 Paralegal Technology graduate Crystal Elks pauses for a photo after receiving her degree. |
WINTERVILLE�Pitt Community College held its spring commencement Sunday in East Carolina University�s Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. On the same day America celebrated Mother�s Day, family and friends came out to show their appreciation for the hard work put in by members of PCC�s Class of 2008. Approximately 400 of the 610 students graduating this spring took part in Sunday�s ceremony. Susanne D. Sartelle, president of the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce since December 2001, delivered this year�s commencement address. Quoting from Jim Collins� book �Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap � And Others Don�t,� Sartelle told the graduates that greatness is a matter of choice, not chance. She cited vision, passion and faith as the keys to achieving greatness and overcoming the inevitable hardships life presents. �The path to �great� is before you,� Sartelle said. �Take your vision, take your passion, and keep your faith.� PCC President G. Dennis Massey encouraged the graduates to remember where they came from in the years ahead. �I urge you to be one of the proud alumni of Pitt Community College and take the opportunity to thank those faculty who coached you to this victory,� Massey said. �And please stay connected to PCC. We are a college on the move and hope you will return to see our new Goess Student Center and many other new developments in the years to come.� This year�s graduates� response speaker was Student Government Association President Derek Combs. A University Transfer student and this year�s President�s Award winner, Combs reminded his fellow graduates that commencement was not the end of their journey but rather the beginning. �As we complete our degrees and move on to (four-year institutions) and exciting new careers, we have the opportunity to give back to our communities and our college,� he said. A total of 440 associate degrees were conferred to 433 students from the Class of 2008. Another 76 students received diplomas while 101 members of the graduating class received a total of 115 certificates.
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