St. Johns River State College honors more than 650 graduates at spring 2022 commencement

St. Johns River State College celebrated its spring commencement on Friday, honoring the more than 650 students who earned their associate and bachelor’s degrees or college certificates.

Approximately 305 graduates participated in the ceremony held on the main Orange Park campus, with students ranging in age from 17 to 50 and beyond, and many the first in their family to graduate from college.

The community college operates a satellite campus in St. Augustine.

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SJR State President Joe Pickens introduced the guest speaker, Cliff Stearns, former U.S. Rep. (FL-6th District). Stearns has broad experience as a business owner, legislator, issues advocate and policy leader.

St. Johns County resident Logan Victoria March was honored as class valedictorian. March, a homeschooled student, plans to continue her studies in marketing at the Hicks Honors College at the University of North Florida.

The ceremony also included 166 dual enrollment and early college program graduates, including Pedro-Menendez High School senior Kennedy Williams. Williams, 17, began the Early College Program as a high school freshman and has completed her Associate in Arts degree before leaving PMHS.

'They always made me feel at home'

Williams said that one of the biggest lessons she has learned is that it’s OK to redefine her expectations.

“At one point during last semester, I was so fixated on getting A's in all my classes that I began to see other areas in my life decline,” Williams said, adding that rearranging her priorities did not make her less of a student or a bad example for her younger siblings, but instead gave her the stamina she needed to flourish in her program.

One of Williams’ favorite parts of attending SJR State was the connections she made with faculty and staff.

“They always made me feel at home,” she said.

Williams is planning to study biology with a goal of becoming a forensic analyst for the FBI or another forensic organization. She plans to continue her studies at either Virginia State University or North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Julia Kotsis, 21, received the Academic Excellence award in the nursing program. Kotsis said that she chose to study nursing because of her belief that “If you have the ability to help, you have the responsibility to help.”

Kotsis said she knew from a young age that she would enter the medical field in some capacity.

“Being on the front lines of health care as an ER nurse is the most hands-on I could be," she said.

Kotsis is employed with St. Vincent’s Riverside ER in Jacksonville and plans to enter a residency program upon graduating. She will return to SJR State to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Gabrielle Burr, 24, received her Associate in Science degree in radiologic technology. Burr said that one aspect that contributed to her personal and professional growth was learning how her energy could make a difference when working in a clinical setting.

“Every time I went into clinicals with a positive energy, it helped my patients become more comfortable with me,” Burr said in an email to SJR State. “So the way you hold yourself makes a huge impact on not only your own day, but it can change someone else’s day, too.”

Some of the challenges Burr said she experienced included balancing clinicals and studying along with her personal life.

“It was hard to not bring the situations I saw in the hospital home,” Burr said. “You learn the patients’ stories and the lives they have lived, so when you see them get news they weren’t hoping for, it was difficult to not take it hard for them.”

During the two-year program, Burr earned the highest overall grade in the class and received the Daniel Maj Scholarship memorial scholarship sponsored by Flagler College. Burr begins her career this summer at Flagler College in the cardiac cath lab, and will continue her education at SJR State with the organizational management bachelor’s degree program.

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: St. Johns River State College commencement: Over 650 grads honored