Events
Hundreds Of Wake Tech Grads Ready For The Workforce
RALEIGH, N.C. (December 13, 2014) – Excitement and optimism filled the Physical Education Building on Main Campus today as more than 650 students received degrees and diplomas. Wake Tech held commencement exercises in two separate ceremonies in the gymnasium. “You’ve completed your degrees, but this is not the end,” Wake Tech President Dr. Stephen Scott told the graduates. “Commencement means the beginning: it’s the beginning of the rest of your lives!”
Graduates ranged in age from 18 to 64. Many in the college’s Career Programs will immediately enter the workforce in industries such as information technology, business administration, culinary arts and cosmetology, as well as vocational trades such as automotive, HVAC, plumbing, and welding. Others graduating with Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees will transfer to pursue bachelor’s degrees. Click here to hear how Wake Tech changed the lives of many of these graduates.
Wake Tech celebrated the first graduate of its new Associate in Fine Arts degree program. Sarah Schwepker plans to transfer to pursue a bachelor’s in fine arts degree, and is already working as a professional artist. “I never knew I could do this!” she says.
Graduation speaker Shana Hayes challenged her fellow graduates to pursue their passion and reach for the stars. “The future is simply too bright for us to stand in the shadows,” she said. Hayes is a Wake Tech Early College student who would like to become a Physician Assistant. She received both an Associate in Arts and an Associate in Science degree today, as well as her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) credential. She will receive her high school diploma next May.
President Scott congratulated the graduates and urged them to stay in touch, as active alumni of Wake Tech. He also touted the college’s high marks on its recent reaccreditation visit from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. “This is our peer review process,” he said. “I am so proud because the team that came to review Wake Tech gave us no recommendations, meaning we need no major improvements. It doesn’t mean we’re perfect, but that’s huge!”
