From OWENS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Owens Community College will award 459 associate degrees at the 41st Fall Commencement ceremonies scheduled Friday, December 17 at the Center for Fine and Performing Arts theatre on the Toledo-area Campus in Perrysburg.
Owens President Dione D. Somerville, Ed.D., will preside over her first Commencement since taking leadership at the College in June of this year.
Featuring graduates from both campus locations, including 33 who completed their studies at the Findlay-area Campus, the Commencement ceremonies are scheduled at 10 a.m. for the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; at 1 p.m. for the School of Business, Hospitality Management and Public Safety and School of Liberal Arts; and at 4 p.m. for the School of Nursing and Health Professions.
“An Owens degree is a milestone achievement. It represents an opportunity for anyone motivated to earn it — regardless of age, educational background, financial or housing status, or family situation — and our Fall 2021 class prove how beautifully Owens provides a path for so many people from all walks of life,” Dr. Somerville said.
More than 100 graduates with honors (3.5 grade-point average and above) as well as 12 outstanding academic program graduates will be among those recognized at the ceremonies. Outstanding graduates receive top honors based on wide-ranging success measures.
Outstanding Criminal Justice Award recipient Zackary McCloud of Maumee is a first generation college graduate after being the first in his family to graduate high school in 2006 in suburban Las Vegas. More than 50 percent of Owens students are first generation, meaning their parents do not have a degree from a college or university. Data is not available for a graduate such as McCloud, whose parents also did not have a high school diploma.
The son of drug addicts, he spent part of his childhood in foster care when his mother was dealing with legal issues. After high school graduation, he enlisted in the Army and served 13 years active duty with multiple combat deployments in the Middle East. The 34-year-old disabled Army veteran settled locally with his wife, Kara, also an Army veteran and an Owens student. A father of three, he is one of 12 student veterans in the graduating class.
Graduating with Summa Cum Laude honors and a 4.0 GPA, he will continue at Owens next semester to complete an Associate of Science degree in psychology and then he said he plans to transfer to the University of Toledo to continue his education.
“I’m a full-time student, a full-time husband and a full-time dad,” he said. “My goal is to open a halfway house with my wife to help people who are struggling like I did when I was younger. I want to share my story with them so they know that there is a path forward.”
In addition to McCloud, Outstanding Graduates are:
- Outstanding Graduate in Business Technologies: Rebecca Shake, Business Management, Toledo
- Outstanding Graduate in Food, Nutrition and Hospitality: McKenzi Tatum, Culinary Arts, Toledo
- Gerald Bazer Outstanding Arts and Sciences Graduate: Ryan Jewell, Communications, Sylvania
- Outstanding Graduate in Applied Engineering and Industrial Technology: Megan A. Malarcher, Environmental Science Concentration, Toledo
- Outstanding Graduate in Welding Technology: Austen Nissen, Welding Major, Perrysburg
- Peggy Bensman: Abena Atwimah, Registered Nursing Program, Columbus, Ohio
- Barbara Rood Student Choice: Brionna Davis, Registered Nursing Program, Toledo; Eunice Dosu Registered Nursing Program, Maumee; Ryan Hall, Registered Nursing Program, Tecumseh, Michigan; Alexander Hartzell, Registered Nursing Program, Waterville; Janelle Nighswander, Registered Nursing Program, Ottawa Lake, Michigan
