Congratulations again to the Metropolitan Community College Class of 2019!
The official count of grads who “walked” at the May 16 ceremony at Municipal Auditorium: 1,049. That’s the highest number in recent years. About 2,400 students were candidates for graduation (completing their studies last fall, this spring or this summer), earning more than 3,000 associate degrees and certificates. [ Related: Everything you need to know about commencement ]
If you missed the ceremony or just want to watch it again, the livestream is now available on YouTube. Note that we had some technical issues, but this is our best effort at creating a record of the evening:
We shot hundreds of photos that day, so as we go through them we’ll be adding another gallery or two. Here’s the first batch. Click any picture to see it larger. (Photos by Chris Meggs, Andrew Ryan and Tim Engle/MCC)
The day started with a rehearsal at Municipal Auditorium.Student speaker Isaac Clay at rehearsalTrustee Cindy Adams (from left), Chancellor Kimberly Beatty, student speaker Isaac Clay, Trustee Ellen Martin and Trustee Michael Brown before the ceremonyDr. Kimberly Beatty, MCC chancellor, served as emcee for the ceremony. “Being at this podium, looking out at all of you, is the best, the absolute best part of my job,” she told the audience.Student speaker Isaac Clay talked about passion, including the passion for welding he discovered at MCC. “If you are to climb big mountains, your passion must be strong enough to overcome the forces pulling you down,” the MCC-Business & Technology student said. (“41 Action News” did a story on Isaac and his sister Veronica, both of whom were graduation speakers that week. Veronica, also an MCC alum, spoke at Rockhurst University May 18. Watch the clip at youtu.be/rVoj19OaVKE.)The 2019 grads of the Early College Academy at MCC-Penn Valley, a partnership with Kansas City Public SchoolsCommencement musician Randy Wills is a one-man band.Graduates names’ appeared on the big screens at Municipal, a first for an MCC commencement. Each name was also announced during the ceremony.
