Claremont
Not longer after, graduates and their families and friends answered that question with a resounding yes, cheering loudly as the Class of 2016 received diplomas under the big white tent on the Route 120 campus.
Speakers told the graduates to take pride in their achievements, thank those who helped them reach this milestone, have a plan and follow it, work hard and remember the start they received at River Valley.
Rubinstein, who has been in education for 35 years as a student, instructor and administrator, said that as an unabashed advocate for higher education, he is concerned that college is becoming a popular target for many who see it as another problem rather than a path to solutions; coupled with the high cost, he acknowledged, the implication is that it is no longer worthwhile.
Yet Rubinstein told his audience his experience has shown him the tremendous value of higher education.
“I have seen thousands of students take advantage of the opportunities afforded by college to acquire knowledge and skills to move into the workforce and civic life that serves these students, their employers and their communities well,” Rubinstein said.
Colleges need to address problems of access, affordability and inclusion, he said, but the presence of these problems should not mean college should be dismissed as a viable option.
Rubinstein noted some of last night’s graduates were barely 20 while the oldest was over 60, and each has a unique experience just like students in the country’s more than 4,500 higher ed institutions.
Some at River Valley came back to college later in life to use education “to take control of their lives in a changing world and perhaps do things with their live they only recently realized is their true calling,” he said.
With such diverse experience and variations among schools, Rubinstein asked, “How is it possible to say college is good or college is bad?”
“To my mind this is profoundly unfair to students who have worked hard and worked closely with faculty to ensure the college education they experienced would be truly meaningful,” Rubinstein said. “And today it is particularly unfair to this group of students at River Valley and to the faculty who have done so much to make this education you received worthwhile.
“Because I do think that for the students that are here today at River Valley, their education will prove to be worth it.”
The ceremony opened with a procession of faculty, trustees and graduate stepping down the aisles to the sound of Scotland the Brave performed by graduate Maggie MacKay MacKillop on the bagpipe.
Jennifer Saylor, the school’s chairwoman of online education and faculty development, encouraged everyone to join her in singing The Star-Spangled Banner, which was followed by a greeting from RVCC President Alicia Harvey-Smith.
“Today is very special day for our college and our graduates and we are honored to have you here with us to celebrate them,” Harvey-Smith said, noting some graduates are receiving dual degrees and others are moving onto four year schools or joining the work force. “We have graduates in this class who have shown it is never too late to follow your passion.
“Our students have balanced full-time work, parenting and community service while excelling in their studies.
“Thank you. Thank you for choosing River Valley Community College we are very proud of your accomplishments.”
Delivering the class greetings was graduate Nicolas Marc Tremblay, who began by pointing out the irony that the student voted the most shy in his seventh-grade class was addressing his college graduation.
Tremblay, a 30-year-old physical therapy student, spoke highly of his River Valley experience and said he was glad he chose the Claremont school over his other option in Boston.
He said the work was challenging and expectations were high, but he saw strength and resolve in his classmates.
“Everybody here, really wanted it,” Tremblay said. “Fortunately for us, we were not alone in our collective endeavors. Our instructors weren’t strangers to us but instead made themselves wholly available.”
In conclusion, Tremblay said college doesn’t define you because it is a one part of the human experience but it is a valuable one.
“What our time here has done, has given us the tools and opportunity to help us forge our own paths. I’m glad that I choose River Valley.
“The level of education I received was well worth the time I spent there.”
Degrees and certificates were then awarded to students in various majors including criminal justice, early childhood education, occupation and physical therapy, medical assistants, nursing, advanced machine tool technology and business management.
