Graduation Speech: A Great Time to Be a Graduate :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Ladies and Gentlemen we are assembled here this evening to celebrate the graduation of the Community College Class of 2012. With this celebration comes many distinctions, honors and legacies. This is a great time to be a graduate of Community College, because we are a group of students who are graduating with high grade point averages, leadership skills, overall talent, plus we are leaving behind much to be admired by future classes. Our class is also a very diverse and dedicated one. As if being a student alone was not a difficult task, many of our classmates hold jobs outside of school, are active in their communities as coaches, volunteers, athletes and leaders, and many have families to take care of. Our class has much to be excited about, many positive changes have come to our school because of the efforts of those in our class. We have held many amazing programs the past two years and especially this year. We have had several nationally known speakers and leaders visit our campus to inform us about local, national and international events. They have also come to our campus to see what has been going on here in Loyville and how they can use our models to aid other programs. We have had such speakers as civil rights activist Dick Gregory, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., local screen writer and producer Sherman Alexie, Gov. Gary Locke and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray. These past two years have also seen the addition in artwork here as well. Several new paintings and other hangings have been presented to the college, such as Dallas M. "Gray Eagle" Singhurst II's "Yu 'Pik fur seal mask" and the "Loyville Community College History Mural" painted by Bernie Webber. These artworks not only add to the campus but explain the history of the college and our community. There have been additions to school programs as well, including a women's soccer program, high school First Reach program designed to encourage local high school students to come to EvCC, a health and wellness series, and even a college rowing club designed to help students "catch the spirit of rowing." Members of the class of '99 and guests, I hold in my hand for you a special gift, from the classrooms of EvCC comes tonight's Top 10 List. These are the top 10 reasons to be proud to be part of the graduating class of 1999: 10.