On April 24th, 2015 the Ross Medical Education Center campus in Owensboro held its first annual commencement ceremony at the local Owensboro Church Alive. This exciting ceremony began with the Welcome and Invocation by Campus Director LaTasha Shemwell. Following the Invocation was the singing of the National Anthem by one of the campus’ current Dental Assistant students. She was fantastic!
One of the highlights of the graduation ceremony was the special guest speaker, Ms. Donna Lanham. Donna is currently the CEO of Rehoboth Ministries. For more than thirty years, she served as a teacher, counselor, and principal in the area public schools. Her education includes Bachelor of Arts in Education from Brescia University, a Master of Arts in Counseling from Western Kentucky University and Post Master’s work in Learning/Behavior Disorders and School Administration.Donna has thirty-eight years as an educator and most recently has been serving the Daviess County Public Schools as a Mentor/Liaison for Transitional Children and Youth. She founded Beacon Central High School and Alternative Programs for the Daviess County Public Schools. Donna spoke to the Ross graduates and their friends and families about always keeping goals in the forefront, always staying positive, and the commitment to never stop growing! She is a great advocate for one-on-one, personalized learning like that that the graduates experienced at Ross.
After the speech, Career Services staff member Mallory Newby, showed a PowerPoint presentation of the Owensboro graduates and shared a few touching and inspirational success stories. Then, Tara Ford, Assistant Campus Director of Education, gave out awards to the students who graduated with Academic Excellence and Outstanding Attendance. Of the graduates celebrated, six received the Academic Excellence Award for holding a 4.0 throughout their time at Ross, and five received the Excellent Attendance Award for consistently attending over 96% of their class time. The staff and faculty could not have been more proud and over 200 friends and family members cheered all the graduates on as they were recognized. Following the ceremony, there was a reception with cake and punch for the graduates and their families. Everyone enjoyed the first graduation celebration and looks forward to those in years to come!