Students, family, and well-wishers gathered at the Pickel Field House on Saturday to celebrate Volunteer State Community College fall commencement, which included summer and fall graduates. Vol State president, Orinthia Montague, presided over the ceremony, her first commencement at the college. “This marks my 100th day in office and this is a wonderful way to celebrate,” said Montague.
Margie Riggs of Portland was named Outstanding Fall Graduate. The mother of six works as a Registered Nurse at Sumner Regional Medical Center after graduating earlier this year from the Vol State RN Nursing program. It’s a demanding academic program and COVID made things even more difficult.
“It was trying,” she said. “We had to learn a lot, but it was very difficult with COVID for things like student study groups.” That’s because many classes were held online and COVID protocols were always a consideration. But Riggs handled the adversity and kept an eye out for her classmates. “I helped other nursing students. If I saw someone struggling, I would ask if they wanted to get on Zoom to study. I think it’s the Mom in me. I want to see everyone have success.”
Meredith Rabe of Mt. Juliet used the TN Reconnect program to earn her college degree tuition-free. “I wanted to go back to school, but I didn’t want to go into debt.” College is a big jump when it happens later in life. “I was terrified. I am the oldest in my classes. I didn’t know if I could handle the workload and parent my kids. But there was also the exhilaration that I am actually doing something for myself.”
Ethiopine Choping of Nashville has had quite the journey to the graduation stage at Vol State. “I came to America in 1996 with my family who were South Sudanese refugees,” she said. “I grew up in Alaska and moved to Tennessee three years ago.” Choping is the first woman in her family to graduate from college. She hasn’t seen her grandmother since 1996. But she knows she will be watching the Vol State ceremony on the Internet. “They’re very proud that I’m the first person in my family with higher education,” she said. “I’ve grown up knowing that access to education is a privilege. Some people don’t have that.”
English faculty member, Deb Moore, gave the commencement address. “Grab every opportunity to be of service to others. I mean, grab it like a winning lottery ticket in your hand.”
There are 866 prospective graduates from summer and fall semesters. They represent 20 different countries of birth. Twenty of the prospective graduates are military veterans. There are 329 TN Promise students expecting to graduate and 269 TN Reconnect adult students. For more pictures from graduation visit www.facebook.com/volstate.
To watch a recording of the ceremony visit: www.volstate.edu/graduation
