'Heartfelt congratulations': Penn Highlands graduates 29th class
May 11—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Excited, nervous and ready for the next step in their lives were a few ways the Pennsylvania Highlands Community College's 29th graduating class summarized their emotions at Friday's commencement.
"I'm mostly proud of myself and excited," Emily Evans said while waiting for graduation to start.
The Somerset County resident studied medical coding and billing at Penn Highlands, and said she had a really good experience at the school.
Levi Marsh, of Portage, shared the same positive message about the college, as did Hind Achouri who said the path to earning her degree in business administration and bookkeeping was awesome even though it was hard work.
Achouri added that she enjoyed the flexibility of online and in-person classes.
"I think the atmosphere is really set up for success," she said.
Marsh noted that the staff of the college were incredibly supportive, in his opinion, and leaving Penn Highlands was bittersweet but it was time to move on — he plans to enroll at Slippery Rock University or Indiana University of Pennsylvania to study marketing.
"I'm grateful for the friends I've made here," the liberal arts major said.
Northern Cambria resident Rich Wiewiora, was there to see his daughter, Jensen, graduate on Friday and had secured seats near the front.
"This was a good, positive experience coming up here to Penn Highlands," he said.
Jensen Wiewiora agreed, joking that if she could stay she would, but her next step is studying early childhood education and special education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
The graduate said she was looking forward to moving on but appreciated her time at Penn Highlands.
During his speech, college President Steve Nunez told the large crowd in the Richland Township campus auditorium that commencement is the most exciting time of the year because the ceremony celebrates the hard work of the students.
"Our graduates are not typical, but extraordinary," he said.
In addressing those graduates, Nunez told them that he knew some were anxious about attending college and worried if they could handle the course load, but at Penn Highlands they found they voice and confidence and he offered a "heartfelt congratulations" to them.
Other speakers the group heard from included Cambria County President Commissioner Scott Hunt; PHCC Dean of library services and special projects Barbara Zaborowski; board of trustees chairperson Greg Winger; faculty senate President Gregory Paonessa; and Student Senate President Hannah Dadura.
Dadura, who was among the graduates, shared her own positive and sometimes emotional experiences at the college, such as running for Student Senate and changing her major after three semesters.
She thanked several faculty and staff for their continuous support and said Penn Highlands has created a tight-knit community of people who are always willing to guide students in the right direction.
To her classmates, Dadura encourages them to embrace change, appreciate people who believe in them and live their lives.
