Welcome to our 2025 commencement exercises, where today we will celebrate the incredible achievements of our graduates. Thank you for joining us on this special day!
Family, friends, and community members are key to supporting our students and our college. We appreciate the role you play in education, the workforce, and the economic growth of these communities we serve.
Graduates, today you become one of more than 500,000 alumni of Davidson-Davie Community College. On behalf of the entire Davidson-Davie family, I send you congratulations on your welldeserved success!
Jenny Varner, President
ORDER OF CEREMONY
View online at DavidsonDavie.edu/graduation
Call to Order David Ring
President, Faculty Senate
Welcome
Remarks
Student Awards
Dr. William P. Steed
Chair, Davidson-Davie Community College Board of Trustees
Jenny Varner
President, Davidson-Davie Community College
Tina Royal
Davidson-Davie Community College Board of Trustees
Dr. David Snapp
Davidson-Davie Community College Board of Trustees
Dr. Allison Carr Dean, Dean, Arts, Science, Business & Technology
Dr. Timothy Gwillim
Dean, Workforce & Community Engagement
Dr. Holly Myers
Dean, Health Sciences
David Ring
President, Faculty Senate
Jenny Varner
President, Davidson-Davie Community College
Jacqueline Beck, Bernard Boateng, Tony McBride
Scholars take 15 hours of globalized courses, attend eight “passport events” on campus, participate in a global experience (study abroad or a local project), and complete a capstone presentation. Global Scholars wear white stoles with globes superimposed on books.
National Society of Leadership and Success
The National Society of Leadership and Success, or Sigma Alpha Pi, is an honorary leadership society with more than 800 college chapters nationwide. Its mission is to build leaders who make a better world and support people in achieving their dreams. Students experience an intensive leadership development program including peer-to-peer networking, leadership education, training, and development. Students must be enrolled in a degree program with a 3.0 or higher grade point average. National Society of Leadership and Success graduates wear black and platinum cords and platinum stoles.
Undergraduate Research Scholars
The Undergraduate Research Scholars program is designed to give students an immersive and engaged research experience and enhance their applications to transfer colleges. Scholars participate in research-intensive projects a minimum of 30 hours per 16-week semester. They also present the results of research projects at professional scientific society meetings or symposia, or submit the results of research projects to peer-reviewed journals. Undergraduate Research Scholars wear green cords.
Student Ambassadors
The Student Ambassador Program is a leadership opportunity for students who are dedicated to serving and representing Davidson-Davie Community College to prospective students and their families. They conduct campus tours, answer questions, assist with campus events, and promote the College’s values and culture. Graduates wear royal blue cords.
Student Government Association
The Student Government Association serves as the voice of the student body by promoting campus involvement, fostering leadership development, supporting student clubs and organizations, and acting as a liaison between student organizations and the campus administration. Graduating officers wear royal blue and white cords.
Graduation Scholarships
The Davidson-Davie Community College Foundation is pleased to award today the Robert Bruce Smith, Jr. Student Success Scholarship, the Paula Mathews Turlington Student Success Scholarship, the Mary E. Rittling Student Success Scholarship, the Mountcastle Insurance Student Success Scholarship, the Dr. Darrin L. Hartness Student Success Scholarship, and two Applied Sciences/Skilled Trades Student Achievement Scholarships. These awards are designed to benefit students upon completion of their degrees, in preparation for the next stages of their lives. All of today’s scholarship recipients have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership in their fields of study.
NC Reconnect
Made possible through a collaboration with the John M. Belk Endowment, NC Reconnect aims to engage adult learners and improve student retention specifically among adult learners in North Carolina. The initiative is designed to help former students successfully navigate the complexities of re-enrollment and re-entry, while developing a plan to complete a degree or credential. NC Reconnect graduates wear a single red cord.
Academic Dress
The College’s associate degree graduates may choose to wear navy and white hoods with their caps and gowns. Students are awarded regalia for academic achievement, participation in leadership activities, or as a symbol of the student’s chosen profession. Faculty and staff are wearing regalia representing colleges, universities, and fields in which their highest degrees were earned.
The history of academic dress reaches far back to the European Middle Ages and the earliest days of the oldest universities when scholars were clerics. Capes with attached hoods and warm caps were needed to combat the cold of drafty buildings. The desire for a uniform appearance (“well born, well turned-out, and somewhat learned,” read one medieval formula) and for marks to distinguish bachelors, masters, and doctors led to the development of the costume that we know today.
