Lake-Sumter State College makes history with record-breaking graduation ceremony

Julie Garisto, Leesburg Daily Commercial
·2 min read
Lake-Sumter SC President Heather Bigard celebrates commencement day with 2024 grads.
Lake-Sumter SC President Heather Bigard celebrates commencement day with 2024 grads.
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CLERMONT — You could say this one is for the books: Lake-Sumter State College just completed its largest commencement ceremony in the school’s 62-year history.

More than half of the 630-plus graduating students chose to walk across the stage at one of the two ceremonies presented in Clermont and Leesburg as part of the commencement exercises.

"Be bold, be brilliant, be courageous, and never underestimate the impact that one individual can have on the world,” LSSC President Heather Bigard told the graduating class, according to a news release from the college.

Retiring state Sen. Dennis Baxley addressed the crowd as the commencement speaker at both ceremonies. The district board of trustees and President Heather Bigard awarded Baxley an honorary bachelor’s degree in leadership.

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Class of 2024 Facts

According to the release, the graduates represent nearly every ZIP code in Lake and Sumter counties.

+ 93% of graduates indicated that they would be continuing their education after graduation

+ 67% of graduates reported working at least one job while in school.

+ 33% of the graduating class is first-generation, the first in their family to graduate college

Graduate and Order of the Lakehawk recipient Virginia DeFlaviis addresses the crowd at the 2024 commencement ceremony.
Graduate and Order of the Lakehawk recipient Virginia DeFlaviis addresses the crowd at the 2024 commencement ceremony.

Honorees and memorable moments

At the Clermont Arts & Recreation Center, Kendyll Campi and Virginia De Flaviis were awarded the Order of the Lakehawk. Both served as student speakers.

Graduate, Order of the Lakehawk honoree Taylor Ford provides some words of inspiration at the Lake-Sumter State College 2024 commencement ceremony.
Graduate, Order of the Lakehawk honoree Taylor Ford provides some words of inspiration at the Lake-Sumter State College 2024 commencement ceremony.

At the Leesburg campus in the Everett A. Kelly Convocation Center, Emma Zelkowitz, a volleyball student-athlete, spoke to the crowd. Taylor Ford and Hannah Smith were selected as Order of the Lakehawk recipients during Leesburg's ceremony.

“I would not be the person standing before you today if I hadn’t started with that one class,” Ford said, according to the news release. “But I showed up and put in hours of work to make it happen, just like each of you did to get here today. Thanks to my experiences at LSSC, I have found my passion for event management and will transfer to Florida Gulf Coast University to pursue my bachelor’s degree.”

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: 'Be bold, be brilliant, be courageous': LSSC's record graduation