Photo courtesy of Jefferson State Community College.
Dr. Marquita Furness Davis, the Deputy Director of Early Learning of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The 2020 graduates of Jefferson State Community College participated in a unique virtual commencement ceremony on Friday, June 5. The original graduation exercises, scheduled for May 1, were postponed due to public health directives related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are exceptionally proud of our 2020 graduates and we want to do our best to provide a special graduation ceremony,” said Jefferson State President Keith Brown. “These graduates have persevered through an unprecedented time and still accomplished their academic goal. They deserve the best commencement ceremony we can provide.”
The keynote speaker for the ceremony was Dr. Marquita Furness Davis, the Deputy Director of Early Learning of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The virtual commencement exercises included individual recognition for each student, celebratory content and social media filters. The ceremony was designed to deliver unique moments of celebration and mobile engagement using interactive content.
The virtual experience also included:
- A video invocation by Pastor Keith Thompson, Canterbury UMC
- A video message from Jefferson State President Keith Brown
- A performance by the Jefferson State Singers
- A keynote address by Dr. Marquita Davis of the Gates Foundation
- A solo performance by Isaiah Radcliff
- Social media engagement - The social media filters offer an augmented reality experience, allowing the students to engage with their images. Specially-designed Jefferson State graduation filters will be available on social media to allow students to share their pictures in their (virtual) graduation cap
- A unique hashtag, #JSCCGrad2020, will allow for students to share their accomplishment with other graduates and appear on Jefferson State’s social media wall.
“These Jefferson State graduates have earned the opportunity to be recognized and celebrated,” said President Brown. “This virtual commencement will allow us to create a memorable and shareable experience for our graduates.”
The 2020 Virtual Commencement can be found at www.jeffersonstate.edu/2020graduation.