Dr. George Sellu, interim dean of Career and Technical
Education and Workforce Development at Woodland
Community College said graduates worked hard for their
certificates of achievement but also received strong support
from friends and family. (Jim Smith/Courtesy)
Nearly 170 people have become the newest “eagles” after they were awarded certificates of achievement for completing Career and Technical Education courses at Woodland Community College.
During a ceremony held Wednesday at the college, the students who studied accounting, agriculture, business, early childhood education, human servings and English as a Second Language were recognized for their work and urged to thank their families, friends and coworkers for supporting them.
The event came in advance of Friday’s graduation ceremonies at the school, hundreds of students will receive college degrees with many moving on to higher education at the university level, while others will join the workforce or go into private enterprise.
A number of the Career and Technical Education graduates have already been accepted into advanced programs offered by the California State University System for further education. Still, others will go right into the labor market, working in fields such as welding, water treatment, culinary arts, early childhood education, business management, counseling, agriculture and human services.
Interim College President Dr. Santanu Bandyopadhyay complimented the graduates for working hard to achieve their goals “But remember that you wouldn’t have gotten to this moment without the support of people around you, whether it’s your friends, family, significant others, your children, or staff. They all helped you in the journey. So, please take a moment to say thank you to whoever you owe this moment to.”
Bandyopadhyay said that education “is the biggest equalizer that we know of in this society” and said it was one of the primary ways of leveling income disparity. He also said that regardless of where they wound up in life, what they had learned “could never be taken away from you. It will be with you forever.
“That’s the good part,” Bandyopadhyay said. “The not so good part is that” their education is not, and probably never will be over.
In his time, Bandyopadhyay said that people could come out of higher education and work without change for years. But today, the “knowledge base” is changing or doubling every five years.
“So, if you think you’ve graduated and now don’t need to learn any more, you’re mistaken,” he added. “This journey of academics, this journey of learning will be perpetual. We cannot teach you everything. So, it is our hope your appetite to learn will not be diminished and that you will continue to learn and that you continue to enrich yourselves.
“I would encourage each one of you that besides just making a living, to try and make a difference in whatever you are working on,” he concluded. “Find that passion. Enjoy your work and make a difference each and every day of your life. Go out and conquer the world.”
Dr. George Sellu, interim dean of Career Technical Education and workforce Development at the college, echoed to a degree the words of Bandyopadhyay, saying that the graduates owed thanks to their families and friends for their assistance.
But he also noted that schools like Woodland College offer opportunities for those who want to improve themselves but in a more comfortable setting.
“This is the place where we bring community to college,” Sellu said. “This is the place where community means something. It’s where we build community and develop programs that serve our community.
“So, we’re extremely proud of you for graduating today, for taking that first step in getting a certificate because we know you had to go through a lot of challenges and tribulations to get to this day. Let’s all congratulate the newest eagles in the room.”
Also speaking during the ceremony was Dr. Sandra Fowler, vice president of instruction at Woodland College, who said the students had achieved “a milestone.”
She said students had the right to feel proud because they had done hard work to earn their certificates and now know how to advocate for their needs and for themselves. “You are a blessing,” she said.
While there were nearly 170 people awarded certificates, eight students received “Certificates of Achievement” in the departments of Agriculture, Business and Human Services.
Recognized were Chad A. Robbins and Weston Jack Dunbar in plant protection and Rodrigo Cafixto Cordoba in environmental horticulture; Allen Christopher Coyle in accounting, Zachary Scott Ledbetter in business management and entrepreneurship; and Jessica Rachelle Meehleib and Brijida G. Valencia as chemical dependency counselors.
