A pinning ceremony for the Medical Assisting Class of 2020 was held via Zoom. Twelve students successfully finished the program in the summer semester. Since an in-person ceremony could not be held, the students chose a virtual ceremony. Family and friends were able to watch the ceremony live and the recorded ceremony can be viewed using this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ykv4KkHkTI
On behalf of the College’s Board of Trustees, President Dr. Rachel Desmarais, Vice President Dr. Levy Brown, and Health Sciences Dean Angela Thomas, Franklin Campus Interim Dean Stewart Lyon welcomed the graduating class and their support systems and wished our graduating class much success in their future endeavors.
Mercedes Kamoru, Medical Assisting Program Head, welcomed Medical Assisting Adjunct Ms. Tonia Randolph as the pinning ceremony’s guest speaker. She relayed words of encouragement to the graduating class. She advised the graduates, “In life we face many challenges and obstacles; we may feel we cannot overcome, but let me encourage you to never give up.”
After the guest speaker’s address, Ms. Kamoru then recognized students graduating with honors (a GPA of 3.5 or higher). This is an important accomplishment; and we commended the graduates for completing a challenging, and often times difficult, curriculum. In order to be successful in the Medical Assisting program, students must be intentional and dedicated to fulfilling all of the requirements. The requirements for this program consist of meeting high standard for didactic and externship performance. We congratulated all of our graduates; however, the program recognized three graduates who achieved a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Those recognized included Ms. Veronica Carlos, Ms. Timmara Durham, and Ms. Crystal Roberts.
After the graduating class read their dedications and were pinned by their support systems, they heard a poem from one of their peers, Ms. Tatiana Neal. Her poem was titled, “The Gift.” She conveyed to the graduating class that, “She represented them, a magnificent group of steadfast women, true examples of perseverance and sacrifice.” After “The Gift” was shared to the graduating class, the graduates recited the American Association of Medical Assisting (AAMA) Creed, led by Ms. Kamoru.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, President Dr. Rachel Desmarais gave the closing remarks. Dr. Desmarais thanked the parents, family, and friends who helped the graduates arrive to the completion of the program. Dr. Desmarais went on to thank Vance-Granville Community College’s faculty and advisors for supporting the graduates. On behalf of the College, Dr. Desmarais wished the graduates well as they enter into the honorable field as Medical Assistants. Lastly, she advised to the graduates to keep learning, reminded that they will always be Vanguards, and invited them to stay in touch!
Seven of the 12 graduates returned to VGCC and enrolled into the Medical Assisting associate degree program, which started in the fall semester. Anyone interested in the Medical Assisting program can contact Ms. Veta Pierce-Cappetta at [email protected] for more information.
The graduates recognized were Emily Adcock, Taylor Anderson, Tiona Boyd, Veronica Carlos, Timmara Durham, Yemika Hernandez, Marisol Isidro, Tatiana Neal, Sarah Parker, Crystal Roberts, Tyvonda Shepherd, and Wilma Wearing.
