Every January Springdale holds its Winter Graduation Ceremony. Students who have successfully completed training and are currently employed are invited to don caps and gowns and walk across the stage at Mount Hood Community College’s Visual Arts Theater where they are given their certificates of completion and congratulated by staff and students alike.

The graduate speaker at the winter ceremony was Kymon Robbs, who completed Office Administration and then went on to the Advanced Career Training program where he has been completing his Associate’s of Arts at Mount Hood Community College. Kymon’s speech was heartfelt and perfectly demonstrated what Job Corps does for young adults. In addition to thanking his instructors and friends, Kymon thanked his father for his support. Kymon added, “In June of 2017, I will be the first person in my family to graduate with a college degree. Without Springdale, I would not be here pursuing my dream.”

In addition to Kymon, the first three Pharmacy Technology completers also participated in the ceremony. The Pharmacy Tech instructor Alison Mahar was excited to witness this final step for her first group of students. “Every one of them is working in the field they were trained in, in very different capacities. It really gives you an idea of what they’re capable of and how they’ve incorporated their training in to their goals.”

The Winter Graduation Ceremony was an opportunity to see where our graduates are going and for them to look back on where they started. The staff at Springdale is proud of every graduate and we’re excited to be a part of their story!