Volunteer State Community College held the fall commencement ceremony on Saturday. It brought hundreds of students, family and well-wishers to the Pickel Field House on the campus in Gallatin. There were 729 students eligible to graduate this year. They represent 17 different countries of birth. Twenty-two of the graduates are military veterans. There are 227 TN Promise students graduating this fall. The stories of adult students were a highlight of the ceremony.
Joanne Layton of Gallatin was named Fall 2017 Outstanding Graduate. The Computer Information Technology student graduated with honors. Layton had a long career at AT&T, rising to management, all without a college degree. A forced retirement left her in a fix. “I found it difficult to find employment doing anything because I didn’t have a college degree. When I worked with AT&T I handled projects with multi-million dollar budgets. I had all of this experience and I wanted to use it. It was demeaning.”
One company even suggested she seek employment as a hotel maid. Layton had other ideas. “My Vol State degree is in Computer Information Technology. My AT&T experience was all main frame. Now I’m working with client-server and networking.”
The 62 year-old Layton plans to use her degree and IT certifications to have a different job search this time, one where her years of experience will actually be considered. In the meantime, she is simply proud to be graduating. “I was one of five kids. I’m the first to get a college education. When we were growing up, girls just didn’t get to go to college.”
Graduate Charles Ware of Portland shared his path to a degree. “I started taking one class at a time. It was the only way I could do it. I was working 50-60 hours a week.”
Five years later Charles is graduating with an associate’s degree in secondary education. He has some advice for other adult students: “Don’t give up, be persistent. I feel so proud, I can’t stop smiling.”
The stories of adult students graduating are especially timely, given the TN Reconnect program, starting next fall, which will provide community college education tuition-free for adult students who do not have a college degree.
Mike Krause, executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission congratulated the graduates on their accomplishment. “You guys have beaten the odds by being here today. You’re about to have a college degree and most Tennesseans don’t. You are about to join the elite 39 percent who have college degrees.”
Distinguished Alumnus Shirlene Campbell encouraged the graduates to stay in touch with each other. “If I had to do it all over again I would choose Volunteer State Community College, a thousand times over.”
For more pictures from graduation visit www.facebook.com/volstate.
Pictured: Graduates Desmond Smith of Goodlettsville, Austin Lockwood of Hendersonville and Cody Fitzgerald of Hendersonville.