When in 1895 American colleges and universities decided to standardize academic dress in this country, a conference was held at Columbia University. There, representatives from various institutions drew up a common code that, with modifications made in 1959, is still in force. The costumes, colors, trimmings, and patterns that you see are traditional and refer to both the specific degree and the field of study.
The bachelor’s gown, designed to be worn closed, has pointed sleeves. The master’s gown, which may be worn open or closed, has an oblong sleeve, open at the wrist, that hangs down nearly to the ground; the back part of its oblong shape is square cut and the front part has the arc cut away. The doctor’s gown may be worn open or closed and has bell-shaped sleeves. Bachelor’s and master’s gowns are untrimmed. Doctor’s gowns are usually faced with black velvet with three bars across the sleeves, although the color of the velvet may vary according to the field of study. The hoods, which differ
in length for the three degrees, are lined with the official colors of the university or college that conferred the degree, usually with one color forming a chevron pattern over the other.
Hoods are also edged and bound with velvet in the color appropriate to the field of study. The colors in the hoods and gowns you may see represent the following fields in which degrees were taken:
Accounting Drab
Arts, Letters, Humanities White
Arts in Education Light Blue
Business Drab
Criminal Justice Midnight Blue
Dentistry Lilac
Education Light Blue
Engineering Orange
English White
Fine Arts Brown
Health and Rehabilitation Sage Green
Mathematics Science Gold
Music Pink
Nursing Apricot
Pharmacy Olive
Philosophy Dark Blue
Physical Science Sage Green
Police Science Science Gold
Political Science Dark Blue
Psychology Gold
Public Health Salmon Pink
Science Science Gold
Theology Scarlet Adapted from “An Academic Costume Code and Ceremony Guide” prepared by the American Council
Lillian Laine Royal
Karina Rubio
Jonathan Rueda Romero
Emely Nicole Ruiz
Jasen Fawzy Saad
Kayleigh P. Sagendorf
Alejandra Cruz Salazar
Jaretzy Saligan-Hernandez
Hannah Grace Sams
Elizabeth Sanchez
Lexi Michelle Santos
Marianne Scarlett
Colby B. Schroeder
Caden B. Seaford
Max C. Senecal
Vidhi J. Sharma
Raelin Aaris Sheets
Tyler B. Shore
Hailee B. Shrewsbury
Laura Calli Smith
Leah C. Smith
Makenzie M. Smith
Lydia G. Sneed
Ryan J. Sokol
Alesha P. Spivey
Salem Lynn Stanley
Aishus D. Stewart
Zamarie Daishainet-Alani
Summers
Walker G. Surratt
Aili Tarikas-Heindselman
Arianna Nicole Taylor
Madison Isabella Tesh
Christopher Gage Tester
Associate in Arts in Teacher Preparation
Brittany Ann Bagwell
Coleman T. Davis
Haley M. Davis
Marisa Brooke Edwards
Kathryn Yandell Gainey
Vivien Penelope Helmase
Tyler C. Hess
MacKenzie L. McCarter
Sebastien J. McEwen
Jennifer Nickole Miller
Associate in General Education
Jeffery N. Adom-Akrasi
Cindy G. Calix-Soto
Associate in Science
Tessa C. Angell
Phaleen Baxter
Nicole L. Beal
Thomas Alexander
Busciglio IV
Sinai Jesus Cortes-White
Grayden Parker Crabtree
Arden E. Deis
Ethan Ellington
Emma L. Frausto
Alaina Grace Garlow
