Broward College Celebrates More than 5,000 December 2020 Graduates with Virtual Commencement

The ceremony will take place on Saturday, December 19

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (December 17, 2020) -- Broward College’s Fall 2020 Commencement ceremony will be on Saturday, December 19 at 1 p.m. This semester’s graduates have persevered through the pandemic to achieve their goals and celebrate this special occasion. The ceremony will take place virtually and broadcast via live stream. Following the ceremony, a link will be sent to all students to download.

The ceremony will feature remarks from President Gregory Adam Haile, J.D., Broward College Trustee Zachariah ‘Reggie’ Zachariah, and commencement guest speaker CEO, Chase Consumer Banking Thasunda Brown Duckett. Duckett oversees a banking network with more than $600 billion in deposits, 5,000+ branches, 16,000+ ATMs, and 50,000 employees serving 25 million households nationwide. She has been recognized widely as a leading executive in the finance industry. In 2020, she was named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business. American Banker magazine named Duckett the 7^th most powerful women in banking. She was also named to Black Enterprise magazine’s Most Powerful Women in Corporate America list.

This term, the youngest graduate is 17-years-old and the oldest is 70-years-old. There are over 5,000 graduates, including 3,913 Associate of Arts graduates, seven Associate of Applied Science graduates, 833 Associate of Science graduates, 132 Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates, and 328 Bachelor of Applied Science graduates.

See below for the stories of several notable December 2020 graduates:

Jenny Luo Achord

Jenny Luo Achord is a 37-year-old Associate of Science in Nursing graduate. She decided several years ago that she wanted to be a nurse after an excellent experience with a nurse when she gave birth to her daughter. Jenny has persevered throughout the pandemic, managing her studies while assisting her elementary-aged son with online school and caring for her 4-year-old daughter. She also had to adapt to changes in the nursing program. As hospital clinicals, which are a critical part of her training, were not being offered, Jenny had to take advantage of Avatar use at the Health Science Simulation Center. She is already giving back and practicing the care she will need to succeed in her field. Earlier in the pandemic, she helped organize a donation of over 1,600 N-95 masks to support the health care community.

Carolina Porto

Carolina Porto is celebrating her graduation with an Associate of Arts degree with a concentration in Accounting. The 29-year-old decided to go back to school after she felt like she hit a wall in her career as an account payable specialist at a private equity firm. She is thankful for the hands-on support from the College and several scholarships that made this possible. Porto plans on transferring to Florida Atlantic University to pursue a bachelor’s in Accounting.

Veneisia Tomlinson

Veneisia Tomlinson arrived in the United States from her native country Jamaica at 18 years old. She had her mind set on immediately enrolling in college to fulfill her dream of attending medical school one day. But she had to balance multiple jobs to save the money to attend school. Even after enrolling, she had to juggle a full-time job as a full-time student. Thanks to the STRIDES scholarship and support from the Environmental Science department, Tomlinson is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science.

To get in the graduation spirit, graduates are encouraged to download printable yard signs, President Haile face masks, Sammy Seahawk masks, and First Flight lyrics from the College’s website ahead of the ceremony.

For more information and to live stream the event, please visit here.

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