Thanks to all of you who were there to share the joy of our graduates at Northwest Vista College’s 15th annual commencement ceremony on May 12. This year, around 500 students walked across the stage to the theme “Possibilities Imagined – Possibilities Created,” and celebrated with family and friends this milestone in their educational journeys.
The ceremony highlighted three graduates at the podium: Veronica Martinez gave the commencement address, and graduates, Joshua Linares and Jesse Salazar III delivered the opening and closing readings. Other memorable moments included NVC student employee Kristen Loar, walking the stage with her mom, Lisa, both receiving their associate degrees; and faculty member, Robert Marbut, handing his wheelchair bound stepson his diploma.
I want to express my gratitude to the many employees who made this graduation happen on a Saturday. Roberto Gonzales and David Casanova were stellar readers of the graduates’ names. It was an honor to have our processional led by Javier Guerra, last year’s excellence in teaching recipient, and to march in with many members of our dedicated faculty team. Thanks to our Alamo Colleges officials who came to support our NVC graduates – our Chancellor, Dr. Leslie; Board members, Gary Beitzel, Denver McClendon, and Anna Bustamante; Vice Chancellor, Federico Zaragoza; and Interim Vice Chancellor; Jo-Carol Fabianke.
We appreciate the tireless efforts of Sabrina Carey in her coordination of the event and of Deanna Villarreal and her team in Student Success, who spent months preparing degree plans and talking with potential graduates to get them to the stage on Saturday. To the Student Success staff members and other volunteers who served behind the scenes and helped with ushering, we could not have made it happen without you.
I offer to all of you this thought that I share each year with the graduating class.
If I could, I’d comb the sky
And collect the stars, I’d
Quickly pile them into a basket
Until it overflowed with silvery light.
And then I’d give the basket to you,
Because all things precious
And beautiful
Should be yours today.