Emily McDuffee
Rebecca Lynn Mills
Erik Joaquin AguilarGomez
Sara Dianne Goodwin
Adyson B. Griffin
Riley E. Harmon
Emilee Brook Hester
Nina Nicole High
Alston H. Hill
Andrew M. Hill
Seth A. Jenkins
Katherine E. Jones
Connor Joseph Thompson
Kursten T. Tilton
Jordan Dana Tolley
Skylar Paige Towery
Ella Tucker
Kirsten J. Wallace
Margot A. Walser
Caleb I. White
Hailey R. Whittaker
Ryan L. Whitten
Ashley D. Williams
Ashlyn B. Williams
Ethan B. Williams
Tequilla C. Williams
Brayden C. Wilson
Mason J. Wisdom
Zoe Kathryn Wood
Stephanie Kristin McQuiggan
Iesha N. Sawyer
Lanie R. Lanier
Melody D. Lashmit
Ethan Wayne Martin
Irene F. Medrano
Ethan Chad Minton
Baylea N. Murph
Camden Nahill
Maria I. Olmedo
Cesar Orozco
Skylar A. Painter
Ryan Som Pich
Katrina Jalika Prickett
Natasha L. Raziq
Nevaeh Kaelyn Sanders
Madeline Scholle
Justin J. Sloniger
Sean Patrick Sokol
Jena L. Solak
Alexander Winfield Sparks
John Speas
Tyler L. Steele
Associate in Science in Teacher Preparation
Carter S. Gentle
Business Administration
Associate in Applied Science, Diploma, Certificates
Jocelynn M. Adkins
Veronica Aleman
Alyssa Michaila Anderson
Sherlyn N. Arellano Reyes
Hannah Arnett Loupe
Collin W. Bailey
Phoenix W. Barrett
Brooke Erin Berridge
Megan V. Blanton
Kaitlynn Colleen Blevins
Luke X. Boles
Amber LeGoullon Boston
Chase M. Brooks
Victoria R. Brooks
Noah Caldwell
Milicsa Yesenia CalymayorTapia
Olivia Jane Campbell
Colton Lee Castrianni
Yoselin Chavez Cruz
Annalise D. Coleman
Michael Gray Cooke
Bella L. Crotts
Elizabeth Paige Crotts
Leyton T. Cudar
Brianna L. Deaton
Kieley Deegan
Gracen Denton
Angelia Dawn Edwards
Gage Haiden Ellis
Tasneem M. Elsayed
Lenae K. Epting
Angela S. Ferguson
Heather Dawn Ferguson
Jair Flores
Paxton A. Flowe
Emily S. Floyd
Zander D. Floyd
Katie M. Foister
Elisha J. Foust
Cynthia L. Garcia
Justice A. Gardner
Cassandra N. Goodjohn
Brianna J. Gore
Jacob Hale
Amy S. Hamilton
Cooper J. Hand
Ian Anderson Hawkins
Amber D. Hedgepeth McGuire
Christopher Scott Hines
Melissa Dawn Huitron
Brooke M. Hutton
Landon M. James
Tracy Kuhnemann
Rashanna R. Liles
Kimber L. Lloyd
Misty Carlisle Loflin
Paola D. Maldonado
Kyleigh N. Marvin
Rojetta Johnson McBride
Hope E. McIntyre
David L. Meredith
Sarah E. Mickel
Aishus D. Stewart
Aden I. Taylor
Kirsten J. Wallace
Tyler Lee Welch
Marc A. Winfrey
Morgan E. Miller
Cassidy M. Mills
Ethan Chad Minton
Cherilyn R. Mollohan
Emma Grace Motsinger
Ashiyana S. Murchison
Genesis D. Nooks
Kendra R. Ogle
Desmond B. Oliveri
Gray E. Owenby
Brittanie Nichole Owens
Haley Lynn Pease
Kandice P. Peche
Ayanna Alisya Pegues
Kiara L. Perez
Cain W. Pfost
Autumn M. Pham
Theresa Po
Kennedy A. Powell
Jamie Powers
Ybette S. Robinson
Joshua Andrew Rodriguez
Angie S. Rodriguez Salgado
Austin J. Sams
Iesha N. Sawyer
Logan Mason Sheehy
Autumn M. Shepherd
Maddox C Shoaf
Caleb Elijah Shook
Bobbi A. Sink
Anna M. Smith
Donovan T. Smith
Information Technology
Associate in Applied Science, Diploma, Certificates
Jonathan O. Argueta
Stephen Bacon
Caroline E. Bayliff
Susan M. Beatty
Marque Bennett
Maddux B. Bosko
Jordan N. Brown
Alex G. Cano
Victor E. Carbajal
Justin E. Caswell
Noah D. Chaffin
Macy G. Clodfelter
