Dedication, persistence shown by BOCES graduates

Sheila McGuire, Herald Reporter
Posted 6/3/18

BOCES holds graduation

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Dedication, persistence shown by BOCES graduates

Posted

EVANSTON — More than 40 students from multiple different programs participated in the Uinta BOCES #1 graduation ceremony on the morning of Saturday, May 12, held in the Davis Middle School auditorium. Graduates included those earning master’s degrees from Western Governor’s University; associate’s degrees from Western Wyoming Community College; and high school equivalency, work readiness and advanced English as Second Language program completion certificates. 

BOCES Executive Director Mike Williams opened the ceremony with a general welcome to guests and graduates and a special thanks to the community. Williams said, “Without the community support every four years with the levy vote, we wouldn’t be able to do what we have done for the past 25 years.” 

Williams also touched on the various programs offered at BOCES, including degree programs through WWCC, WGU, University of Wyoming and Utah State University. “Whatever level you’re at, we can help you achieve your educational goals,” he said. “We may not have the major you would like, but we have the coursework to get you started.” 

Uinta County School District No. 1 Assistant Superintendent Joe Ingalls was the guest speaker for the event, and he encouraged graduates to continue to pursue goals and make their graduation a step rather than an endpoint. 

Diane White spoke as both a graduate and the director of the BOCES adult education department. She completed her master’s degree through WGU and has been working at BOCES for more than a decade. White specifically addressed the graduates she has worked with extensively, saying, “There’s nothing you can’t accomplish because I know your hearts.” 

White’s speech was one of several particularly moving moments during the ceremony. She showed attendees the top of her cap, on which she had written, “I will not yield,” and detailed the challenges she has had with her health while both working full-time and pursuing a graduate degree, all the while refusing to give up. 

White credited much of the success of the adult education program to her staff, including teacher Carol Bourland, who was recently recognized as the recipient of the Award of Excellence for Wyoming from the Mountain Plains Adult Education Association. White nominated Bourland for the award, and in her nomination letter said, “Carol is a surrogate mother, cheerleader, counselor and advisor. … She has been heard to say to more than one youth that she will believe in them until they believe in themselves.” 

WWCC graduate Autumn Doyle spoke about the support she had received from WWCC outreach staff in Evanston and about the determination it took for her to return to school as a mother, along with the sacrifices that were also necessary. Doyle said she returned to school because, “I have the desire to pursue something that sets my soul on fire.” 

Rebecca Garcia, graduate of the BOCES high school equivalency program, also spoke about the sacrifices and determination required to complete that program while also being a mother to a child with health issues. In an emotional speech, Garcia talked about growing up in foster homes, becoming a young mother and losing her son when he was only 25 days old. 

She said she has another child with health issues and those struggles could have prevented her from completing the program, but she was determined to see it through for the sake of her children. “Life can be a struggle,” she said, “but the rewards are out there if you do what it takes to get them.” 

Special awards were presented to Garcia and to Quincee Largo, who were both recipients of the BOCES Adult Education Student of the Year award, for demonstrating extraordinary determination to overcome obstacles. Both ladies were participants in BOCES BOOST program for young people working on their high school equivalency certificate.