More than 4,050 Seahawks have now earned the title of Broward College alumni, following the Fall 2023 Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, December 14, at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. 

As noted by Broward District Board of Trustees Chair Alexis Yarbrough, this commencement ceremony was a historic one, held under the leadership of Broward College’s first woman president, Dr. Barbara J. Bryan.  

In her remarks to graduates, Dr. Bryan shared that she is a first-generation college student and the first in her family to receive a Ph.D., achievements made possible in part by activism resulting in the Higher Education Act of 1965, designed to create greater access to higher education for students from minority and low-income backgrounds. 

“As you move on to the next phase of your life there may be spaces you enter that may not have been designed for you,” said Dr. Bryan. “Find spaces that are and change those that are not. Do not be afraid of change, embrace it fearlessly and move ahead committing to do good.”  

To kick off the ceremony, some of Broward College’s best and brightest graduates including Eadina Jackson-Hunt, Valentina Ho Chang, Alessandra and Arianne Paul-Forton, Phillipe Nevert Guillaume, Erica Vittie, and Anthony Vitiello, were featured in a Special Graduate Video Presentation. 

Juan Galindo, student government president for A. Hugh Adams Central Campus and Student of the Year by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS), addressed students with words of encouragement, as did commencement speaker Reginald Andre, a two-time Broward College alum who now serves as CEO of the cybersecurity and IT solutions provider ARK Solvers.  

Other “firsts” for Fall 2023 Commencement included the largest cohort from the College’s Associate of Science in Nursing Program, with 169 graduates taking the Nightingale Pledge at the Broward College December 2023 Candlelighting Ceremony on December 11, 2023. At Thursday’s commencement ceremony, Dr. Bryan acknowledged these future healthcare heroes as well as the first graduating class of the Mammography Advanced Technical Certificate Program, a class of six students. 

Dr. Bryan closed the ceremony with powerful words of encouragement. “Know this: It is always the right time to conquer poverty, end wars, serve your community, honor our military, reach back, give back, stand against hate, and spread love wherever you go,” she said.     

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