Pueblo Community College celebrated its graduates on Saturday, May 16, with students ranging in age from high school and up graduating with bachelor’s, associates degrees and certificates.
The two ceremonies were held at Montezuma-Cortez High School. Though not all graduates were present at the commencement, PCC Southwest graduated 367 students, who earned a total of 454 degrees or certifications. Around 60 graduates walked over the course of the two ceremonies.
Eight students graduated with a Bachelor of Science in nursing, and 184 were students from local high schools who earned a certificate or associates degree through PCC’s concurrent enrollment program. PCC shared that this number nearly tripled the number of high school students who graduated last year.
In total, PCC’s concurrent enrollment students earned 219 degrees or certifications. Out of that number, 26 graduated with associate’s degrees.
Following the national anthem sung by Addalyn and Tianne Nielson, PCC President Chato Hazelbaker addressed the graduates.
“Today is your day,” Hazelbaker said. “Enjoy it. Think about what you have accomplished and what it means for your future.”
Vice President Lisa Molina honored first-generation college graduates and the high school graduates before nursing faculty Edwilyn O’Brien spoke of the graduates’ perseverance and work in achieving their dreams.
“No degree or certificate is easy. You were here because you brought a dream to life. You set a goal and you didn't quit,” O’Brien said. “You persevered when things weren't easy. You all share something together, and that is the resilience of a college graduate. The key to success is to never lose sight of your goal, and never give up your dream. And here you are.”
She encouraged graduates to be courageous as they take their next steps, saying she was honored to have been part of their journey.
“You have paved the way to a bright future. The hard work that got you here today has given you strength, experience, expertise and accomplishment,” she said. “Use what you have gained at PCC to continue to fulfill your dreams, to accomplish anything you set your mind to and to know you have what it takes to navigate any obstacle that arises. Enjoy the day. Be proud of what you have achieved. I’m so honored to be a part of it. Congratulations.”
Graduate and Association of Student Government President Ania Heiney shared her gratefulness for PCC and urged her fellow graduates to keep moving forward and continuing the path they started while at PCC.
“As we leave this chapter, may we carry forward that same determination into every field we enter,” Heiney said. “May we lead with integrity, serve with humility and remember that finishing what we started is no small thing.”
Prior to giving students their diplomas, Hazelbaker asked graduates to consider the importance of habits and how those habits will help them find success in their future endeavors.
“Excellence is not an act, but a habit, and that is what a college degree is. Proof that you have developed the habits that lead to an extraordinary life. A degree is proof that you have developed the habits, the practices of life that make you a good employee, a good neighbor, a good member of the community, and having developed those habits, the holder of that degree is entitled to a little more responsibility, a little more money and maybe a little more social capital,” Hazelbaker said. “What you have proven to yourself and all those gathered today is that you have developed the habits that lead to success, and however the world may change, what we know is habits won’t fail you.”
In the second ceremony, graduate Lucas North was recognized as the 2026 President’s Distinguished Scholar. North graduated with his associate degree in nursing and will be entering a 12-month graduate residency program at Durango’s Mercy Hospital before pursuing his bachelor’s degree in nursing.
“Luke is entering a profession that enables him to impact lives every day, and while we know nursing is a job that allows you to work just about anywhere, it appealed to him because he won’t have to leave home,” PCC said about North. “As a husband with a 3-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter, family time is Luke’s priority.”
Whether graduating with a bachelor’s or certificate, PCC graduates were honored and celebrated for their hard work, dedication and courage to take a step to create their own beautiful future.
bduran@the-journal.com
