Returning to an in-person ceremony, after being virtual in 2021 and canceled in 2020, the 34th annual commencement exercises were held this year at the St. Charles Family Arena at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 14.

In her keynote address, Francis Levine, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Missouri Historical Society and Missouri History Museum, told graduates, “Right now, more than ever, we need critical thinkers and attuned listeners. We need those thinkers who can listen to evidence as well as the needs and historical experiences of the community,” Levine said. “If your plans were interrupted, how you responded made the difference between success and despair.”

Of the more than 800 students eligible to graduate, over 200 students participated in the ceremony.

Presiding over the commencement ceremony was Barbara Kavalier, Ph.D., SCC president. Shirley Lohmar, president of the SCC Board of Trustees, and Holly Martin, Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs, assisted with the conferring of degrees and certificates. The SCC Concert Band, directed by James Martin, and the SCC Chamber Choir, directed by Becky Thorn, with Dr. Mihyun Lee, on piano, provided the music. The Faculty Marshal was Nicole Pinaire, Ph.D., associate professor/faculty member of the year.