Celebrate Success! Keynote and student speaker gave inspiring speeches



Keynote speaker Liz Dunbar, executive director of
Tacoma Community House, addresses graduates at
the May 19 ceremony.

If you were at the Commencement Ceremony Thursday, May 19, then you witnessed Administrative Office Assistant graduate Kaylee Clark give a fun, lively speech as she told her fellow graduates to "reminisce for a moment, then, take a sigh of blissful relief for the fact that we have come so far and we were successful!"

Kaylee's speech recounted several exciting--and often funny--college experiences, including a story about the annual Holiday and Food Toy Drive, an event that brings Fire Service students to the Downtown Campus to perform push-ups for cash donations.

Toward the end of her speech, she told her audience to dream big. "Everything we learned here, we will take with us on our paths. We will not fail and we will not give up because the only person who can stop us is ourselves...We decide where we go from here, and the sky is the limit!"

Executive Director of Tacoma Community House, Liz Dunbar, then gave the commencement address. Invoking Archbishop Desmond Tutu's idea to "be the spark," Liz told graduates to remember that they are part of a community, and to "use your skills to improve this great community that we live in. This community helped you get to this place--whether it was your family, friends, instructors, even the legislators and taxpayers who fund Bates. You have the opportunity to pay it forward," she said.

For those of you who weren't able to attend this year's commencement ceremony, you can click below to read remarks and speeches in their entirety.

• Student Speech by Kaylee Clark, Administrative Office Assistant graduate
• Commencement Address by Liz Dunbar, Executive Director, Tacoma Community House
• Welcome and Emcee by Lyle Quasim, President, Bates Technical College

Dental Assisting graduates

Sheet Metal Technology graduates pose with
instructor Steve MacKay

Welding graduates

(L-R) Fire Protection Engineering Technology instructor Ron Greenman;
Fire Service instructors Pat Piper, Darrell Taylor and Jim Anderson

Accounting and Bookkeeping graduates pose with instructors
Karen Scott and Susan Winter

General Services Manager Spiro Manthou and
Broadcasting and Video Production instructor Mike Scott

Dean of Home and Family Life Jacquie Banks poses with
Assoc. Dean of Continuing Education, Apprenticeship and
Machinist, Lynn Strickland

Commencement Speaker Liz Dunbar poses with
President Quasim and the Board of Trustees