BY DONNA SWICEGOOD
Graduates of the Collaborative College for Technology and Leadership walked across the stage on the Circle at Mitchell Community College on Friday afternoon to a chorus of cheers from family members and friends.
Speaker Sarah Jean-Gilles delivered the welcome to the graduates and guests and said graduation “is a celebration of everything we’ve accomplished.”
Elizabeth Henao Ceballos, one of two student speakers, said she is grateful to the faculty and staff for teaching her and her classmates how to multi-task and collaborate.
“We are a community that will continue long after we leave today,” she said.
The lessons learned at CCTL, Ceballos said, are lasting ones.
“As someone who is already at a four-year university and taking flight lessons … I do want to say that CCTL prepared me a way where no other school could and I’m confident I can achieve my goals,” she said.
She encouraged her classmates to appreciate the lessons they were taught. “Take full advantage of the opportunities presented to you by the incredible faculty and staff,” she said.
As they closed out their years at CCTL, Ceballos said she is excited to see what they will do in the future.
“From doctors to marine biologists to engineers, I’ll leave you with this: Just know you can do it. Continue to embrace every challenge and opportunity. The sky’s not the limit,” she said.
Speaker Chris Morini elicited laughs from his classmates and the crowd on the lawn at MCC when he said he received an acceptance letter from Harvard University, which drew applause.
“The truth is I just completely made that up,” said Morini, who is currently a student at Appalachian State University.
“Students, first of all, I know you are all wondering how much more difficult the workload is at university than at CCTL. Now I can’t attest to every university out there, but I can report back at my 89 percent acceptance rate institution, it’s not all that overwhelming,” he said. “I do feel overprepared but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
Morini said the preparation from CCTL made that possible. He chose to graduate from CCTL in an accelerated three and a half years.
“One of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever learned was from my early graduation experience, and it was that you never let other people tell you what you can’t or shouldn’t do,” he said.
Part of independence, he said, is being able to make decisions for yourself.
Principal Teri Hutchens said graduating from an early college takes a tremendous amount of work and commitment,
She said all 50 graduates are completing their high school diploma, 96 percent are completing their associate degree requirements by the end of the summer semester, 92 percent have earned a digital media certificate from Mitchell, 32 percent are graduating with their high school diploma and associate degree in less than five years and the collective class has earned more than 3,000 hours of college credit hours.
Each graduate with the associate degree, she said, will have saved their family or themselves approximately $30,000 in college costs, she said.
“This small class received over $3 million in financial aid, grants and scholarships,” she said.
She said 88 percent plan to continue their education at the university level, 6 percent are continuing their education at another institute of higher learning and 6 percent plan to enter the workforce.
“To the Class of 2025, while attending CCTL and Mitchell Community College, you have developed many skills that will take you far and wide. Don’t be afraid to continue to challenge yourself and strive to make a positive difference in this world.”
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