regent that prepared me for that moment to serve,” he said.

Kamoutsas also challenged fellow alumni to live out Regent’s mission courageously: “We carry the reputation of this university into every room that we walk into. Let’s continue to be the people who lead with conviction, who serve with humility, and who leave things better than we found them.”

Your Gift. Their Calling. God’s Glory.

These four inspiring graduates represent the fruit of your generosity. Your sacrificial giving empowers each of them to stand tall, testify boldly, and walk into a God-ordained future — fully equipped to accomplish the work He has called them to do.

You make it possible for them to live with hope and purpose in service to others. Thank you for your faithful prayers and your steadfast commitment to support Regent world-changers for Jesus Christ.