2017 Commencement - Video Recording
Posted on: Jun, 23, 2017
Eighty–seventh
COMMENCEMENT
Friday, June 23, 2017
7:00 P.M.
Program
PROCESSIONAL....
Grays Harbor College Jazz Combo
Kessler Blair, Dr. William Dyer, Alex Eddy, Kyle Hurd,
Sandy Lloyd, Kyle Prato, Leroy Rowe, Eva Goings
WELCOME .......................................
Dr. James Minkler, President, Grays Harbor College
FACULTY OF THE YEAR AWARD
Presented by .................. Ms. Yulisa Morelia, President, Associated Students of GHC
OUTSTANDING STUDENT AWARD
Presented by...................................... Dr. Amanda Gunn
SCHOLARS OF THE YEAR AWARD
Presented by ....................................... Dr. James Minkler
MUSICAL OFFERING .............................. “Free Fallin” by Tom Petty
Arranged and Performed by Kyle Hurd, Class of 2017
INTRODUCTION OF SPEAKER
Dr. James Minkler
SPEAKER.....
Mr. Erik Larson, Mayor, City of Aberdeen, GHC Alumnus Class of 2010
PRESENTATION OF GRADUATES
Ms. Laurie Clary, Vice President for Instruction
AWARDING OF DIPLOMAS
Grays Harbor College Board of Trustees
CLOSING REMARKS
Dr. James Minkler
RECESSIONAL
Grays Harbor College Jazz Combo
WELCOME
Graduates of the Grays Harbor College Class of 2017, members of the Board of Trustees, faculty and staff, friends and families:
This is the 86th Commencement ceremony at Grays Harbor College and I want to welcome each of you to our ceremony. Tonight is a time for us to honor your accomplishments, applaud your achievements and celebrate the moment. For me, this is my first graduation at Grays Harbor College, although I have been countless graduations and celebrations in my 31 years in higher education. But this one, for me, will always be very special, as it will be for each of you.
I encourage you to think about YOUR story of coming to GHC. Who suggested going to college? Why did you choose GHC? At what point in your life did you decide education at the GHC could make a difference for you? In total, we are awarding nearly 360 Associate degrees to members of the Class of 2017; and 193 of you are here tonight. We are so glad your family and friends have filled this enormous tent and are watching it via live streaming, because we all have lots to celebrate.
There is the story to tell of where you are going from here – on to a 4-year college or university, off to a new job, back to the job you had while you went to school, and yes, maybe back to Grays Harbor College – some of you are sticking around to complete other programs or enter our new Bachelor of Applied Science degrees in Teacher Education and Forest Resource Management. Our Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Management started this past year. We are so proud to now be offering this new opportunity for our community -- a 4-year degree to boost job skills in three different fields. Like many of our courses for Associate degrees, some of our bachelor degree classes are online, to fit into busy schedules; others are what we call hybrid, a combination of time spent in class on campus and other work done online, all accessible throughout the two counties we serve.
Each of you can tell us a story that is unique and yet all of your stories make up the Grays Harbor College story, which has been written each year, since the College opened in 1930 where Franklin Field is now on Market Street in downtown Aberdeen. Our story is really our mission of ably serving both Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties, in meeting the educational needs of this community since we first opened way back in 1930.
But tonight, we are here to applaud you – celebrating your efforts and hard work. Everything you have accomplished makes us incredibly proud of each of you. This is also a time to thank those who have been beside you all along the way. Your families, kids, partners, parents, cousins, pets, whoever has been boosting your spirits and brewing the coffee while you studied late into the night or early in the morning. Let’s not forget your fellow classmates who have stood with you shoulder-to-shoulder. We know in some instances, classmates have been close family members; we have siblings graduating tonight, parents along with their children, spouses in this together. Enrolling and graduating from GHC is a story that can be told among the generations.
Another GHC story we proudly tell is that of our outstanding faculty who have taught you, reviewed concepts with you, challenged you to think, and tonight, applaud your accomplishments. As you leave here, make a promise to keep them updated on the stories you go on to tell. Let them know where you go and share with them the ‘ah-ha’ moment when you realize how much of a difference they made in your life while you were at GHC.
This is the final graduation for six longtime GHC instructional employees (you could ask them to stand) – Pam Aho, physical education (not attending); Denis Samson, Automotive Technology; Doug Jones, Business Management; Dr. Russ Jones, Chemistry; Mike Kelly, Dean for Workforce Education; and Laurie Kaye Clary, our vice president for instruction who has an important role later in tonight’s program. Together, they have been with the College for a total of 129 years. We thank them all for their service and wish them the very best as they write new chapters in their own stories.
Please join me now in thanking our entire truly gifted GHC faculty, seated beside you, for the excellent work they do.
You will forever be a graduate and alum of Grays Harbor College. Your education can never be taken from you. The knowledge you have mastered will guide you to do great things. I hope that you will always remember your story about the time you spent here at Grays Harbor College.