Archive for Graduation
Yavapai Community College held its Spring commencement ceremonies for the Verde Valley area on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at the Sedona Performing Arts Center. Its morning ceremony featured one its youngest, Joshua Partin, who at age 15 was awarded an Automotive Technician Certificate. Carolann Chambers was also featured. At age 84 she received her Associate in Arts Degree and Arizona General Certificate “A.”Total of 916 degrees and certificates awarded in all ceremonies in the District
Yavapai Community College reported that 686 students who graduated this spring earned a combination of 916 degrees and certificates. It said that students as young as fifteen and as old as 72 earned degrees or certificates during the past term.
According to the Community College, Verde Valley graduates accounted for 21 percent of the total graduating this spring with degrees and certificates from the institution.
The Community College offered two Verde Valley ceremonies, at 9 a.m. and noon on Saturday, May 7, at the Sedona Performing Arts Center.
The Mayor of Jerome and former Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services addressed the Sedona/Verde Valley graduates on Saturday in Sedona. He urged the graduates to pursue their passions, take compassionate leadership roles in their communities and value integrity above all. “No matter how good your knowledge or skills, nothing will define you, and affect the success of your career and your relationships more than your integrity,” he said.
Source: Yavapai Community College press release dated May 10.
Maria Ortiz received AA Degree in nursing last month; library staff celebrated her success January 31 with a party
Yavapai Community College student Maria Ortiz has been using the Beaver Creek Library quiet room to study for her courses for the past two years. At times, her young sons accompanied her when she was accessing library computers and books. She received her AA Degree in nursing in December. In recognition of her commitment and success, the library staff celebrated and honored her Friday, January 31.
Beaver Creek’s librarians noticed Ortiz “come in to the library to study on a continuing basis for two years,” said Library Coordinator Beth Franklin. ” According to Franklin, Ortiz “has done some networking and has already secured a job with Yavapai County.”
“We are so proud of her accomplishments,” Franklin said. “Good things are happening in our wonderful Yavapai Free Library District.”
New officers joining eight law enforcement agencies across Arizona
Twenty-two law enforcement recruits collectively swore to protect and serve and wore their badges for the first time May 23. This signaled the end of their 20-week training journey and the start of their careers as peace offers.
The 22 new officers joining eight law enforcement agencies across Arizona participated in a traditional graduation ceremony for the Northern Arizona Regional Training Academy headquartered at the Yavapai Community College Prescott campus.
NARTA Class 46 President Stephen Hunt, who is joining the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, described his class as “one of a kind” because of their shared triumphs and a few “speed bumps” that helped them learn and grow. “I believe we have been refined through this process. But I know we still have a long journey ahead of us.” Hunt encouraged his classmates to keep learning and to find the joy inherent in “answering the call to serve a purpose much bigger than ourselves.”
Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli, in his keynote graduation address, thanked the recruits for answering the call to duty and service. “I am certain you will live up to the high standards expected of you and you will serve your communities well.”
NARTA Class 46 graduates and their sponsoring agencies are:
Joseph Adam Campas and Garrett James Schweikert, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.
Brant Cameron Chapin, Anthony John Cordes, Siearra Rhea Paddilla, Joshua Cornelius, Flagstaff Police Department.
Kody Anderson, Payson Police Department.
Julian Andrew Navarrette, Logan Joseph Weindel, Lizbeth Lorena Zarate, Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.
Nathanial William Namanny, Ralph E. Reily Jr., Blake Louis Elton Schermer, Prescott Police Department.
Isaac Gallo Corrales, Prescott Valley Police Department.
Catherine Ann Beers, Sedona Police Department.
Kenyon David Adamson, Stephen Hunt, Andrew Lang, Tanner McCrae Presson, Arie William Terpstra, Gilbert Wakefield, Cody Patrick Winton, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.
Information for this article obtained from various press releases including one contained in the Verde Independent, June 14, 2019.
Featured speeches included students Alexandra Barr of Prescott Valley and JoDe Ann Moore of Sedona
Forty GED earners participated in an award ceremony in Prescott May 18. Among those celebrating, were ten students from the Verde Valley. A Community College news release about the event written by J.J. McCormack, Yavapai College Community Relations on May 21, follows immediately below:
Bullying, young motherhood, substance abuse and shattering molds were among the reasons cited by the latest group of GED earners for rerouting their educational journeys. Courage and hard work got them all to the graduation stage May 18 at Yavapai College.
