BANGOR — The halls of the Cross Insurance Center were lined with hundreds of eager Eastern Maine Community College students on May 9.
Approximately to 300 students took part in the college’s 48th annual commencement ceremony, and nearly 500 earned a certificate or degree this year — the most credentials awarded in Eastern Maine Community College’s history.
Many were garbed in the traditional cap and gown, whereas many others channeled the program from which they were graduating. Welders wore welding hoods over their caps; building construction students wore construction helmets adorned with their tassels; nursing graduates taped the letters “RN” for registered nurse atop their caps — symbols of the graduating class’s diverse set of journeys and academic pursuits.
Phillipa Gilmore, a graduate of the medical office technology program, spoke of her journey in her student address at the commencement.
“As I look back on the past two and a half years, I have to smile and shake my head at how everything fell into place,” she told her fellow students and more than 1,000 audience members.
Gilmore, a veteran, was let go from her job in June of 2013. With the help of the Veteran’s Retraining Assistance Program, she enrolled at EMCC. She was chosen as an All Maine Academic Scholar and graduated with a 3.9 GPA, all the while balancing a part-time job, raising a teenage daughter, and overcoming a devastating house fire last year.
“The future is what we make of it,” Gilmore concluded. “If we put in the time, the sweat and the tears now, we will have the knowledge and experience to create the future we want.”
Jennifer Salls, a graduate of the business management program, also spoke of her journey as a young mom and full-time student.
“I came to this great establishment as a new mom, with a young toddler and disabled husband at
home,” Salls told her peers. “I came here scared to fail. How was I supposed to attend class, study, work full time and take care of my family? I almost withdrew my application. But, I persevered. I came to my first week of classes and felt like I was home. I have overcome adversity. It is with the support of my family at EMCC that I have made it here today.”
The 2015 commencement speaker, Elaine D. Rosen, had similar encouragements. Ms. Rosen is the chair of the Kresge Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the country. She is also the former president of Unum Life Insurance Company and executive vice president of Unum Corporation.
Ms. Rosen urged graduates to learn everything there is to know in their field, be open to new ideas and opportunities, and maintain strong character and integrity.
“You leave here today with a certificate or degree, a great education, and the support of your family and community,” she saidd. “But you also leave here with a choice. What will you stand for? What will you teach?”
The graduation was the fifth and final commencement ceremony for EMCC President Lawrence Barrett, who announced last month that he has accepted the presidency at Florida Gateway College in Lake City.
“As president of this college there is nothing I take more seriously than your success,” Barrett told graduates. “Your failure is my failure. Your achievements are our pride, and we have a lot to be proud of this year.”