More than 800 Clark College students are onto the next chapter after graduating with myriad degrees Thursday evening.
The ceremony at Sunlight Supply Amphitheater in Ridgefield was a celebration of students and staff alike, as more than 2,100 degrees and certificates were given to members of the college’s 81st graduating class.
Students wore different-colored robes to signify the degree or certificate they were receiving. Graduates who received bachelor’s degrees wore white robes, those who received associate degrees and certificates wore royal blue, and students who completed their GED or high school diplomas wore light blue. Of those, 413 were Running Start students, high school students who attended Clark College classes while still enrolled in their last two years of high school. That’s a record for the campus, which has the largest Running Start program among community colleges in Washington.
Among the graduates was 28-year-old Nicholas Freese, recipient of the Community College Presidents’ Award in Honor of Val Ogden. Freese received an associate transfer degree after previously dropping out of high school in New Mexico. Freese struggled with addiction and problems at home, but enrolled in Clark College years later in an effort to build a better life.
