A-B Tech Community College will award nearly 1,000 degrees and diplomas to 2021 graduates during its Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 15. For the first time in the college’s 62-year history, the ceremony will be held online due to continued COVID-19 limitations on large events. Last year’s ceremony was cancelled as pandemic protocols prohibited all public gatherings.
This year’s Commencement also marks the first for A-B Tech President John D. Gossett, who became the college’s 7th president on July 1 of last year.
“Commencement is always the highlight of our academic year and represents the hard-earned success of our graduates – that has never been more true than it is this year,” Gossett said. “We have worked hard to put together a virtual ceremony to celebrate them, but we all look forward to returning to an in-person event next year.”
Gossett also recognized A-B Tech’s 2020 graduates. “Unfortunately, we weren’t yet well-versed enough in ‘virtual events’ to have an online commencement last year, but I want to acknowledge the perseverance, resilience, and success of both our 2020 and 2021 graduates. While COVID-19 prevented us and their friends and families from seeing them cross the stage and celebrating together, they have earned a special place in our memories.”
The Commencement Ceremony will be livestreamed on A-B Tech’s YouTube channel. It will feature remarks from Gossett, Vice President for Instruction Beth Stewart, Board of Trustees Chair John Parham Jr., M.D, and the college’s first Commencement poet, Laura Dame, a 2020 graduate of A-B Tech and current student at Furman University.
Each student who registered to participate will be recognized during the ceremony. A recording will also be available on YouTube following the live event. The following are details for watching the ceremony:
- Saturday, May 15, 2021
- 1:40 p.m. – Pre-Ceremony Video Begins
- 2:00 p.m. – A-B Tech Commencement Ceremony Begins
- Livestream YouTube Link - ABTechCC
Degrees and diplomas will be awarded to graduates in the following general program areas: University Transfer; Allied Health; Advanced Manufacturing and Skilled Trades; Aviation; Brewing, Culinary and Hospitality; Business, Marketing and Accounting; Computer Technologies; Cosmetology; Early Childhood Education; Human Services Technology; and First Responders.
Outstanding graduates from these program areas are being featured throughout the week on the college’s social media platforms.
