River Parishes Community College held its graduation ceremony May 20 at the Household of Faith church on Gonzales. The service recognized all students who graduated or expect to graduate during the current academic year.

Twenty students graduated in December 2007 and another 20 in May. Twenty-four walked during the May 20 ceremony. Two of those students graduated with Chancellor’s Honors and three with Dean’s Honors.  Eight of the graduates are members of Phi Theta Kappa, the International Honor Society of the two-year college. 

KaLee Schols was recognized as the first Louisiana graduate of the Associate of Science of Teaching (AST) program during the ceremony. River Parishes Community College enrolled a charter class for the fall of 1999 offering courses that appeal to students who aim to transfer into an upper division program and complete a baccalaureate degree.  The program provides students like Schols with a flexible, cost-effective and rigorous pathway into the classroom. Successful candidates transfer all of their credits to a four-year university and launch a career teaching in a historically underserved community.

RPCC also recognized Tryna Dalton of Prairieville, a student at River Parishes Community College, who has been named the 2008 national winner of the Howard R. Swearer Student Humanitarian Award by the National Headquarters of Campus Compact. Dalton’s recognition topped other finalists from Tulane University and Louisiana State University. During the ceremony, Dr. Joe Ben Welch, RPCC’s chancellor, honored Dalton by telling her in front of an appreciate crowd that “You make us proud.”

River Parishes Community College in Sorrento, La., is an open-admission, two-year, postsecondary public institution dedicated to developing and assisting students in achieving personal, professional and academic success. A component of the Louisiana Community and Technical College system and its board of supervisors, RPCC serves the Louisiana river parishes by providing transferable courses and curricula through certificates and associate’s degrees.