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�You�ve
come this far�and your education will launch you wherever you want
to go or whatever you choose to do.�
� Governor Chris Gregoire, keynote speaker, 2006 Clark College Commencement
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Commencement
2006 was a landmark event at Clark College.
For graduates,
it was the culmination of work, dreams and hopes -- the affirmation
of student success.
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| Above left: Clark College Mascot Oswald
salutes the class of 2006. Above right: Director of
Student Life Karen Brown congratulates a graduate. |
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| For Clark College,
it marked the first time in the College's nearly 75-year history
that the Governor of Washington State has attended the Clark College
Commencement ceremony.
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| Above left (left to right): Clark College
Trustee Sue Fratt, President R. Wayne Branch, and Governor Chris
Gregoire and (above right) Clark College faculty members smile
at graduates as they enter the Clark College Amphitheater for
Commencement 2006. |
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| The ceremony,
which was held at the Clark College Amphitheater on June 15, featured
the Fort Vancouver Pipe Band and the Clark College Women's Choral
Ensemble (below right), under the direction of April Duvic.
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| Clark-Vancouver
Television (CVTV) provided coverage in the Amphitheatre during
commencement and aired the ceremony in the days following so the
community could witness the event.
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In addressing the Class of
2006, Governor Chris Gregoire (seen in the photo on the left with
Board of Trustees Chair Kim Peery) said, �Your education will
launch you wherever you want to go or whatever you choose to do.�
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| Gregoire challenged
the graduates to make a difference by �creating a world class
education system for all students to succeed, protecting our environment
for the next generation and generations not yet born, and building
strong communities by giving of oneself.�
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| The Presidential
Scholarship Award was created to help a Clark College student
take the next step in their education through a full-time, two-year
tuition waiver at Washington State University Vancouver.
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During the 2006 commencement
ceremony, Clark College President R. Wayne Branch announced the
2006-2007 scholarship winner, Pamela M. Sullivan of Vancouver. Sullivan attended
Clark College from 2002-2006, majoring in social
science.
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In her application, Sullivan
(seen on the left with Governor Gregoire) wrote, �Higher education
is important to me because I have lived a life without it�My husband
and I believe that the best teacher is example, so here I am,
following my children�s examples, as they are, all three, college
graduates.�
Sullivan hopes to earn her
baccalaureate degree and eventually teach paralegal classes
at Clark College.
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| Mariah Acton
(below left) and Sarah Craciun (below right), Clark College graduates
who are members of the 2006 All-Washington Academic Team, addressed
the audience.
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Craciun, who,
like Acton, was a Running Start student, added, "Being
slightly intimated on my first day of class at such a large
and diverse school, I decided that in order to succeed in the
academic classroom, I must apply myself. I did this, and Clark
has given me opportunities I hardly thought possible.
I have become a confident student. I have learned valuable lessons
inside and outside the classroom that I will take with me throughout
my life."
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| Acton told her
fellow graduates, "It is apparent to me that each of us as
unique individuals has chosen a path on which we hope to find
something greater than ourselves. For some of us, Clark
is but the first step on such a journey, while others may have
finally found at Clark what they have sought for so long�whether
that be academic success, community involvement, or the appreciation
of one�s personal strengths and more importantly, the acceptance
of one�s weaknesses. All of this I have found at Clark College
and I hope you have too."
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| During the 2005-2006
academic year,
1136 men and
women earned degrees and certificates from Clark College.
Twenty-two Clark College
students graduated with highest honors for achieving a 3.9 grade
point average (GPA) while completing a two-year program.
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In addition,
59 Clark students earned their degrees through the Running Start
program � graduating from high school and Clark College at the
same time. Two graduated with perfect 4.0 GPAs.
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| For nearly 75
years, Clark College has been committed to helping each student
achieve his or her dreams.
That may be the ultimate
definition of student success.
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