By Delayna Earley
The Island News
BEAUFORT – More than 300 graduates received their diplomas on during Technical College of the Lowcountry’s (TCL) graduation ceremony on Friday, May 12, 2023, in a ceremony held at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in Downtown Beaufort.
Also among the graduates were the first group of students to graduate with an Associate in Applied Science in Culinary Arts Technology. While there have been other graduates, this is the first group of students to earn all their credits while attending TCL.
One of those graduates, Diane Keane, said that the program was very hands on and diverse in ages and experience, with students ranging in age from 17 to people in their 70s. She also received her Associate in Applied Science in Baking and Pastry Arts.
Keane said she didn’t know how to cook and she wanted to learn how to cook, so that’s why she sought her degrees.
This year more than 40 graduates were Dual Enrollment Scholars from Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties and received a certificate, diploma or degree from TCL while still in high school.
The Student Address was delivered by Tori Jai White, a senior at Whale Branch Early College High School who was dually enrolled at TCL and graduated with an Associate in Arts, an Associate in Science, a Certificate in Arts / General Education and a Certificate in Arts / Liberal Arts Core before graduating from high school in June.
The student speaker is selected from a pool of applicants to speak during the graduation on behalf of the current graduating class.
“Today is the culmination of your hopes and dreams, and the hopes and dreams that took shape as you were matriculating,” White said during her speech. She encouraged students to not mold themselves to fit what they think others want them to be, but to be themselves.
The Commencement Speaker was Beaufort County School District (BCSD) Superintendent Frank Rodriguez.
Rodriguez began by stating that White is an example of the amazing partnership between TCL and BCSD with their dual enrollment program.
“Thank you for representing all that is possible here this evening,” Rodriguez said about White. “With education, anything is possible,” he continued.
Rodriguez shared that 92% of TCL graduates usually stay locally and “are the heartbeat of our community and our economy.”
“The education that you received here allows you to chart your own course and make a positive impact in our community,” said Rodriguez during his address.
According to Rodriguez, TCL offers over 60 degrees, certificates and diplomas and pathways across credited and no-credited programs.
“What makes these programs so important and special is that they align with the needs of our current and future regional industries, right here in the Lowcountry that require specialized training and certifications,” Rodriguez said. “You get that through your experience (at TCL).”
A complete list of the 2023 TCL Graduates can be found in the May 11, 2023 edition of The Island News.
Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She spent six years as a videographer and photographer for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette before leaving the Lowcountry in 2018. After freelancing in Myrtle Beach and Virginia, she joined The Island News when she moved back to Beaufort in 2022. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
