Ranger AMARILLO COLLEGE’S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1930
VOLUME 90 | ISSUE 10
May 19, 2020
100th commencement goes virtual By LAUREN EBBEN Editor-in-Chief
As the days tick closer to the end of the semester, Amarillo College prepares for its historic 100th commencement ceremony, made all the more special by its status as AC’s first virtual graduation, according to college officials. The ceremony will be held Thursday, May 21 at 7 p.m. Sadie Newsome, AC media director leading the event, said that while the ceremony will be different this year, it will have elements familiar to traditional in person ceremonies. “Our goal is to make it personal and meaningful,” she said. According to Newsome, graduates can expect the ceremony to still be hosted by Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, AC president, as well as a performance by staff and students of the AC music department and the announcement of the 2020 Mead Faculty Excellence Award winner among other things. This year the ceremony will also include several public figures as special guests. For the presentation of the graduates,
students who ordered caps and gowns were asked to submit pictures of themselves wearing their regalia, as well as a personal quote or thank you regarding their time as AC, to use in a slide show viewed during the ceremony. Newsome said more than 650 students ordered caps and gowns for the event, and hundreds have submitted content. “I think students really showed their personalities in their quotes and photos,” she said. “It’s going to be fun looking at how people view this ceremony.”
Letter from the president Dear graduates (and everyone that loved you to this milestone): Life can be as difficult as it is joyful. The COVID-19 pandemic certainly added layers of difficulty to your academic, professional and personal lives. Even so, I was moved by the joy you found during it. I talked with so many of you determined to learn, even with new tools you did not think you would like. We have more than 1,200 graduates this spring. You range from ages 17 to 78. Many of you are the first in your family to earn a college degree. You are veterans who have served our country. You are refugees embracing the American dream. So many of you are parents, raising children while earning your degree. Some of you were courageous enough to come back for a second career. You are hard workers. You learned new skills with new technologies. You are ready to transfer to your university or go directly into the workforce. You are a graduating class defined by these realities. Knowing these attributes about you give me so much hope in the future of our community and country. I know it was difficult to manage work, family and education. Yet, each of you did it despite the barriers in your way. That a pandemic was one
RUSSELL LOWERY-HART of those barriers makes your success even more meaningful. It would be easy for you as students, and for us as a college, to be defined by the challenges of this pandemic. COVID-19 certainly colored our landscape, but it didn’t change the shape or beauty. As you transition to the next phase of your life, take more than your classroom learning with you. Take your friendships, support systems, confidence and pride. This pandemic certainly called you to embrace your determination and to walk in the power of perseverance. And you did so, as college graduates. Congratulations. I am so very proud of you.
Hector Casanova, SGA president and a member of the spring graduating class, said he thinks this ceremony is an important hallmark for the community. “It means 100 times our college has seen ambitious, professional and community-minded graduates take to better serve the people of the community and beyond,” he said. “This ceremony will LAUREN EBBEN | The Ranger be an example of how much AC cares about the quality of its students According to Newsome, the and, more importantly, recognizing ceremony will be streamed live on their hard work. ” several platforms, including the AC For Newsome, this 100th ceremony is website, Facebook, Panhandle PBS and a “testament to the history of AC and the several local news stations. A recording growth and future of the college.” of the stream will also be available The college was established in later on for people who were not able 1929, shortly before the start of the to watch the live event. Great Depression, which was a time “This will be a very personal of uncertainty for many institutions of celebration of our students, featuring their words and their images,” Lowery- higher education, according to Newsome. Despite the troubles in the world at the Hart said in a news release. “I’m so proud of our graduates and I time, the college remained in session. “Having that in our history should encourage each and every one of them, really encourage people in our confidence their families, and our entire community in overcoming anything that comes our to join us for this unprecedented virtual way,” Newsome said. celebration.”
Student finds future By EMILY REEVES Staff Reporter
Despite the uncertainty of these last few months, graduation for the spring semester of 2020 is finally upon us. Graduation means one exceptional student has been chosen to represent the graduating class by presenting a speech to the students, and this year Brenda Hernandez, a biology major, will present that message. Hernandez began her education in Los Angeles, California, where she was not expected to even graduate high school, nor did she believe she would. “It was hard in East LA, and very few people even graduated high school,” said Hernandez. Hernandez’s view on education changed when her family moved to Dumas in 2012, when she was a sophomore in high school. In Dumas, Hernandez completed her education, graduating in the top 20
BRENDA HERNANDEZ percent of Dumas’s class of 2014. After graduating, Hernandez began work for a dentist office. “I had no plans for college, but my coworkers encouraged me to pursue a degree,” she said. She then began taking classes at Amarillo College. Hernandez had a hard time with college her first year. She is a first generation student, and was not active in campus activities. “I went to classes and went straight back home,” she said. She was dissatisfied with how her education was
proceeding, but not willing to give up, so she decided to try some of the activities offered at AC. “I joined several science clubs,” said Hernandez. “School got easier.” After graduting, Hernandez will continue her education at The University of Texas at San Antonio, where she will work towards a bachelor’s degree in biology with the intent to become a dentist. Hernandez said she will deliver a speech designed to inspire other nontraditional students to keep pursuing their dreams. “I want to encourage other students like me, but not just nontraditional students. I want to encourage everyone because it can be hard,” Hernandez said. AC’s graduation ceremony for spring and summer graduates will be held on Thursday May 21 at 7 p.m. and will be completely virtual. According to college officials, spring graduates are invited back to walk the stage at AC’s next in-person graduation ceremony.
Much love, Russell Lowery-Hart
www.facebook.com/acrangerpaper
www.acranger.com
Twitter and Instagram: @acranger