179 to graduate or receive certificates at CNCC commencement

RANGELY I Roughly 120 students will receive 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 in higher education.
Graduation exercises will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the Colorado Room of the Weiss Building, located on the Rangely campus, although students from the Craig and Meeker campuses will also take part.
Activities begin on Friday at 6 p.m., when the 17 aviation technology students receive their wings in a ceremony in the airport hangar at Hayes Airport. At the end of the year, pilots who have completed the flying portion of the certificate or rating they are working on will get wings for each completion. It is not unusual for a student to get multiple sets of wings at the ceremony. The completion of the pilot certification earned them the wings that qualifiy them to continue training or seek employment as a pilot.
Also on Friday at 6 p.m., nursing graduates will receive their nurse’s pins in a ceremony held on the Craig Campus at the Moffat County Fairgrounds Pavilion. There are 25 nursing students graduating from the nursing program with an associate degree of applied science in nursing. They will then take their national licensure test, and, when passing, will have their RN license.
On Saturday at 9 a.m., 27 CNCC dental hygiene graduates will receive their pins in a ceremony in the Colorado Room of the Weiss Building. These students must also pass licensing exams in order to complete their certification as dental hygienists.
According to CNCC public information officer Becky Dubbert, the keynote speaker at commencement will be the Honorable Jean White, a member of the Colorado State Board for Community College and Occupational Education.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend any of these events, Dubbert said.