December Graduates Recognized at End-of-Semester Ceremony
Tompkins Cortland Community College celebrated those students graduating this semester with the annual December Graduates Recognition Ceremony on Friday, December 6. It was the 22nd time the College has held an event specifically to honor those graduating in December. This year’s event recognized 123 students that are candidates to complete their degree or certificate.
The keynote speaker, as chosen by the students, was Professor Kerry Curran. Curran shared things that she has learned from spending time together with her students. She started with creativity, and told a story of how a student with great foresight took the lead in keeping their class connected during the start of the pandemic. “From that day forward, I decided to embrace the creativity my students bring to each class and to incorporate a lot more freedom in the ways they develop and deliver their work for my assessments,” Curran said. “The irony is, when invited to include that kind of creative approach to our established assignments, students often work harder and produce far better outcomes.”
Curran spoke of how her students had helped through personal loss, and how others had simply amazed her with their insight and growth. She closed with some advice for the audience. “When we encounter these TC3 graduates in the last days of their classes or in our strategic planning sessions or future board meetings, or even in our greater community, I am certain we will congratulate them on the academic achievements they have earned from us,” she said. “But, perhaps those moments could be opportunities for something even better? A chance to experience what they might be able to teach us? You just might find that, like me, you learn a lot.”
Student Government Association President Kylie Golden-Appleton was the student speaker. She congratulated her fellow graduating students for making it so far in their academic journey. “We each have been led to this moment on different paths, having different goals and focuses, facing different challenges, being give different opportunities,” she said. “After this moment we will continue on our own paths, pursuing our own callings. But for tonight, we share in a special moment, a moment of celebration.”
Golden-Appleton spoke of her own journey and how she overcame uncertainty to thrive. She knows that each graduate has their own unique story. “All of our paths have been complex in their own way. We’ve all experienced challenge, internally and externally,” she said. “We’ve all felt overwhelmed and doubted ourselves at some point. But our being here tonight is a testament to our perseverance, and the support around us. Just as we’ve shared in adversity, so too have we shared in gifts of connection, community, learning, and transformation”
The College created the December Graduates Recognition Ceremony in 2002 as a way to celebrate students graduating after the fall semester, especially those that would not be able to come back for the traditional commencement in the following May. All December 2024 graduates are invited to participate in the traditional commencement ceremony May 21, 2025.
Photo caption: Professor Kerry Curran and SGA President Kylie Golden-Appleton, December 2024 graduate