ECC Holds Drive-thru Graduation Parade
Edgecombe Community College graduate Dorinne Williams, who received a degree in Early Childhood Education, was among the nearly 200 graduates who participated in the College’s Drive-thru Graduation Parade on August 7 on the Tarboro campus.
Dr. Greg McLeod, president of Edgecombe Community College, gives an enthusiastic thumbs-up to a graduate during the College’s Drive-thru Graduation Parade held August 7.
Commencement 2020 at Edgecombe Community College was a departure from previous graduation events as the college celebrated the Class of 2020 with a Drive-thru Graduation Parade on Friday, August 7.
“Graduation is a milestone event,” says ECC President Dr. Greg McLeod. “In an effort to ensure that graduates had a memorable celebration with social distancing and other safety precautions in place, we opted to host a drive-thru event this year.”
About 160 graduates participated in the Drive-thru Graduation Parade. Beginning at 9 a.m., graduates formed a line at the back of the Fleming Building on the Tarboro campus. The parade route continued from Fleming and wrapped around the back of campus on the Loop Road, with various stations set up along the way to honor graduates. The parade ran until 12 p.m.
In pre-recorded remarks by Dr. Jerry Price, chair of the ECC Board of Trustees, he said, “Though graduation may look different this year, we celebrate our Class of 2020 graduates with just as much enthusiasm and just as many well wishes.
“Graduates, you have many reasons to be proud of your accomplishments, not the least of which is persevering through this last, difficult semester of Spring 2020.”
ECC’s Class of 2020 comprises 500 students who received 600 degrees, diplomas, and certificates. Twenty-three of these students completed Adult High School Equivalency and Adult High School diplomas.
Dr. Price’s remarks, along with remarks by Dr. McLeod and keynote speaker Captain Kim Wittig of the Rocky Mount Fire Department, will be available soon in a compilation video, which will include footage of each graduate who participated in the parade.
Captain Wittig, a native of Edgecombe County and a graduate of Tarboro High School, is the first female in the RMFD’s history to achieve the rank of captain.
She told graduates in pre-recorded remarks, “While there will always be things that get in the way, find a way to finish strong. You have all been champions of finishing strong this last semester.”
She continued, “Thanks to the education you have received here at Edgecombe Community College, you all are truly positioned to go forth and redesign our world. I wish I could tell you what the future holds with this pandemic, but I can’t. There’s still so much uncertainty. But what I can tell you is the same strength, work ethic, and desire to succeed that got you here today will be the same things that help you navigate any uncertainty you encounter in the future.”