By Ethan Arter
CCC Journalism Program
This year’s Camden County College Commencement is right around the corner.
The ceremony will take place at noon May 16 at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, marking only the second time the event has been held off campus. A total of 1,591 students will graduate with their associate’s degrees, with 453 students confirmed to walk in the ceremony, said Associate Dean of Students Jacqueline Tenuto.
A diverse group of students will walk this year — high school students earning dual credits, older non-traditional students and those who completed their degrees in the fall or will finish in the summer, Tenuto said.
Upcoming graduation events include a commencement rehearsal at 10 a.m. May 15 in the Dennis Flyer Theatre on the Blackwood Campus. Prior to that, an Alumni Welcome Breakfast will be held from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
This year’s commencement speaker will be Dr. Jay Mirmanesh, a pediatrician and member of the college’s Board of Trustees. The student speaker will be Thareem Akhtar, who was selected from among 10 applicants for having the best speech. The two runners-up will carry the gonfalons, a ceremonial flag that leads the divisions during the procession.
Alumni trustee voting is open. This year’s candidates are Hasan Croft-Williams (liberal arts and sciences), Johanna Simms-Copeland (management) and Daniel Pipersburgh (engineering science). The winner will serve a one-year term on the Board of Trustees as a non-voting member. To qualify, candidates had to complete their degree requirements on time, maintain high academic achievement and actively participate in college and community activities. The deadline to vote is 2 p.m. May 15. Voting is available through the Commencement News section on the Camden County College website by following the Alumni Trustee Voting link.
One of the biggest changes to this year’s ceremony is the introduction of new software called TASSEL. Tenuto explained, “They will get a card with their name on it and when they walk across the stage, they’ll turn their card in, it gets scanned and their name will automatically appear on the big screen for the audience.”
Those unable to attend in person may view a livestream of the ceremony on the Commencement page of the Camden County College website.
As to if she would change anything about the event, Tenuto said, “I’d just try and get more people to attend to celebrate.” She said years ago nearly every graduating student would walk and it created a strong sense of celebration. “To me, it’s still a big accomplishment and I think more students should celebrate their success,” she said.