MCC Graduates 679 Students On Saturday

Description:   Nearly 700 students will be graduating from McHenry County College this spring, with 366 who have applied for degrees and 313 who have applied for certificates.

This year’s graduation includes 11 Silver Cord Award recipients, an award that recognizes students who performed 100 hours of community service/volunteer work while attending MCC (not including MCC Promise scholarship requirements or other scholarship requirements).

Of the 120 Associate in Applied Science degree recipients, 23 are receiving their Associate in Applied Science in Registered Nursing (ADN) degree. This is the second graduating class from MCC’s current registered nursing program. Several of the graduates donated money and received haircuts for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation for kids with cancer this spring. In January, the MCC Student Nurse Organization and two faculty traveled to New Orleans on a mission trip to rehab a house for a Hurricane Katrina victim.

Miguel Aaron Solis of Harvard has been selected as the student speaker for the commencement ceremony. He will graduate May 14 with an Associate in Science degree in chemistry.

Solis, who is the first person in his family to graduate from college, plans to transfer to Western Illinois University in Macomb in the fall. He plans to major in forensic chemistry and minor in theatre. His career goal is to work with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a chemist, specializing in toxicology.

While at MCC, he has been involved with Student Senate and serves as representative of the Future Engineers and Scientists Society (FESS). He is a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor society and he helped run various student events such as Spring Spirit Week, hosted by Student Senate this semester. He also played on the MCC Men’s Soccer team for two seasons and served as a Student Orientation leader last summer.

He currently works as a student receptionist in the MCC Advising & Transfer Center, where he helps students sign in to see advisors and counselors and answers questions about classes.  He plans to continue working at the Advising Center during the summer.

Solis is also active in community service and has volunteered at various community and college events during the past two years, including the annual shoe ball sponsored by the Friends of McHenry County College Foundation, Kroozer's Cars for Kids, and at after-school sites around McHenry County. He was also involved with AmeriCorps.

Also speaking will be Dr. Vicky Smith, MCC president. Giving the “faculty charge” speech will be Katherine Midday, English instructor. She is MCC’s nominee for the Illinois Community College Trustee Association (ICCTA) 2011 Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year.