Families and community members of Naval Station (NAVSTA) Rota filled the base chapel to celebrate the achievements of 26 college graduates, May 20, 2022. The ceremony, coordinated and hosted by Rota Education Center, provided an opportunity for graduates to walk and publicly celebrate their academic achievement. In total, nine associate degrees, 12 bachelor’s degrees, and five master’s degrees were presented during the ceremony.
The graduates represented Rota Education Center schools – Central Texas College (CTC), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) and Oklahoma University (OU) – as well as Community College of the Air Force, Excelsior College, Albany State University, University of Charleston West Virginia, and University of Arizona Global Campus.
NAVSTA Rota Command Master Chief Kimberly Ferguson served as the keynote speaker for the ceremony.
“Earning a degree while living the military lifestyle is no easy task between family commitments, unpredictable operation and deployment schedules, and multiple PCS moves around the globe,” said Ferguson.
She emphasized that this past year had been particularly challenging with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, extended deployments, Operation Allies Welcome, and the closure of the installation’s Navy College Office. While flexibility and resilience are commonplace within military communities, she commended the graduates on their drive to achieve their academic goals.
As graduates from various schools were called up to receive their diploma, the ceremony was punctuated with advice and inspiration from Michael Spruell, associate executive director campus operations – Europe, and Jeff Judge, adjunct faculty member for UMGC.
Judge ended with a story of two kayakers on the beach near his home, and how they demonstrated two approaches to the same problem. The first kayaker hit a wave and was pushed back, yet continued to row and ultimately made it past the break. The second kayaker hit the wave, stopped rowing causing the kayak to go perpendicular, and capsized. Judge encouraged the graduates to follow the lead of the first kayaker by saying, “there will be waves, but just keep rowing.”
To conclude the ceremony, the graduates turned to face the audience and then slid their tassels across their caps. As the crowd clapped and yelled, they tossed their hats into the air as they start their next journey.
| Date Taken: | 06.08.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.08.2022 03:35 |
| Story ID: | 422419 |
| Location: | ROTA, ES |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Rota Recognizes College Graduates during Ceremony at Chapel, by Courtney Pollock, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
