THE MUHLENBERG CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER CELEBRATED NATIONAL JOB CORPS COMMENCEMENT DAY ALONG WITH 123 OTHER JOB CORPS CENTERS IN THE NATION.  THE NATIONAL DAY OF CELEBRATION, SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL JOB CORPS ASSOCIATION, WAS HELD ON AUGUST 30^TH TO COINCIDE WITH THE 1963 SIGNING OF THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ACT BY FORMER PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON. THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ACT WAS THE BEGINNING OF PROGRAMS LIKE JOB CORPS AND HEAD START WHICH WERE STARTED TO BENEFIT THE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED IN THE UNITED STATES.  FOURTEEN MCDC STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN THE SPECIAL CEREMONY COMMERATING THE BIRTH OF JOB CORPS.

 STATE REPRESENTATIVE BRENT YONTS WAS THE GUEST SPEAKER FOR THE SPECIAL COMMENCEMENT DAY.  REPRESENTATIVE YONTS SPOKE OF THE VALUE OF THE JOB CORPS PROGRAM AND HOW IT BENEFITS, NOT ONLY THE STUDENTS IN THE PROGRAM, BUT THE TAXPAYERS WHO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM.  THE JOB CORPS PROGRAM HAS SERVED OVER TWO MILLION YOUNG ADULTS SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1964.  THE MUHLENBERG CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER BEGAN AS AN ALL MALE TRAINING CENTER FOR HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATORS AND HAS GROWN INTO A MULTI-VOCATIONAL CENTER SERVING FEMALES AS WELL AS MALES IN TWO CAREER CLUSTER AREAS.

 GRADUATES PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM WERE:  ORLANDO MITCHELL OPENING THE CEREMONY WITH THE PLEDGE TO THE FLAG; ANNYSAM ROMAN-CALDERON DELIVERING THE GRADUATE WELCOME; ANGELICA WILLIAMS WHO SERVED AS THE GRADUATE SPEAKER.  ALLEN ABEY, DIRECTOR OF TRAINING AT MCDC, INTRODUCED THE GRADUATES AND ASSISTED KENNY BROWN, CENTER DIRECTOR IN THE PRESENTATION OF GRADUATE DIPLOMAS.  MR. BROWN CLOSED THE CEREMONY WITH SOME WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND THE TASSEL CEREMONY.