It’s commencement week at WWCC campuses in Walla Walla and Clarkston
This weekend, Walla Walla Community College will celebrate the accomplishments of 986 students who completed their workforce training, associate or bachelor’s degrees during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Festivities begin on Thursday, June 6, with Nuestra Celebración de Graduación for Latino/Hispanic graduates and their families on the Walla Walla campus. The event starts at 6 p.m. in the Main Building.
On Friday, June 7, ceremonies include the John Deere Graduation at noon in Walla Walla as well as Commencement and Nurse Pinning ceremonies in Clarkston at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively.
On Saturday, June 8, WWCC will hold Commencement and Nurse Pinning ceremonies in Walla Walla. Commencement begins at 10 a.m. on the Practice Field, with the Nurse Pinning ceremony to follow at noon inside the Dietrich Dome.
“A heartfelt congratulations to this year’s graduates,” WWCC President Chad Hickox said. “It’s such a privilege for all of us at WWCC to help students realize their dreams. These students are truly Warriors, fighting for their futures, for their families and for the greater good of our communities.”
For the 2023-2024 academic year, WWCC will award 468 certificates, 589 associate degrees and 38 bachelor’s degrees. These numbers include 273 certificates and diplomas earned by students while they were incarcerated.
Approximately 40% of this year’s total graduates were the first in their immediate families to attend college. They include Charles Boykins, President of the WWCC Student Government Association. Boykins, 43, moved to Walla Walla in 2022 with his wife and four daughters. The plan was for his wife to pursue a nursing degree at Walla Walla University while Boykins worked and home-schooled the kids.
It all changed dramatically after Boykins saw an ad for WWCC.
“I never envisioned myself graduating,” he said, noting that he’d dropped out of high school and struggled as a teen. Yet he persevered, earning a 3.49 grade point average at WWCC and completing a normally two-year program in human social services in about half the time.
“Through tough times, you find a way to prevail,” he adds. “I’m going to keep fighting because that’s what a Warrior does.”
On Saturday, Boykins will not only receive a diploma but also be a featured Commencement speaker. Without divulging his entire message, Boykins said he wants students to hear they belong at WWCC or wherever they go.
“And if you have a voice,” he said. “You should let it be heard.”
