St. Petersburg College held its 134th commencement ceremony on Saturday, July 22 at First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks in Largo.
SPC President Dr. Tonjua Williams celebrated the graduates’ achievements, thanked faculty, staff and the Board of Trustees for the support and care they’ve shown students, and shared in the applause as the new alumni showed gratitude to their families and friends. Williams thanked the students for choosing SPC to pursue their education.
“We were privileged to serve you,” she said.
President Williams also had a special message to share with the new graduates.
“St. Petersburg College is a special place where opportunities are endless, hope is never deferred and dreams come true,” she said.
At Saturday’s ceremony, the youngest graduate was 18 years old, the oldest was 68 years old and 10 graduates were over the age of 60. Fifty-eight percent of the graduates were female.
With this graduating class, St. Petersburg College has awarded 164,366 degrees since the college – Florida’s first community college – was founded in 1927.
SPC awarded:
- 611 Associate in Arts degrees
- 150 Associate in Science degrees
- 61 Bachelor of Applied Science degrees
- 20 Bachelor of Science degrees
- 175 certifications
Ann Donald and Karen Sanford addressed their fellow graduates and guests. Donald earned a bachelor’s degree in Educational Studies and Community Leadership and Sanford earned an Associate in Science in Veterinary Technology. Both speakers shared inspiring messages with their fellow classmates in the Class of 2017.
“Take with you today a sense of pride in your accomplishment, and be optimistic at all of the prospects the future brings,” Sanford said. “If you should stumble and lose your way, remember it is okay to make mistakes. Be willing to make the difficult choices and have the resolve to accept challenges as they arise, but above all, be a student of life, and seize opportunity when it presents itself. You, too, may just find your happiness along the way.”
“As we embark on our exciting next steps in our lives, remember, when the road gets tough I encourage you to draw on your strengths that helped propel you to get here today,” Donald said.
Donald said it took her 10 years to graduate, as she was raising a child and working full time.
“I leave you with three things. One, do not be afraid of failure. Failures are the stepping stones to success. What’s important is picking yourself back up, and learning from them,” Donald said. “Second, reach back and help another student or potential student. Tell them your story. It only takes one person to change another person’s life. And finally, as you pursue your future goals surround yourself with positive people, people who lift you up, keep you grounded and push you to never stop achieving your dreams.”
The goal of the exercise was to build the tallest tower out of sticks and marshmallows in the shortest amount of time. The challenge highlighted the importance of creativity, problem-solving skills, and collaboration. The Saturday workshops will feature creative exercises like a biology murder mystery.
