From the youngest graduate at age 18 to the oldest at age 73, the members of Montgomery County Community College’s Class of 2023 were in full celebration mode during the three ceremonies held May 18 on its Blue Bell Campus.

The 56th Commencement ceremonies returned to a more traditional format after being held as drive-in ceremonies from 2020 through 2022 due to the pandemic. This year, each ceremony started with a procession of graduates walking from College Hall into the Health Sciences Building with faculty and staff lining the pathway and applauding.

As the ceremonies began, Dr. Victoria Bastecki-Perez, MCCC President, congratulated the 1,287 graduates of the Class of 2023 who collectively earned 1,330 degrees and certificates.

This year’s student speaker, Grace McGinnis, of Bryn Mawr, spoke about discovering her passion for caring for young children and deciding to pursue her associate degree in Education in the Early Years, despite the fact that she had previously dropped out of college and believed it was not for her.

“I was constantly surprising myself with my accomplishments. I didn’t know that I was capable of doing this, let alone doing it well,” she said.

“I was even more shocked when I realized I had managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA. I was inducted into two honors societies, and I received the Dr. Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez Presidential Scholarship Award.

“I’m not here to brag and list all of my accomplishments. But I am here to tell you that this is for me,” she said. “Montgomery County Community College made it possible for me, as a first generation, financially independent, non-traditional, and queer student to graduate college.”

In her video-recorded speech, she noted that most of her classmates have comparable stories and challenges, and that all of them navigated going to college during a global pandemic.

Beyond celebrating the graduates and their accomplishments, the College presented the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence to Kelli Corrado, Physics Assistant Professor.

Students who nominated Corrado described her as “going above and beyond,” often making herself available outside of class to answer questions or provide tutoring. They complemented her teaching style of explaining materials in multiple ways and using objects and visual aids throughout her lecture. Students described her as “an inspiring and generous teacher.”

In addition to the Lindback Award, MCCC presented the Part-Time Faculty Teaching Excellence Awards sponsored by eCampus Bookstore to Thomas Costello, Management Senior Lecturer, and Susan Lawrence, Psychology Senior Lecturer.

All three ceremonies were live streamed and are available on Montgomery County Community College’s website.

Montgomery County Community College Blue Bell campus tour.