Blue Mountain Community College will honor 325 graduates in the Class of 2019 with its 57th annual commencement ceremony on Thursday, June 13, at 7 p.m. at the Pendleton Convention Center. Around 160 of those students plan to participate in the ceremony.
The commencement ceremony is free and open to the public, and parking is also free. Graduating students should plan to arrive by 6:15 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. for guests. The doors will close at 6:45 p.m. until the graduates have all entered the arena, and then they will reopen. Gifts and flowers will be available for purchase outside the convention center.
The Class of 2019 – which range in age from 17-63 – includes 125 students graduating with honors (3.40- 3.84 GPA) or high honors (3.85-4.00 GPA), 10 veterans, 24 student-athletes and 13 high school students who will complete an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT) degree by the end of summer. Graduates hail from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California.
In lieu of a traditional keynote speaker, BMCC will have three student speakers: Amanda Tobin, who will graduate with honors from the Data Center Technician program; Jose Romero, treasurer of BMCC’s Associated Student Government from Irrigon; and Monica Silva, a member of the BMCC women’s soccer team and Associated Student Government from Yakima, Wash. The three were selected following a competitive application process.
Honorary marshals include math instructor and Blue Mountain Faculty Association President Bob Hillenbrand as the Faculty Marshal; payroll specialist and BMCC Classified Association President Anita Willingham as the Classified Marshal; and Pendleton teachers Maureen McLoughlin and Josh McGraw as Student Alumni Marshals.
This year will also be the first commencement ceremony for new BMCC President Dennis Bailey-Fougnier (pronounced “Four-near”), who arrived at BMCC May 1. He will serve as the master of ceremonies.
