Chattahoochee Tech Honors Spring Graduates

by Chattahoochee Technical College

More than 400 graduates are celebrating the certificates, diplomas and degrees they earned in the May 10 commencement at the Cobb Energy Centre for the Performing Arts.

“Under those caps and gowns is a driving force propelling you and all of us toward greatness,” said Eric Underwood, Chattahoochee Technical College graduate and 2012 student of the year, as he addressed his classmates.

More than 1,000 people watched as each of 120 of the graduates walked across the theater stage, culminating their pursuit of an academic credential and in some cases, marking their successful completion of more than one academic program. In all, of the 120 students participating in the ceremony, 64 earned Associate of Applied Science Degrees, 35 earned diplomas and 21 earned one or more Technical Certificates of Credit.

Evangeline “Vann” Worthy from Dallas graduated with her Healthcare Science Certificate specializing in Medical Billing.

“My plans are to find the best job I can find,” Worthy said. “This has been a hard thing for someone my age to do,” she said.

The keynote speaker at graduation was Mark Butler, Georgia Labor Commissioner. To begin his speech, Butler asked each of the graduates to stand up and turn around to thank the people in the audience who had supported them throughout their educational journey. In his speech, he encouraged the students to take risks, believe in themselves and to communicate effectively.

“I can tell you from personal experience,” Butler said, “I would not be where I am today if I had not taken risks. Sometimes greatness means you have to step up and believe in yourself.”

A native of Carrollton, Butler had served the previous eight years in the Georgia General Assembly, representing House District 18, comprised of Carroll and Haralson counties. During that time, he served as the chairman of the House Appropriations Human Resources Sub-Committee, which oversees all operations of the budget for several of the largest state agencies, including the Departments of Labor, Human Services, and Behavioral Health.

For more information on Chattahoochee Technical College, call 770-528-4545 or visit www.ChattahoocheeTech.edu.

A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, Chattahoochee Technical College is the largest technical college in the state with more than 18,000 students enrolled in the past academic year. The college has eight campus locations serving the counties of Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Gilmer, Paulding, and Pickens counties. Chattahoochee Technical College offers certificate, diploma and associate degree programs in more than 75 programs through traditional classroom courses as well as online training. The college also provides the community with learning opportunities, including customized workforce training, adult literacy and continuing education programs.