Beaufort County Community College celebrated a record-breaking Class of 2026 at commencement exercises on May 7, with 435 students eligible to participate, having earned certificates, diplomas, or degrees, a 13.6 percent increase from the previous year. With some students earning multiple credentials, the total number of credentials earned by the Class of 2026 was 539. The Class of 2026 includes all students who successfully completed a credential during the Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Spring 2026 semesters.
With the record-breaking number of graduates, the college held two back-to-back ceremonies, with an Arts & Sciences ceremony followed by a Business, Technology, and Public Services and Allied Health ceremony. Four graduates were recognized at a smaller ceremony at Hyde Correctional Institution on May 13.
BCCC President Dr. David Loope said, “The large increase in graduates is proof that BCCC is educating the future workforce of Eastern North Carolina.”
Commencement Speaker: Dr. William Keyes IV Returns Home
BCCC welcomed Dr. William Keyes IV home. A proud Washington, NC, native and 1971 Washington High School alumnus, Dr. Keyes returned to his hometown to deliver this year’s commencement address as Founder and President of the Institute for Responsible Citizenship. During his high school years, he served as quarterback of the Pam Pack football team and vice president of the student council.
After leaving Washington, he went on to earn his undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1975, where he has since served on several boards, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of UNC Health, a $6 billion enterprise encompassing 20 hospitals, more than 40,000 employees, and serving all 100 counties of North Carolina. After college, he worked as a research assistant in the U.S. Congress and as a senior policy advisor on the White House staff. In 2019, he made history as the only person ever to earn a PhD while serving on UNC-Chapel Hill’s Board of Trustees.
His greatest passion is the Institute for Responsible Citizenship, a program dedicated to helping outstanding college students reach their highest ambitions, which inspired his book The Stories They Hear, a work that has earned five national and international awards since its publication and is available locally at Pamlico Books on Market Street. From the football fields of Washington High School to the halls of the White House and the boardrooms of one of the nation’s largest health systems, Dr. Keyes is living proof that greatness can come from right here at home.
In recognition of his accomplishments, the college awarded Dr. Keyes an honorary Associate in Arts. BCCC President Dr. David Loope said of the honorary degree that “Dr. Keyes is living proof that if you work hard enough and focus academically, that achievement often translates into professional and personal success.”
BCCC graduates are leaving to find their own paths to greatness. They have earned certificates and degrees in programs such as associate degree nursing, criminal justice technology, cosmetology, emergency medical science, medical laboratory technology, mechanical engineering technology, and degrees such as Associate in Arts or Associate in Science geared toward transferring into a bachelor’s degree program at a university.
Honor Graduates
Among the graduates were 150 honor students with gold tassels who earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher, representing 34 percent of the graduates. Thirty-eight graduated Summa Cum Laude, having earned a 4.0: Madison Marie Alkanowski, Sarah Michelle Ange, Jessica Lynn Armstrong, Mara Addison Armstrong, Taylor Dare Askew, China Sade Blount, Brianna Haley Bowers, Shamiya Deaisa Brown, Cailyn Cashman, Zofia Adelina Cheeseman, Catherine Chiravelli, Jonathan Bennett Clubbs, Mackenzie A. Conaway, William Brandon Elks, Christy Spear Forbes, Adan Plasencia Garcia, Jesse Reese Gibbs, Clara Elizabeth Harvin, Nickolas M. Holloway, Riley Kate Hudson, Passion Nikia Johnson, Catherine Nicole Jordan, Kaylee Victoria McMahon, Gwendolyn Grace Middleton, Whitney Mooring, Elli Margaret Pake, Mia Nicole Paniagua, Keelyn R. Plunkett, Lily Caitlyn Pratt, Trinity Robinson, Maria Fernanda Ruiz Rodriguez, Crystal Timmons Setzer, Lydia Allyson Smith, Elijah Stanley, Jonathan Micah Stanley, Sarah Michelle Stanley, Megan Leigh Stotesberry, and Keionee Angelik Wiggins.
Special Recognitions
Dr. Lisa Hill, vice president of academic affairs, announced the Faculty Member of the Year: Lisa Liguori, biology instructor, and the Staff Member of the Year: William Chrismon, chief of campus police. Dr. LaTonya Nixon, vice president of student services, announced the Dallas Herring Achievement nominee, Shana Woolard, the Academic Achievement Award recipient, Mackenzie Conaway, and the Robert W. Scott Leadership Award nominee, Zofia Cheeseman.
BCCC wishes all the best to the departing students and reminds them that they will always belong here.