HOULTON, Maine — A small group of six graduates received their diplomas and parting gifts from the Houlton Higher Education Center Friday evening during a special ceremony at the school.
Receiving their diplomas were: Michael Dobbs, Bradley LeFay, Erin McKinney, April Merritt, Martha Schools and Samantha Therrien.
Tracy Rockwell, director of the HHEC, welcomed the graduates and their guests to the service.
Ray Rice, UMPI president, gave his campus remarks to graduates of the Houlton Higher Education Center Friday evening in Houlton.
(Joseph Cyr)
“Thank you for joining these graduates today for this special recognition and thank you for supporting them over the last years in their educational journeys,” Rockwell said. “I had the opportunity to work directly with most of the graduates either in classes, work study or passing in the hallways. Crossing their paths has been very inspiring and motivational for me.”
Rockwell said the graduates, from the first time they walked into the HHEC, have encountered many things on their educational journey.
“You students have experienced excitement, nervousness, disappointments and most of all, I hope you feel you have encountered support, motivation and inspiration from faculty, staff and fellow students,” she said.
Ray Rice, newly-named president of the University of Maine at Presque Isle, delivered the campus remarks to the graduates. Rice said spring is his favorite time of year because it is a time where students in higher education are honored for their hard work.
“I want to congratulate you graduates for being able to balance work and life,” he said. “That is especially challenging today when there are so many forces that we all have to contend with just to ensure we are fulfilling our obligations.”
Vanessa Pearson, director of student success and interim dean of students for UMPI, gave the keynote address. “To the graduates, you should be very proud of yourselves,” Pearson said. “You have accomplished an incredible thing. Only 33 percent of the United States population has a bachelor’s degree or higher.”
She used the theme of Walt Disney for her motivation in speaking to the graduates and encouraged the group to aspire to greater things. “One of his [Disney’s] most famous sayings is ‘All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them,’” Pearson said. “That statement has inspired countless individuals.”
She challenged the grads to dream big, but also to remain true to themselves and to seek a purpose in their lives that makes them happy.
