gtcc grads eye commencement

By Neil Sharma and Zac Goldstein

Editor-in-Chief and Faculty Advisor

The green robes are back.

Emerald-clad graduates and their families filling the Greensboro Coliseum for Guilford Technical Community College's Spring commencement ceremony had been an annual May tradition. Last year, the college instead offered a virtual commencement ceremony in accordance with North Carolina's Stay At Home Orders.

This year, commencement will once again be an in-person affair albeit with distancing measures in place. Commencement will be split into two sessions at the coliseum on Thursday, May 13. Aviation, Health Sciences, Human Services and Public Safety, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) graduates will be recognized at 11 a.m. while Business, Creative, and Performing Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, ICET (Industrial, Construction, and Transportation Systems Technologies) will be recognized at 3 p.m. Each graduate will be able to invite up to four guests to the one-hour ceremony, which will require tickets and advanced registration. Facemasks and distanced seating will be enforced in the coliseum.

Several students voiced their enthusiasm for the event, viewing it as a long-awaited recognition of their efforts.

"I’m super excited because it will be a culmination of all the hard work I’ve put in the last two years," said Justin Cundall.

"The hard work that I put in made this all worth and made me believe that I could achieve anything else I wish to accomplish," added Frances K'Briuh. "It did not just take one simple task it took nights of hard work and studying."

Others, such as Regina Cruz, see it as the end of a difficult and nerve-racking journey.

"I've just had so much stress just trying to finish this degree that I just want it over with," she said. "It'll be an experience though."

"I worked my sweat off at GTCC in order to obtain a desirable job in the IT field," added Nexxis Gonzalez.

Historically, a majority of GTCC graduates use their degrees and credentials to enter the workforce with healthcare being the field that employs the most graduates. In 2019, eighty percent of graduates earned certificates, diplomas, and AAS (Associate of Applied Science) degrees in career and technical fields.

Carrie Schiotz said she will be using her degree to enter the paralegal field, a possibility she hadn't considered when she began taking classes at the college.

"I was having a hard time with a particularly important course in the IT program and my husband suggested that I look into a paralegal degree instead, " she said. "The rest is history."

The remaining graduates transfer to four-year universities to continue their education. This year, that group includes Cundall, who will be studying political science at UNC-Greensboro, and Brent Archie, who will be working toward an MBA while he expands his business.

No matter where they go, graduates said they will leave with lasting memories of their time at GTCC. Several said they will remember friends made and fears conquered. For Sola Yun, it was being challenged by chemistry professor Shaun Shelton to put forth a better effort. "The conversation we had helped me realign my priority and focus so shout out to him," she said.

As they prepare to say farewell to the college, graduating students also left advice for incoming Titans. Yun suggested thinking about goals while K'Briuh encouraged students to learn from failure rather than getting upset by it. Schiotz advocated taking advantage of GTCC services such as tutoring. For Archie, the outgoing Cameron Campus Student Senator, the biggest difference-maker is simply getting involved.

"Join a club and be active in it," he said. "It will open up new opportunities and connections for you."