River Valley Community College graduates from the Upper Valley: Ryan John Acheson, White River Jct.; Melissa Camille Ahjahorie, Lebanon; Joanna H. Alexander, White River Jct.; Kelsey Marie Allard, Claremont; Palmer Gerald Allen, Reading; Michelle Renee Armstrong, Claremont; Jennifer Elaine Armstrong, Claremont; Kayla E. Ash, Claremont; Jacob N. Baker, Charlestown; Jason Kenneth Bangrazi, Newport; Adam C. Bergeron, Orford; Jeremy Ryan Bourassa, Sunapee; Raenee Lorraine Bourque, Claremont; Tyler James Braley, Canaan; Sarah Briant Braley, West Lebanon; Holly C. Bristol, Lebanon; Brittany Kathleen Brooks-Bowen, White River Jct.; Stephanie Lynn Brown, Charlestown; Mia Lynn Brown, East Thetford; Katie Lynn Brownell, Canaan; Brittany Kate Bruce-McEwan, White River Jct.; Kenneth John Brummel, Claremont; Stacey W. Buskey, White River Jct.; Mitchell Tyler Chicoine, Claremont; Isil Theresa Chin, West Lebanon; Michael Franklin Copp, Hartford; Calista Marie Corbett, Newport; Robert George Cote, Newport; Steven Jeffrey Cotting, Canaan; Sharon E. Cox, Lebanon; Travis Walker Cunningham, Claremont; Megan Therese Currier, Claremont; Megan Rea Cutts, Charlestown; Holly Ann Cyr, Sunapee; David Allen Dalke, Charlestown; Tabetha Jean Dansereau, Claremont; Dylan Alan Drew, Grantham; Megan Marion Drouin, Claremont; Ashlee Anne Duplin, Lebanon; Theresa Parent Etman, Windsor; Jessica Benson Evans, Newport; Nelly Mercedes Flores Paiz, Claremont; Elizabeth Garibay, Randolph Center; Barry Lee Geddis, Canaan; Andrew Shane Gendron, Orford; Travis Scott Geno, Bradford, Vt.; Donna Leigh Gilson, Charlestown; Zoe Aurora Graboski, Charlestown; Lindsey Marie Grasso, Charlestown; Nichole Jane Guaraldi, Plainfield; Kraig Brian Harlow, Claremont; Derek C. Herro, Canaan; David W. Hook, Orford; Angelica Ann Hudson, Lebanon; Wendy Hella Huntley, Enfield; Troy Douglas Hurlburt, Windsor; Shelby H. Lackie, North Haverhill; Brittney Marie LeClair, Charlestown; Christine Marie LeClair, Claremont; Kendall T. Lee, Norwich, VT; Matthew Allen Lockwood, Claremont; Dorris Emma Jean Longdon, Charlestown; Flora Marleny Lopez, Lebanon; Laura Elvira Lopez, Lebanon; Gavin Ian Mace, Claremont; Maggie MacKillop, Sharon; Victoria Jane Macnutt, Perkinsville; Joseph Joe Marsh, Claremont; Ethan Benjamin Mattice, Claremont; John F.T. McLaughlin, Orford; Quinby Heath McLellan, Lebanon; Andrew Wayne Merchant, Canaan; Diego Salvador Montano, Woodstock; Max Howard Morneault, Canaan; Alyssa C. Mott, Enfield; Kevin Allen Niles, Enfield; Maria F. Norton, Claremont; John J. O’Hara, White River Jct.; Nicole F. Osmer, Lebanon; Kyle Andrew Philbrook-Weiss, Sunapee; Joshua John Poland, Enfield; Samuel Absalom Pollard, Corinth; David Kalani Putnam, Woodstock; Derek Putnam, Hartford; Cole Allen Rediker, South Royalton; Shannon Rae Reed, Lebanon; Ami L. Rice, Springfield, Vt.; Josephine Rich, Lyme Center; Ciera Marie Robarge, Charlestown; Bethany Victoria Robinson, Canaan; Beth A. Rostron, Claremont; Christee J. Shand, Charlestown; Kelly Anne Sheehan, Claremont; Daniel Barrett Silver, Hartland; Savannah Lee Smith, Croydon; Theresa Marie Stevenson, Grantham; Monique M. Stilwell, Springfield, Vt.; Jacob T. Stone, Newport; Brianne M. Tait, Newport; Megan Mary Vaughn, Claremont; Cheryl Ann Vogler, Newport; Todd Jeffrey Walker, Webster; Riley Marie Walsh, Newport; Melissa Jean Warren, Charlestown; Matthew Richard Westgate, Canaan; Samantha Ann Wheeler, Corinth; Bruce William Willets, Newport; Donald Lee Williams, Canaan; Christopher H. Wolfe, Lebanon; Tommy Lee Woodward, Canaan.
