SCC Honors Record Number of Graduates at Commencement Ceremonies

SYLVA - Last weekend, families and friends gathered in Southwestern Community College's Myers' Auditorium to see their loved ones receive their academic credentials.

The class of 2004 included over 320 graduates, a record for the college. Of those, fifty-seven graduated with honors and ten were among the first class of New Century Scholars to graduate from the College. This year's graduating class included two married couples, Alan and Margaret Chapman and Nick and Beverly Altman. Also experiencing the joy of graduating as a family were mother and daughter, Verna Humphrey and Patricia Graham.

Jessica Moore, a Smoky Mountain High School senior, will dress in cap and gown twice this spring as she graduates from high school and college within the same month. Moore earned an Associate of Arts - College Transfer through SCC's concurrent enrollment program, allowing her to earn college credit without the expense of tuition. She is pictured with SCC's President, Dr. Cecil Groves, at the commencement ceremony last Saturday.

"One thing that sets SCC's commencement ceremony apart is that often times it is a child who watches with boundless enthusiasm as their parent crosses the stage," said Connie Haire, vice president of student and institutional development.

Elwood Shepard, a graduate in cyber crime technology, returned to college after working for thirty-plus years, in part, to inspire his eight children.

"My kids are always saying things like, 'Dad, I'm just too old to go back to college,'" said Shepard. "I'm proving to them that you're never too old to learn." Shepard further proved his point by graduating Magna Cum Laude.

During his opening remarks, Dr. Cecil Groves, president of SCC, acknowledged Jessica Moore, a Smoky Mountain High School senior who will earn both her college degree and high school diploma this month. Moore completed her degree through SCC's concurrent enrollment program, allowing her to earn college credit without the expense of tuition while she was still in high school.

"My experiences at SCC have been very positive," said Moore. "I can honestly say that I feel better prepared academically and personally to go on to a four-year college after my experiences at SCC."

This year SCC hosted two commencement ceremonies to allow guests a little more elbow room. The Career Technologies division graduated on Friday evening and the College Transfer and Health Science divisions graduated on Saturday morning.

In addition to the new format, graduates were honored with a tribute video highlighting their academic and social experiences over the past two years, in lieu of guest speaker.

For additional information, or to view photos from SCC's commencement ceremonies, visit www.southwestern.cc.edu on the Internet.

See Commencement photos

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