Cainnen A. Crotts
Micah-Janine P. Cruz
Storm C. Epps
Alexander F. Flick
Diana F. Gonsales
Christian M. Goodwin
Autume Symone Graves
Brockton K. Green
Jared M. Grimes
Christian R. Hayes
Stephen J. Hayzlip
Jezreel I. Hernandez
Landon K. Holmes
Landon Huffman
Ryan Hunt
Emma Marie Jones
Jillian M. Jordan
Dara B. Lakoy
Destany B. Long
Ulises A. Lopez Velasquez
Jordan R. Luffman
Elvis E. Luna-Casco
Angelina Anastasia
Mashburn
Meredith R. McCarson
Larissa R. McCoy
Samuel E. McKinnon
Phillip A. Michael
Levi Miller
Richard M. Morris
Supply Chain Management
Associate in Applied Science, Diploma, Certificates
Cori Michelle Brown
Heather Dawn Ferguson
James A. Fuller
Jennifer A. Greenwood
Korey Scott Haney
Dawn Marie Lee
Yasada Roopnarine
Sierra Danielle Swing
Sustainable Agriculture
Associate in Applied Science, Certificates
Elizabeth Paige Crotts
Joshua B. Hedrick
Jessica N. Little
Isabella Jace Myers
Kyla R. Ogle
Caleb Prevette
Justin D. Rausch
Jake A. Renegar
Kaelyn Sanders
Kendall C. Seward
Nosheen Shahryar
Billy Joe Short
Alex M. Smith
Owen Z. Smith
Jose M. Solano
Noah Caleb Staub
Randi L. Stocks
Emily B. Swicegood
Gavin R. Thomforde
Clarabelle H. Vang
David S. Wall
James D. Warner
Brooke L. Watson
Jeffrey Brian Weitzel
Maureen Wokie Wright
Morgan A. Minter
Jackson N. Parks-Wooten
Cody J. Peters
Dazman R. Salgado
Isaac R. Walton
Pharmacy Technology
Associate in Applied Science, Diploma, Certificates
Jazmin Benitez Hernandez
Leland M. Bolin
Jayda O. Burchette
Judith D. Carbajal
Evelyn DominguezFernandez
Nala M. Hughes
Lakwaisha Shanese Inman
Tammy Denise Alexander
Taylore M. Joyce
Ashley Marie Kennedy
Jessica K. Mabe
Vallarie M. Moreno
Madison M. Murphy
Caydence R. Orrell
Cristina L. Pegueros
Practical Nurse Education
Diploma
Jaime Banks
Amber T. Blake
Liam P. Conover
Emory P. Crawford
Sierra K. Dillard
Hailey N. Eason
Cindy L. Elliott
Sha’Corie T. Graham
Emily Victoria Grooms
Angela Gutierrez
Johnta D. Harper
Surgical Technology
Associate in Applied Science
Zakiya A. France
Sonny Lee Godwin
Derrianah Golfin
Kristen N. Hattaway
Gerardo Hernandez Gonzalez
Chevalia C. Hunt
Emily J. Johnson
Mitzi Y. Larios de Jesus
Amanda L. Mulhern
Tiffany I. Powell
Madelyn K. Prince
Jenny D. Quintero
Sydnie J. Reeves
Lyxharia Rogers
Bukoko Sebwufire
Kimberly SerranoRodriguez
Nicole M. Thompson
Lisa M. Tysinger
Anlly G. Hernandez
Joseph M. Hooker
Tracy Nichol Klass
Gestin Denard Miller
Jordan A. Sarver
Lashanda N. Smith
Brittany Stevens
Chrisma H. Stone
Brooke J. Underwood
Julianna M. Wadkins
Christina G. Wyatt
Stephanie Yanez-Torres
Charlotte K. Reid
Nasya Taylor
Erika V. Torres
WORKFORCE & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology
Diploma, Certificates
Timothy N. Allred
Jerred W. Beaver
Kristopher M. Boice
Camden W. Brown
Kamon S. Brown
Ethan Ellington
Leonardo Gutierrez
Ramiro Gutierrez
Carter A. Hanes
Ryan Lindsay Hedrick
Bryce J. McDevitt
Carson G. Mendenhall
Caleb R. Murphy
Fransico Pedro Perez
Carter Pollard
Alex Reece
Automotive Systems Technology
Associate in Applied Science, Diploma, Certificates
Elijah R. Buis
Evan Alexander Cardwell
Wesley G. Carter
John W. Gainey
Triston M. Holder, Jr.
