Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A total of 44 students took part Friday in a virtual commencement ceremony at Mesalands Community College.
It was the third straight year Mesalands held its spring graduation ceremony virtually. The 2020 and 2021 events were done online because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this year’s was performed virtually because the college was unable to secure a suitable location for the event.
The college has pledged to hold a celebration next year for 2022 graduates that would include commencement, awards celebrations and a golf tournament.
The 30-minute ceremony Friday conferred associate’s degrees or occupational certificates to 35 students. Another nine students earned their high-school equivalencies.
The ceremony included well-wishes from several faculty and staff members, a showing of students’ photographs or video clips and parting words from the graduates.
Phi Theta Kappa honor students who graduated Friday were Brittany Verdugo, Jaelen Montano and Melanie Jones.
Former state senator and current lobbyist Clinton Harden delivered the commencement address, using the Mesalands motto of “Lead the way” as his theme. Mesalands President Gregory Busch also presented Harden an honorary degree for his longtime support and advocacy for the college.
The ceremony concluded with tributes to student Kayla Corrales, who died in a traffic accident on Interstate 40 east of Tucumcari in February, and Tommy Jones, a longtime Mesalands staff member who died in October.