179 get CNCC degrees, certificates

A standing-room-only crowd applauded those who received their diplomas and certificates Saturday at the Colorado Northwestern Community College commencement.

RANGELY I Roughly 179 students received their degrees and certificates from Colorado Northwestern Community College on Saturday afternoon, culminating what for most students has been at least two years of hard work.
Commencement exercises were held in the Colorado Room at the Weiss Student Center, located on the Rangely campus, although students from the Craig and Meeker campuses also took part.

The bright red of Colorado Northwestern Community College graduation robes glowed as the college graduates waited to receive their degrees and certificates during the 50th annual commencement exercises, held Saturday afternoon on the Rangely campus. Also honored were those who had earned their GEDs.

The ceremony was highlighted by the commencement keynote address delivered by the Hon. Jean White, a member of the Colorado State Board of Community College and Occupational Education.
White told the students that their journey in life is just beginning and that the future remains with the student and what they wish to do with their education.
Activities began Friday evening, when the 17 aviation technology students received their symbolic wings in a ceremony in the airport hangar at Hayes Airport.
Also on Friday evening, CWCC’s nursing graduates were presented with their nurse’s pins in a ceremony held on the Craig campus. There are 25 nursing students graduating from the nursing program with an associate degree of applied science in nursing.
On Saturday at 9 a.m., 27 CNCC dental hygiene graduates received their pins in a ceremony in the Colorado Room.

Jolene Holzfaster gave the Invocation at the Colorado Northwestern Community College commencement ceremony on Saturday at the college’s main campus in Rangely. The Colorado Room was filled to capacity for the event, which featured the commencement keynote address by the Honorable Jean White, a member of the Colorado State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Health.

At Saturday’s commencement, Jolene Holzfaster gave the invocation, followed by CNCC Board of Control Chair Jim Loughran and CNCC Board of Trustees Chair Teri Wilczek, who handled the introduction of college boards.
CNCC President Russell George then introduced the commencement speakers: Zoe Sowers, the CNCC student government president, and Hayden Ballard and Maximillian Wieth, members of the Rangely student government.
Next was the recognition of the GED recipients, led by CNCC faculty member of the year Kathy Powell, followed by “It Is Time,” written and presented by Sowers.

With the Colorado Northwestern Community College graduates and certificate receivers filling the first few rows, the remainder of the Colorado Room in the campus’s Weiss Student Center in Rangely was filled with family and friends there to cheer on and congratulate the grads on Saturday. Roughly 179 students graduated from CNCC or received their vocational certificates this spring, although not all took part in Saturday’s ceremony. Graduates were from the Rangely, Rifle and Meeker campuses.

After White delivered the keynote address, Dr. Dave Smith, CNCC’s vice president of instruction and student affairs, presented the graduates, who were given their degrees by George. The ceremony was wrapped up with the recessional of the students.
Soloists at the event included Sowers and CNCC student Joe Sears while Carol Morton was the pianist.

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