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youngstown Ceremony marks EGCC’s 50th, largest commencement
More than 1,000 students receive degrees
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
If you were to ask Linnise A. Bronson about the driving force behind her decision to earn an associate degree, her answer could be found in a 10-word statement emblazoned on her 4-year-old daughter’s T-shirt.
“This is like a steppingstone for us,” said the Warren woman, who was accompanied by her 4-year-old daughter, Loyal Owens, whose shirt read, “My mommy did it, and she did it for me.”
What Bronson did was take home a two-year associate degree in nursing after having crossed the stage as a graduate during Eastern Gateway Community College’s Class of 2019 commencement Saturday morning at Stambaugh Auditorium.
The special occasion had an extra special touch for Owens, because she timed her crowning achievement to coincide with when her daughter would graduate from preschool.
A primary goal of that strategy was to create as much time as possible for mother and daughter to be together – especially as she plans to pursue her bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State University or the University of Akron this fall, explained Owens, a licensed-practical nurse who will become a registered nurse after having completed EGCC’s Bridge program.
The program is for LPNs as well as respiratory therapists, medical assistants and other certified health care workers who aspire to earn degrees as RNs, according to the college’s website.
For Owens, who also was an honors student, graduating truly was a family affair, because her proud mother, Gwen Pierce, made the five-hour trip from her Cincinnati home for the occasion.
The two-hour ceremony marked EGCC’s 50th commencement, which also was the largest and the first of its kind to take place in Youngstown, noted President Dr. Jimmie Bruce.
More than 1,000 students received degrees, of which an estimated 390 local, regional and out-of-state grads attended Saturday’s program. Most of the remainder of students graduated after having completed online courses, Bruce said.
Following a similar trajectory as Owens is Anna Maria Ramunno of Poland, a nursing major who earned an associate in applied science degree and has as her primary ambition working in St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital’s labor-and-delivery area.
“Ever since I was little, I aspired to do it,” Ramunno said about her desire to be a nurse. “My next step is YSU this fall to earn my bachelor’s in nursing.”
Beginning that next phase might be a few months away, but don’t assume the early part of summer will mean plenty of down time for Ramunno. For several weeks, you’ll likely find her studying hard to pass state board exams she plans to take at the end of June, the two-year LPN continued.
Ramunno said she will always be grateful for her instructors, some of whom helped with her clinical experiences.
Suffice it to mention that another person whose gratitude extends to his instructors was Stephen N. Jones of Bridgeport, Ohio, who earned his GED at age 51 and, three years later, found himself graduating cum laude with an associate degree in information technology.
“I’m going to get my bachelor’s in network operations and security from Western Governors University,” a Salt Lake City-based nonprofit online college, he explained.
The keynote speaker was Thomas M. Humphries, who retired Dec. 31, 2017, as president and chief executive officer of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, where he had worked 20 years.
“Success is defined by each of you, but you must have a short-term plan for short-term goals and a long-term plan for long-term goals,” the YSU graduate and Air Force veteran told the students.
Humphries described how, after having graduated from high school in 1962, he worked for a while in the steel mills and other places, but still felt something was missing from his life.
Over time, he learned a trade that paved the way for him to work in the telephone business after having gone back to school on the GI Bill to become an engineer, recalled Humphries.
He advised the grads to “be excellent at what you do.”
About 40 percent of Ohio’s population has an associate degree or higher, and the Class of 2019 will bring the state closer to reaching a goal of 65 percent by 2025, said Humphries.
In his remarks, David Coy, vice chairman of EGCC’s Board of Trustees, encouraged the students to celebrate their achievement with themselves and family members, be proud of their accomplishment and act toward following through on their next academic and personal endeavors.