Dr. Michael Chipps, president, told the graduates while it may be a special day for them, it is also a special day for the College.
“We have intersected with your lives and watch you grow in stature as you have been carefully prepared to enter the new world. In your time with us, you have been learning to work in a culture that is dependent on the vital skills you have acquired. Every credential presented here today not only benefits you, but your future employers, your families and communities where you will live and serve.”
Terry Nelson, speech instructor, spoke on behalf of the faculty. She told the graduates that they will hit a few obstacles along the way, but they must press onward.
“The ‘O’ in ‘go’ stands for onward. You may have heard it said before - don’t get stuck looking in the rearview mirror. Use your mistakes … use hardship to propel you forward. So students - GO! Set big goals and press onward!”
In her student address, Rebecka Mackling, Emerson, Mackling told her classmates that earning a degree will pay dividends in their lives.
“Instead of focusing on the negatives in life (increased workload, bad outcomes, piling stress), think of it as an opportunity to learn or experience something new. We have all overcome many obstacles as college students to get here to this day,” she said. “Just think what we would have missed out on had we given up along the way! Focusing on the positive or on the opportunity will help you expand cognitively, emotionally, and personally … resulting in a person who is passionate about life, no matter what it has to offer.”
Mackling received a diploma in Practical Nursing during the ceremony.
Approximately 894 Northeast students have earned 980 degrees; 37 students earned two degrees, 21 earned three degrees, one earned four degrees, and one earned five degrees.
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