“There were many times that I wanted to give up, convincing myself that if I failed my tests, then it wasn’t meant to be,” 46-year-old Jennifer Trisdale said in an address to fellow GED earners and audience members gathered in the YC Performing Arts Center. “Well I failed many, many times. Each time I became a little wiser, a little stronger and a little more brave. You see, my test wasn’t about passing. My test was about persevering. For every single time I had failed, I was succeeding. I hadn’t just become a student, I had become fearless.”
Trisdale said her teen-age daughter telling her “You Can” inspired her to “show up” and get her GED. “…I realized my daughter had faith in me when I didn’t even have faith in myself.”
Trisdale of Dewey was one of 180 Yavapai County residents who obtained their GEDs, many with assistance from YC’s Adult Basic Education program. Approximately 40 GED earners participated in the award ceremony that also featured speeches from students Alexandra Barr of Prescott Valley and JoDe Ann Moore of Sedona.
Barr told fellow graduates earning a GED “opens doors of opportunity to continue growing and learning new skills that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.” Moore talked of her “great math battle– ” a battle that she won after initially testing at a fourth-grade level. Earning a GED at age 51, Moore said, has given her the confidence to “start a new life” and pursue her dream of working in the rehabilitation field.
Mark Frederick, a YC ABE Instructor, said in his heartfelt remarks that GED students have taught him a lot about respect, intelligence and hope. He said GED instructors need to earn the respect of their students, that most GED students are as smart or smarter than many college students and that “every GED student – every single one – has a fire of hope inside and as success follows success it burns brighter.” He implored the graduates “to go and see in others what you have taught me to see in you – respect, smarts and hope.”
YC President Dr. Lisa Rhine also spoke at the GED award ceremony, telling the graduates to take pride in achieving a personal milestone that required courage and commitment and “one that proves all things are possible.”
Dr. Rhine encouraged the GED earners to continue investing in their educations. “The courage and commitment you have demonstrated in achieving this goal are exactly the characteristics that you need to continue your education beyond today. Yavapai College is ready when you are to help you to continue your educational journey.“
For more information about Adult Basic Education at YC, or English as a Second Language, visit www.yc.edu/ABE.
Following are the GED Earners who participated in the May 18 award ceremony at the YCPAC.
Sylvia Coke and Ignacio Mejia of Camp Verde
Janell Canuel and Shayna Granillo of Chino Valley
Jocelynn Graham of Coolidge
Emily Crane, Calista Newell, Brieanna Sincleair, Jennifer Wilson, Christopher Brunner and Jessikah Bonner of Cottonwood
Jonathan Vernon, Jennifer Trisdale, Clarineth Miller and Tiffany McKinley of Dewey
Rachell Lueck, Lauren Harris and Zoey Ross of Prescott
Elizabeth Ameral, Deborah Atkinson, Francesca Cesarini, Alexandra Chester Barr, Leighann Hjelm, Gayle Koehn, Grant Matsuda, Heather Murphy, Stephen Norris, Kassidy Nunnally, Kayla Self, Theodore Simpson, Destanie Reid, Heather Dodson, Nany Garcia Arellano, Justin Kelly, Stephanie Morningstar, Maribel Bugarin, Garett Allen and Gabriella Caratachea of Prescott Valley
Mia Strydom of Rimrock
JoDe Moore of Sedona
Students from the Prescott and Verde Valley YC campus nursing programs combined for the family-oriented event that featured an homage to Florence Nightingale
NEWS RELEASE FROM YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE: Successful students from the Prescott and Verde Valley Yavapai Community College campus nursing programs combined for the family-oriented event that featured an homage to Florence Nightingale – a lamp-lit recitation of the founder of nursing’s solemn pledge. The pledge concludes with, “I will be loyal to my work and devoted towards the welfare of those committed to my care.”
Although passing a state exam is the next and final step to RN status, many of the degree-earning nurses from Yavapai Community College’s acclaimed program are already employed in healthcare facilities countywide. Many plan to pursue bachelor’s and graduate’s degrees in the high-demand nursing field.
In her remarks during the ceremony, YC President Dr. Lisa Rhine acknowledged the challenges graduates overcame to earn their pins. “Our nursing program requires intense study, fortitude, diligence and, as our graduates are well aware, sacrifice – not only for the graduate but the graduates’ loved ones who supported and walked this journey with our students.”
Dr. Rhine encouraged the graduates to “build on what you have learned here” and to prioritize their own health and well-being. “Caregivers often neglect themselves because of the loving nature of their hearts… It’s only when you are at your best that you can perform at the highest levels and give your best to others.”
