SignalsAZ.com Prescott News Podcast - Yavapai College Graduates 427 Students in Prescott

Episode Date: May 7, 2025

Send us a text and chime in!Spring broke the cloud cover in colors of pride, ambition, and purpose on Sunday, as 427 graduates donned their robes and greeted their futures at Yavapai College’s Prescott Campus Commencement. A diverse array of graduates – young and old, scholars, nurses, and tradespeople; high schoolers, career-changers, working parents, and seniors – crossed the Findlay Toyota Center stage to applause, shout-outs, and the occasional air horn. They accepted their diplomas, flipped their mortarboard tassels, and strode across the hardwood into a dramatic new phase of their lives. “This is such an exciting moment to be a part of!” Keynote speaker Meredith... For the written story, read here >> https://www.signalsaz.com/articles/yavapai-college-graduates-427-students-in-prescott/Check out the CAST11.com Website at: https://CAST11.com Follow the CAST11 Podcast Network on Facebook at: https://Facebook.com/CAST11AZFollow Cast11 Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/cast11_podcast_network

Text to speech audio articles made possible by Cast 11 Talking Glass Media. Spring broke the cloud cover and colors of pride, ambition, and purpose on Sunday, as 427 graduates donned their robes and greeted their futures at Yavapai College's Prescott Campus commencement. A diverse array of graduates, young and old, scholars, nurses, and tradespeople, high schoolers, career changers, working parents, and seniors, crossed the Finley Toyota Center stage to applause, shoutouts, and the occasional air horn. They accepted their diplomas, flipped their mortarboard tassels, and strode across the hardwood into a dramatic new phase of their lives. This is such an exciting moment to be a part of. Keynote Speaker Meredith Dunlap Starritt declared.

The senior vice president of the National Bank of Arizona, and a three-time Yavapai college graduate, Dunlap Starratt praised the 2025 class for their academic achievements and urged them to savor the blessings and challenges of the middle period that lies ahead. Beginnings and endings are often remembered because they represent changes in direction, she told the graduates. But medals are where the work is, where the fun is, where the building is, and where life is. Today marks both an ending and a beginning. Be intentional with your tomorrows and never forget what you learned in the middle. Character, hard work, and personal transformation were central themes of YC's Prescott campus ceremony.

Student speaker Susanna Marcynec urged her fellow graduates not to downplay the significance of this moment, but to use it as a measure of their own potential. From an early age, I told myself higher education was not a possibility for me because I didn't come from money. I, decided I wasn't worth putting any effort into, she said. I got addicted to drugs early on and ended up in prison for three and a half years at the age of 17. But the inspiration of her mother, the support of family, and the assistance of the college helped Susanna craft a dramatic transformation. I had always listened to the the part of me that screamed you could never become a doctor. I thought, who would let me

near a university? I'm going to be honest, I still don't know the answers to those questions. But, today, I am a recipient of a full undergraduate tuition scholarship to the University of Arizona, on a pre-medicine track, because I wished to carry on one of the many beautiful legacies my mother left behind. Yavapai College President Dr. Lisa Rhine carried the theme forward, citing education as a powerful tool in personal transformation. She takes a quiet pride in the college's role in the development of a graduating class that ranged from 15-year-old Grayson Rhodes of Prescott to 80-year-old George Poplin of Prescott Valley. 159 members of YC's graduating class were 18 or younger, 30 were over 55 years of age.

Yavapai College's 20-25 graduating class included 60 baccalaureate graduates, earning bachelor's degrees in the new business and nursing programs. YC's third baccalaureate program, in computer science, begins this fall, Dr. Ryan praised the 483 military veterans in their dependents who earned degrees at Yavapai College, as well. We are blessed by your engagement with us, she told the crowd. And we are proud to be a part of your personal story. Video recordings of both the Verde Valley and Prescott Campus commencement ceremonies may be accessed online by following the link at www.y.yc.edu slash commencement. Yavapai College operates seven campuses and centers throughout Yavapai County and offers over 100 degrees and certificates, three baccalaureate degrees, with one more

pending accreditation approval, student and community services, and cultural events and activities. To learn more about YC, visit www.y.org.org. Read more stories from education on signalsaz.com. Subscribe and be the F1 RSD 2 No.