WILMINGTON — Some 279 members of Wilmington College’s Class of 2021 will be recognized for their accomplishments with two in-person commencement ceremonies Saturday, May 8 as the culmination of their WC living and learning experience rapidly approaches.
In order to accommodate physical distancing and other state-issued, pandemic-related regulations for large gatherings, students graduating with a Bachelor of Science will attend a 10 a.m. ceremony while those receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree will attend a 3 p.m. ceremony.
The dual events will accommodate each graduate having a maximum of four guests, twice the number allowed at many other college graduations.
Also, members of last year’s graduating Class of 2020 will be recognized that day at a third ceremony, beginning at 8 p.m. Their Commencement was forced to go virtual in 2020’s early months of the pandemic.
Tickets are required for all three ceremonies, which will be held in Hermann Court. The College is livestreaming each of the events. See the home page of the website for details at www.wilmington.edu/class-of-2021 .
Dr. Trevor M. Bates, WC’s 19th president who arrived on campus in January, will preside at the events and present the Commencement addresses.
Sigrid Solomon, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, will provide the welcome, while Chief-of-Staff Dr. Erika Goodwin will offer closing remarks with Nancy McCormick, campus minister, providing the invocation.
Peggy J. Sturdivant, chair of the Board of Trustees, will introduce the president and assist Bates and Dr. Blake Faulkner, interim vice president for academic affairs, with the conferring of degrees.
Student speakers at Commencement will be graduating seniors Cody L. Martin, representing main campus graduates at the Bachelor of Science ceremony, while, at the Bachelor of Arts ceremony, Ariana Riccardi will represent main campus graduates and Angela S. Easton will speak on behalf of their Cincinnati Branch counterparts.
The Class of 2021 is featured in a special section on WC’s website at www.wilmington.edu/class-of-2021 .
Other special Commencement Weekend events include the Senior Lunch and Baccalaureate May 7. Two separate lunches will be held to accommodate physical distancing with graduating seniors Soukaina Fram and Jennifer Cochran each speaking during one of the lunches.
The College’s Baccalaureate ceremony is traditionally a time for reflection and expressing gratitude. This year’s event will be presented online with the video presentation to debut Friday, May 7 at 3 p.m. on the home page of the website.
With the campus minister presiding, student speakers will include John E. Shell, Karmiela White, Julio C. Olivarez, Hannah Davis, Mikaela Prescott, Layne Frederick, Kendra Nelson and Nicholas Keller. Dr. Brianna Matzke, assistant professor of music, will perform a number on piano.
