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Coastal Carolina Community College Graduates Class of 2006

Posted on: Sunday, 21 May 2006, 09:05 CDT

By Chris Mazzolini, The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C.

May 21--The scene at Coastal Carolina Community College went from rain clouds and wet chairs to sunshine and cheers Saturday, an apt analogy to the promise and future of its 2006 graduates.

The outdoor commencement ceremony was threatened early by rain, which covered the neat rows of chairs in water and gloom. But with the help of Mother Nature and some wily onlookers who brought towels, the hour-long ceremony went off without another hitch.

"Thank you, Lord," said college president Ron Lingle when the sun emerged. "I owe you one."

The beautiful weather only cleared the way for the stars of the show: the 679 graduates who received their Associates degree in arts or applied science, a diploma or a certificate.

Decked out in traditional caps and gowns, they trekked purposefully across the stage when their names were called, greeted by the shouts, yelps, whistles and cheers of their families and friends.

It was a day that every graduate should be proud of, Lingle said.

"Historically, graduation from college has been a time to pay attention to the two most important players in higher education: students and faculty," he said. "Graduation is not about trustees, college presidents, administrators and support staff. It's not about an individually impressive commencement speaker. It's about the heart and and soul of higher education: the graduates."

And those graduates, said Lingle, are diverse and come from all over the country. They all sacrificed and worked hard to overcome the challenges of higher education.

"Most have worked part-time while attending Coastal," he said. "Many are single parents. Sadly, many of them have chipped away at their degree requirements, held themselves together, battled loneliness and incredible anxiety while a loved one was in harm's way in Iraq or Afghanistan.

"All of you should walk across the stage this morning with a sense of incredible pride."

Contact staff writer Chris Mazzolini at cmazzolini@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 229.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: The Daily News

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