Gateway Community & Technical College Commencement 2017
Published on May 11, 2017
Gateway Community & Technical College will confer 2,326 credentials upon 1,216 candidates for graduation and 150 general equivalency diplomas (GED) at the college’s 16th annual commencement ceremony tonight at 7 p.m. at the BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, KY.
“We celebrate our graduates who have found and developed their talents,” said Dr. Fernando Figueroa, Gateway president/CEO. “I applaud their hard work, and the commitment of our staff and faculty to help students attain their goals. The class of 2017 joins esteemed Gateway alumni and enters the workforce prepared to serve their communities.”
This year, Gateway saw an 18 percent increase in the number of candidates for graduation, a two percent increase in number of credentials conferred and a 27 percent increase in General Equivalency Diplomas (GED).
“Gateway offers value and a quality education to students of many backgrounds,” said Ken Paul, Gateway Board of Directors Chairman. “We are a diverse community, and our graduates contribute to all aspects of the workforce. We are proud of them and all they have accomplished.”
One candidate for graduation is also a Connor High School student. Gateway offers the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school through early college opportunities. This year, Lexi Fellows will celebrate graduation from high school and Gateway together.
Fellows decided early in her high school career that she wanted to take advantage of the dual credit opportunity at Gateway.
“I thought it was a really cool program,” Fellows said. “I liked taking classes at the Gateway campus. I could have taken advanced placement (AP) courses at my high school, but there was no guarantee I would pass the test to get the college credit. At Gateway, if I did the work, I got college credit.” Fellows added, “I liked all of my instructors. They helped me a lot.”
The opportunity to take Gateway online classes when it was convenient was a bonus, too. “Online, I could add classes that didn’t impact my high school schedule. This helped me finish even faster,” said Fellows.
“My parents are happy too,” said Fellows. “I will start college two years ahead, saving them a lot of money. I tell high school students and their parents to take advantage of this opportunity. Take all of the classes you can!”
Fellows took dual credit courses with Northern Kentucky University, Thomas More and Gateway. Her associate degree will be from Gateway. She will attend Eastern Kentucky University in the fall and study American Sign Language and Spanish. She plans to be an interpreter. “I will go off to college with confidence, knowing I can perform well,” Fellows stated.
The commencement ceremony will include the presentation of the annual Student Choice Awards to outstanding faculty and staff nominated and selected by students.
Gateway credentials include associate in arts, associate in science, and associate in applied science degrees, plus technical diplomas and certificates. Many graduates will receive more than one credential at commencement.
Gateway is now enrolling for summer classes. For more information, call 855.3GO-GCTC.