Before each nursing graduate made their way to center stage, to accept their pin from a loved one and to reflect on their experience, YC Nursing Program Director Dr. Marylou Mercado presented the following spring 2019 graduating class awards:
Spirit, Michelle Hubbard and Patricia King
Scholarship, Brianna Gregory and Timber McLain
Leadership, Annika Wilson and Shannon Wolfe
Information about the YC Nursing Program, how to apply and forthcoming pre-nursing workshops is available on the college website: www.yc.edu/nursing. Or, call 928-776-2017.
Following are the latest graduates of the YC Nursing Program at the Prescott and Verde Valley campuses:
Joy Bowers, Kelly Burkitt, Hunter Clawson, Mele Lute Colston, Christy Delaney, Felicia Excell, Jena Garner, Samantha George, Jonathan Golin, Brianna Gregory, Michelle Hubbard, Alexia Marie Jones, Dorothy Kimmerle, Trisha King, Darrian Kipena, Marty Matzke, Zachary McCabe, Timber McLain, Kellie O’Connor, Gabriela Olguin Ocampo, Joseph Orsburn, Samantha Pendley, Sarah Quintal, Emily Reed, Brandice Rudolph, Justine Schoshinski, Shelly Selecky, Sierra Shaw, Chandler Smith, Cynthia Stratmann, Kolbie Tafoya, Teri Tapia, Morgan Thornburg, Erin Valencia, Annika Wilson, Shannon Lynn Wolfe, Britene Wright
Mayor Tim Elinski thanks graduates for helping create a vibrant community and strengthening the local economy
Yavapai Community College announced in a press release that 110 graduates of the Sedona Center and Verde Campus attended commencement ceremonies last week. Earlier, the Blog had reported the number as 80. The Community College news release follows in full:
Clarkdale AZ (May 13, 2019) – Commencement signaled the completion of one life-changing journey and the start of something new for more than 110 degree and certificate-earners sharing the Commencement spotlight Friday evening at the Yavapai College Verde Valley campus.
The ceremony’s keynote speaker, Cottonwood Mayor Tim Elinski, extolled the 2019 YC graduating class for helping create a vibrant community and strengthening the local economy. And, while he encouraged graduates to stay and build their lives in the Verde Valley, he urged them not to scrimp on adventures. “Please have as many adventures as you possibly can, but do consider coming back to the community that cares about you so much,” he said.
In her address to fellow graduates and a Mabery Pavilion overflowing with well-wishers, aspiring English teacher Shanandoah Sterling of Sedona, looked back on her own, much-delayed educational journey with fondness and mirth. She encouraged her classmates to continue dreaming and setting new goals. “Take the foundations of success gained here at Yavapai College into tomorrow, next week and the years to follow … Wherever your journey takes you, be it onto a four-year university, embarking into a chosen career, outreaching into your community or striving to help others obtain their dreams, I know you will be successful.” Read More→
Capacity crowd joins with students in celebration at Mabery Pavilion
According to the press release by Yavapai Community College, Eighty Verde Campus students participated in an evening commencement ceremony at the Mabery Pavilion on Friday evening, May 5. The students were joined by a capacity crowd of friends and family including proud parents, spouses, and their children.
The press release commented that “Student commencement speaker Yerania Rodriguez-Ibarra delivered one of the evening’s most poignant moments when she thanked her mother for making her achievements possible. “My mother gave up her whole life in Mexico to give her children the opportunities she didn’t have,” said Rodriguez-Ibarra. “We started from zero. It was a tough transition and I complained. I don’t complain anymore. It is because of her that I have now graduated from college.”
“After arriving in the U.S. only 12 years ago, Rodriguez-Ibarra overcame a language barrier and her family’s financial stress to earn All Arizona Academic team honors and the President’s Award for Excellence, the college’s highest honor.
“It is hard to imagine only a few years ago I was in high school, skipping classes, not worrying about the future,” Rodriguez-Ibarra told the audience, adding, “But I had a dream and an ambition so great it would not allow me to remain stagnant. I had to develop myself to be better and to overcome my fear and doubt.”
“The first-generation college student also thanked her English professor, Dr. Barb Waak, and advisor Linda Evans, noting that both women “helped shape me into the person I am today.”
“The Northern Arizona University-bound Rodriguez-Ibarra plans to pursue a career in dentistry on a full-scholarship and urged her classmates to keep Yavapai College in their hearts. “Occasionally stop, look back and wave to those who have shown us the way.”
Source: Yavapai Community College press release.