Alan Lorenzo-Soza
Irvin Y. Majano-Lopez
Ayesha McGregor
Cameron L. Queen
Julian Y. Rodriguez
Banuelos
Angel A. Rodriguez
Basic Law Enforcement Training
Certificates
Jeremias Baez Ramos
Noah D. Beard
Robert S. Butler
Charles T. Chiarello
Connor S. Eaton
Dylan E. Eaton
Russell K. Jones
William P. Kelly
Nolen D. Knipp
Austin C. Lapradd
Brandon K. Leonard
Aubreigh Ann Leonard
Devin Rodriguez
Hayden H. Shell
Evan P. Somero
Cameron H. Stephens
Borngod Rasha Thompson
Ashleigh D. Tran
Jessie Vazquez
Brandon T. Warfford
Hernandez
Benjamin R. Sanders
James Uriostegui-Harrison
Mihaly W. Yombor
Bradley S Marr
Trad S. Sink
Carson S. Wood
Fire Protection Technology
Associate in Applied Science, Certificates
Autumn E. Beilhartz
Neal Anthony Conti
Dustyn M. Kiestler
Daniel Adam Oakley
Candace Hamorsky Williams
General Occupational Technology
Associate in Applied Science, Certificates
Seth E. Blair
Wesly Scott Hemric
Dylan Hedrick Saintsing
Cody B. Tran
Industrial Systems Technology Associate in Applied Science, Diploma, Certificates
Gerardo Aguirre
Liam Z. Baker
Ian A. Barts
Laura Mae Brown
Job G. Cassatt
Ty B. Dyson
Nurse Aide
Certificates
Emmy B. Baab
Brookelynn S. Bartmess
Charlie Bonilla
Madison R. Bowles
Chase J. Bowman
Keira Brock
Gunnar L. Broome
Jillian R. Brown
Claire A. Burris
Brooklin D. Conrad
Savannah E. Cook
Sabrina A. Cox
Addison F. Cranfill
Landly M. Cruz Hernandez
Briana E. Cuevas
Holly Edwards
William C. Embry
Gabriel Garcia Salas
Matthew J. Harris
Joseph D. Jarvis
Landon T. Lebeau
Scott K. Morris
Ella G. Eilbacher
Audrey Elisea
Reagan M. English
Alyssa K. Everhart
Anna Felts
Ashley J. Garcia
Rachel N. Hartsell
Hannah F. Hepler
Ashley S. HernandezSantiago
Sydnee C. High
Matthew B. House
Olivia A. Hurak
Kayleigh S. Keo
Ellie G. Kiger
Cailynn K. Kopetzky
Trent Harrison Williard
Spencer G. Neely
Daniel T. Overcash
Rossana J. Razura Najar
Alexander R. Sisler
Abby Lane
Devon M. Lawson
Morgan E. Little
Jaiden K. Luty
Kaylee E. Lynch
Cassidy J. Malcolm
Taylor Manus
Emerson May
Luz A. Montealvo
Goykuoth Y. Nyuon
Megan M. Oneal
Jechelle Ordonez
Maria G. Page
Delaney A. Parsons
Rosa I. Pereira
Ashley S. Petroff
THE HISTORY OF DAVIDSON-DAVIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Davidson-Davie Community College opened in 1963 as the Davidson County Industrial Education Center. Like other industrial education centers chartered in the 1950s and consolidated under the Community College Act of 1963, this center was designed to equip adults with the skills needed to move from an agricultural to a manufacturing-based economy. When the William E. Sinclair Building opened on a 22-acre site in 1963, 125 students were enrolled in vocational and technical programs and 51 students in adult education and service programs. In 1965, the institution was chartered as Davidson County Community College (DCCC). The Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees were added to the existing Associate in Applied Science degree, diploma, and certificate offerings.
The physical footprint of the college has seen tremendous growth over the years. The Uptown Lexington Education Center opened in 2004, the Thomasville Education Center in 2005, and the Davie Education Center in Bermuda Run in 2008. On the Davidson Campus, the Conference Center opened in 2009, the Transportation Technology Building in 2010, and the East Carolina University dental clinic in 2014; the new Sarah and Edward Smith Health Sciences Center opened in 2018. On the Davie Campus, major expansion and renovation took place in 2008, and in 2012, an addition to the Gantt Building completed the Davie County Early College building project.
On January 1, 2021, DCCC became Davidson-Davie Community College by action of the college’s Board of Trustees, who determined that the name should reflect what has always been true — the college proudly serves both Davidson and Davie counties. Today, Davidson-Davie offers 125 pathways in over 40 career fields that have evolved to ensure that students enter the workforce with 21st-century knowledge. In addition to a robust transfer program, the college has programs in such fields as advanced manufacturing and allied health. Davidson-Davie also is one of the few community colleges nationally to have a Zoo and Aquarium Science program. Both the Davidson and Davie campuses are home to a successful Early College high school program; the college also partners with the Yadkin Valley Career Academy. Students clubs and an athletic program contribute to a vibrant campus life, while a successful international education program gives students the opportunity to both travel abroad and meet international visitors.
At Davidson-Davie, we are committed to our mission of providing innovative and equitable learning experiences to empower individuals, transform lives, and prepare students for enhanced career and educational opportunities within a changing global community. The future is here!
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