2021 State of the College & Foundation Annual Report

08 WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE 09 STATE OF THE COLLEGE 2021 CONGRATULATING THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 2020 T he Commencement ceremonies of 2020 were unlike any that have ever come before. Due to the pandemic, Commencement was celebrated in December and was held remotely. The ceremony honored all graduates from August 2019 through December 2020, a total of nearly 2,500 students. As accomplished as these graduates are, with over 700 graduating with distinction, what makes these graduates truly notable is the grit and determination they showed in the pursuit of their academic goals. The commencement speech was given by Mecca Mitchell, Senior Vice President of Diversity, Inclu- sion & Community Engagement for Westchester Medical Center Health Network. Ms. Mitchell has a distinguished career in serving the public in legal and diversity capacities. In addition to her current role at WMC, she was recently appointed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to the New York State Minority Health Council, and she chairs the Greater New York Hospital Association’s Commu- nity Affairs and Community Health Representative Committees. Ms. Mitchell was inspirational as she spoke of resiliency and perseverance of our graduates. County Executive George Latimer spoke remotely, recognizing that the same traits that our grad- uates had to exhibit to overcome the obstacles they faced are the same traits that the county will rely upon in the years to come for economic recovery. In congratulating our graduates, he acknowledged that they are #VikingStrong. Student Government Association President Gianna Jimenez continued on the theme of perseverance. “While this year has brought on so much uncertainty, of one thing I am sure. I stand here with all of you, proud of the achievements and hard work that you have put in to get to this point. Your academic journey might not end here, but you can be confident that the skills you have obtained here are invaluable. The connections you have made here are worth a lifetime.” Dr. Belinda Miles, while boasting of the accom- plishments of our graduating students, also honored the dedication and quality of our faculty, who had to pivot within a matter of weeks from their planned course of in-person instruction to delivering courses remotely. They did so while maintaining high levels of engagement and in- struction that kept our students on track.