A touch of adversity

A rainstorm delayed the 38th annual commencement ceremony at Sussex County Community College (SCCC) for about an hour Wednesday, May 14, and some of the speakers offered shorter-than-planned speeches to make up the time.

But Herb Yardley, chairman of the college’s board of trustees, said he would give his entire speech.

He congratulated the audience for having the fortitude to stay during the rain. “This is probably how sometimes it’s tough in Sussex County. We run into adversity but we get through it.”

He noted that while each graduate had taken a unique path to commencement, SCCC “is a community and it is your community and we hope that you continue to keep the college in your mind.”

”Sussex County Community College is a launch pad. It’s where you discovered what you’re capable of, where your mentors and instructors believed in you and challenged you and helped you grow.

“It shows that opportunity can begin right here in Sussex County.”

Cory Homer, SCCC’s interim president, told the graduates, ”I’m so proud of every one of you.”

He reminded them that they are welcome to come back any time they need help or someone to listen.

“You always have a home here with us. ... My door is always open and that’s the same with our faculty and staff.”

‘Thirst for knowledge’

James Prior, the student speaker, described how after high school, “as an artist in the early 21st century, I chased my muse from Jersey to Baltimore, across the vast ocean to emerald Ireland and back, further still to the far coastline of Los Angeles, making music and creating art.”

”And then, as life so often does, it took an unexpected turn. And when the dust settled, I found myself here in Sussex County.”

He decided to go back to school. “What I found at Sussex County (Community) College wasn’t just a curriculum, it was a current ...

”The most important thing we gain from this college is not our degrees but a thirst for knowledge itself. And knowledge, my friends, is a tool.

”It is a hammer when we need to shatter glass ceilings. It is a key when we need to open locked doors. And it is a shovel, carving inroads and paths toward new opportunities. With a head full of knowledge, there is nothing that can stop us.”

He continued, ”... and what a gift this college has been: A place that welcomes students of all ages, all backgrounds, all stories and helps them to become scholars.”

”Because this college is not only a stepping stone, it is a cornerstone, the foundation from which we move forward. ...

“ ‘Start here, go anywhere,’ they say. Well, let us show them just how far we can go.”

‘What inspires you?’

The faculty speaker was Diane Harris, who teaches math. She declared, “I love mathematics” and pointed out that “math is everywhere.” “You didn’t get here today without using math in a plethora of ways.

”Not everyone is as passionate about math as I am,” she noted, then asked the graduates, ‘’What are you passionate about? What inspires you? ... Are you on the path to follow that passion as you leave this college and move on to your next endeavour?”

She encouraged the graduates to think about what they learned at SCCC, their skills, “how you learned to contribute, to lead, to follow, to inspire others.”

“Reflect on your time here and take all the good with you. ... Learn from your success and learn from your mistakes. Learn from them. They happen for a reason and they help us grow and to be better people.”

Student Thomas Russo sang the national anthem at the beginning of the ceremony.