“You made it. Give yourselves a round of applause,” said Virginia first lady Pamela Northam as a greeting to the class of 2018 of Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC) at Commencement May 12 at the John H. Daniel Campus in Keysville. Under blue skies and what Northam called “Texas Heat,” SVCC celebrated 946 credit graduates along with 238 students receiving workforce credentials.

“I bring congratulations from the Governor. We are proud of you as you finish this hard-won journey,” she said. She noted that change takes courage and reminded the crowd that “Virginians have always been explorers, revolutionaries and innovators.”

“We are at our best when we challenge ourselves,” she said.

She also spoke of community colleges being a critical aspect of education and workforce training in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

“When you began this journey, it may have seemed like a mission impossible. I am so happy to celebrate with you … mission accomplished,” she said.

During the ceremony, the college awarded two honorary associate degrees in Humane Letters. These are conferred by the State Board for Community Colleges in recognition of distinguished achievement. These were presented to Dietra Y. Trent, Ph.D., former Secretary of Education for Virginia and a strong advocate and true champion of education. A native of Halifax County, she has a fondness for the college that serves her community.

Also awarded was Russell B. Clark. In his role as County Administrator for Charlotte, he was on the job for 37 years, and worked collaboratively with SVCC, other county governments and many partners through the state for the betterment of the area. He is a member of the SVCC Foundation Board of Directors.

Honors program graduates were Katelyn Bryant and Emily Davis. Two students were nominated this year and named to the All-Virginia Academic Team sponsored by Phi Theta Kappa. These students were recognized as well, Anesia Powell and Sara Ruotolo-Sarnataro.

Dr. Al Roberts, SVCC President, conferred the degrees on the SVCC students, shaking each hand as they crossed the stage.

Local graduates include: Dundas, Jacob Carven; Green Bay, Grace Freeman, Rebecca Reeves, Karalynn Webb; Kenbridge, Carter Baugh, Christian Blake, Riley Long, Savanah Parks, Kristianna Shaffer, Katherine Spencer, Darryl Jones, Jr., Ingrid Fogg, Salvador Hernandez-Gonzalez, John Spencer, Timothy Green, Cary Parrish, Carla Ramos, Alexis Smith, Timothy Hankley, Brittany Stallings, Hallie Stallings, Noah Dunbar, Jackson Parsons, Vicki Smith, Mary Brown; Keysville, Maci Barker, Darion Berrios, Bria Forrest, Carlos Jennings, Danielle King, Crystal Knight, Kenneth Owen, Sharon Perry, Jeannie Ross, Samantha Jo Sparks, Ashlee Stone, Donna Brooks, Logan Newcomb, Kiana Ayres, Levi Bolan, Isaiah Eppes, Sara Watts, John Hind, III, Hunter Rutledge, Kyle Graham, Michelle Runion, Sandra Alger, Nichole Henry, Katelyn Powell, Bonnie Parsons, Maya Nelson, Jessica Hernandez, Amber Maliangos, Larry Sherrill, III; Lunenburg, Alan Hardy, Justin Stafford, Sarah Long, Tammy Williams; Meherrin, Synsorae Jackson, Alexander Leonard, Heather Noe, Amanda Peters, Austin Alphin, Kirsten Trautman, Megan Duers, Charles Simon, IV, Amanda Elsaesser, Rebecca Bruce, Grace Reeves, Kenyada Baker, Sydney Smith; Victoria, Kiana Hurt, Nathan Nowlin, Sandra Sanders, Sapphire Sherwood, Roselyn Stone, James Watson, Jr., Garrett Williams, Austin Hoover, LaCharle’ Hazelwood, Keira Coles, Greleigh Gill, Christopher Hailey and Brittany Tomlinson.