Northland Community & Technical College commencement to be held in person
May 10—EAST GRAND FORKS — After two years, Northland Community and Technical College will hold its spring commencement ceremonies in person.
Northland will hold in-person graduation ceremonies to honor more than 700 graduates across its two campuses. The ceremony for the Thief River Falls campus will be held on Thursday, May 12, in the Northland gymnasium at 6:30 p.m., with a reception to follow in the Gunderson Commons. The college's East Grand Forks campus will hold its ceremony on Friday, May 13, at 11 a.m. in the Chester Fritz Auditorium in Grand Forks.
"Our students have persevered through the last two years of their coursework with tenacity and innovation, and we are privileged to be able to celebrate this milestone in person with them, their families, and friends," said Northland President Sandy Kiddoo. "These students are why Northland exists, and their success is our number one priority. Their monumental accomplishments deserve to be celebrated by our communities."
Holding in-person commencement ceremonies marks a return to normal for the college and for the graduating class of 2022, which bore the brunt of changes brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Students in the graduating class took nearly all of their classes online or in a hybrid format, including laboratory exercises.
"Students from this class embody the true Pioneer spirit," Kiddoo said. "They persevered in uncharted waters, participated in lectures from home, and trialed remote lab exercises in courses not originally designed for distance learning, all under ever-changing conditions brought on by the pandemic. Their tenacity will forever change the face of higher ed as we look to permanently implement the good practices developed during this time."
East Grand Forks student Sonia Dickmu and Thief River Falls student Morgan Burns, who both received 2022 Student of the Year awards, are also set to graduate. The award is given annually to graduating students who have shown outstanding commitment to their chosen profession.
Dickmu is a registered nursing student from Grand Forks, and will graduate with an associate of science degree in nursing. Burns will graduate with an associate in applied science degree, and will continue her education at the University of Minnesota- Crookston, where she has earned a scholarship.
Chancellor Devinder Malhotra will represent Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and will speak at both ceremonies.
The ceremonies will be streamed live on the
college's website
for friends, family members and members of the public not able to attend in person.
