Up & Coming Weekly

June 01, 2021

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JUNE 2-8, 2021 UCW 15 ALICIA BANKS, FTCC Social Media and Digital Content Specialist. Comments? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Fayetteville Technical Community College held its 59th Annual Commencement exercises out- doors on its Fayetteville campus May 14. The event marked a return to in-person commencement exercises. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the College held a virtual graduation in 2020. The easing of constraints made it possible for FTCC to hold in-person ceremonies this year even as safety protocols were observed. For the first time, the College held its commen- cement exercises on its Fayetteville campus, under large open-air tents. Three separate ceremonies were held simultaneously in three locations on campus to allow for social distancing. Graduates were under the tents. Family and friends watched from outside. The ceremonies were also streamed live and recorded for later viewing. More than 600 graduates participated in the in- person ceremonies. All 1,970 of the College's 2021 graduates were included in a virtual ceremony that premiered on May 15. The keynote speakers at this year's ceremonies included the Hon. Robert Wilkie, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Dr. Mark Sorrells, FTCC's Senior Vice President of Academic and Student Services; and Dr. Murtis Worth, the College's Dean of Nursing. Wilkie, a native of Fayetteville and a graduate of Reid Ross High School, was also the keynote speaker for the College's virtual gradua- tion ceremony. Wilkie told graduates that he had watched FTCC grow from a small technical college into "a won- derful institution dedicated to the human spirit." He said education is a gift that can transform a person's life. He urged graduates to use that gift to find and pursue their passion. "Remember what you're passionate about, what will make you get up every day for the rest of your life," he said. "Whatever you're lacking in optimism, remember your special responsibility because of where you are, and what you've been granted. To hold up those who don't fall to cynicism and to hold up those who see a world not as it is, but as it should be. So, be passionate." FTCC President Dr. J. Larry Keen visited each ceremony. At Tent B, taking place on the front lawn of the Tony Rand Student Center, Keen told graduates success is not a destination, but a journey. "Please don't stop here today, and say you made it," he said. "But unders- tand the real joy is in the journey. Take what you've learned, apply it and experience joy with every step that you take becau- se it takes you to better fulfillment of life and the things you do. Every single person has purpose, has an opportunity, a series of opportunities to do well." FTCC's 2021 graduates earned a total 3,926 asso- ciate degrees, diplomas and certificates from 280 curriculum programs in these areas: Allied Health Technologies, Arts and Humanities, Business, Computer & Information Technology, Engineering and Applied Technology, Math and Sciences, Nursing, and Public Service. In addition, 76 students graduated from the College's Adult High School program and 43 stu- dents graduated from the High School Equivalency program. FTCC Class of 2021 graduates during outdoor ceremonies by ALICIA BANKS EDUCATION Graduates earned a total of 3,926 associate degrees, diplomas and certificates. (Photo by Lisa Joyner) All 1,970 students in FTCCs Class of 2021 were included in a virtual ceremony. (Photo by Lisa Joyner) More than 600 graduates participated in ceremonies on the FTCC campus. (Photo by Brad Losh) Keynote speakers encouraged graduates to remain passionate about their goals. (Above photo by Natasha Brown) (Bottom left "Congrats" photo by Lisa Joyner)

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