News Article

New Home for FSW Commencement

Apr 25, 2017

April 24, 2017 – Fort Myers, FLA – Florida SouthWestern State College’s Class of 2017 will be tossing their caps in FSW’s Suncoast Credit Union Arena on Friday, May 5. It’s a new chapter not only for the graduates, but also the college.

“For many years, we have had to hold commencement off campus,” said Dr. Christine Davis, Vice President, Student Affairs & Enrollment Management, FSW. “We’re excited that this year, our graduates will celebrate this milestone on campus.”

There will be two commencement ceremonies on May 5. The first, at 10 a.m., will be for students receiving their Associate in Arts degree. Then at 2 p.m., students receiving their professional certification, Associate in Science or Bachelor degrees will be honored.

Two ceremonies are necessary, said Dr. Davis.

“The seating capacity of the Suncoast Credit Union Arena is about 3,300. By having two ceremonies, we avoid a ticket system that would limit how many family and friends each student can have attend,” she said.

So far, said Dr. Davis, approximately 800 students have registered to participate in the commencement ceremony. In all, the Class of 2017 has 3,680 graduates who have earned 3,830 degrees.

The student speakers are Veronica Aguilera and Trevon Davis. To be a student speaker, the student is nominated by a school dean or professor, is interviewed, and then selected.

Aguilera is an Honor Scholar student, studied abroad in France and served as a delegate for the Harvard Model United Nations, in addition to publishing an undergraduate thesis. She has earned a full ride to the Honors College at Florida International University, where she will pursue her Bachelors in Health Science with a pre-med focus and a minor in public health. She is the student speaker for the 10 a.m. ceremony.

Davis has completed his associate’s and bachelor’s degrees at FSW. He has served as president of the School of Education’s honorary fraternity, Kappa Delta Epsilon. His bachelor’s degree is in middle grades language arts with both reading and ESOL endorsements. He works weekends at Lee Memorial Hospital in patient services. He has already secured a teaching position for the upcoming fall. He plans to pursue a graduate degree in English so he can be an English professor at the college level. He is the student speaker for the 2 p.m. ceremony.

Last Updated: April 25, 2017