Jill Biden calls for free community college while giving keynote speech at MCC graduation

First lady Jill Biden was met with applause and cheers as she took the stage to give the keynote speech to Mesa Community College’s graduating class on Saturday.

More than 600 graduating students filled Arizona State University’s Desert Financial Arena in Tempe to mark the end of their time at the community college.

Biden’s remarks focused on congratulating the students’ perseverance to finish their degrees amid hardships. She called the class of 2024 strong, courageous, and full of hope.

She praised the flexibility and opportunities community colleges offer to first-time students, those in the workforce or others older in age.

“I teach at a community college for the same reason students go to community colleges. They’re flexible and meet people where they are. And, as my husband, President Biden, says, they provide the 'best career training in America,'” she said.

She has been a teacher for more than 30 years and continues to teach English and writing at Northern Virginia Community College.

Not only did she praise the students but also the friends and family who supported the students on their path to graduation.

"They’re feeling excitement. Relief. But most of all, pride. Chest-swelling, cheek-aching pride," Biden said.

The speech marks Biden’s second appearance at an event for the local community college. She previously visited Mesa in 2023 to call attention to the city’s scholarship program that offers some local high school students two tuition-free years at Mesa Community College.

She again praised the program during Saturday’s speech and as an example of the administration's goals to make higher education attainable for more. That program was recently expanded to adult learners who live in Mesa to tap into the scholarship funding.

“Community colleges should be free in America,” she said, which was met with a roar of cheers and applause.

The statement calls back a campaign promise to slash student debt. Pressure grows on the Biden administration to fulfill that call to action amid a bid for a second term.

The state is poised to be a hot spot for campaign visits ahead of the 2024 presidential election. In 2020, Joe Biden won Arizona with a slim margin.

On Friday, she addressed a group of educators in Phoenix at the Arizona Education Association’s annual meeting.

Before leaving the graduation stage, Biden called on the students to drown out the voices that cast doubt on their abilities to pursue their goals.

“Let the world feel your thunder,” she told the sea of students dressed in royal blue graduation gowns.

Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek and can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Jill Biden calls for free community college at Mesa graduation event