DOVER—U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., urged Delaware Technical Community College graduates from the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 to make an impact during her keynote address at Monday night’s commencement ceremony.

During DelTech’s graduation on Monday night, students from the college’s Charles L. Terry Campus were honored. This included students from the class of 2022, as well as graduates from the classes of 2020 and 2021, who were given the opportunity to walk across the stage after their respective commencement ceremonies were held virtually.

The decision to honor graduates from the classes of 2020 and 2021 comes after DelTech elected not to reschedule in-person commencement ceremonies for either class due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, students created petitions protesting the college’s decision not to hold an in-person ceremony that same year, garnering more than 1,300 signatures between the petitions.

DelTech President Dr. Mark T. Brainard began his remarks by celebrating the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 for their persistence and determination, adding that graduates should be proud of finishing their degrees despite all of the challenges faced in the last two years.

Dr. Brainard thanked the families of the graduates and DelTech faculty for their role in helping students in their journey to walk across the graduation stage. He said if graduates ever want to revisit their education in the future, DelTech has prepared them to do so, and encouraged those to take that chance.

“We want to make sure that all of you know, this is just the beginning, and Delaware Tech has prepared you for everything and anything you want to accomplish,” Dr. Brainard said.

“If you’re sitting there as I was years ago, asking yourself whether you can get that bachelor’s degree, or that new job, or go to graduate school, or medical school, or even law school — The answer is always yes. It’s a resounding yes. Yes you can, yes you should, yes you must, because Delaware Tech has prepared you for everything and anything you want to accomplish.”

DelTech graduates from the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 came from diverse backgrounds. Of the 539 degrees and diplomas given out to the class of 2022, the average age of graduates was 28.9, with the youngest graduate being 19 years old, and the oldest being 71 years old. Delaware residents accounted for 95% of the graduating classes, while there were also six international students from six different countries.

After Dr. Brainard’s remarks, DelTech class of 2022 nursing graduate Kimberly Aigle was tasked with introducing the ceremony’s keynote speaker, Rep. Blunt Rochester.

Rep. Blunt Rochester began her address by thanking Dr. Brainard and DelTech leadership for their commitment to their students. She said that many of her staffers are graduates of DelTech and are appreciative of their time spent at the college, even joking that since she is surrounded by DelTech, she’s surrounded by the best.

After deeming the night, “Terry Time,” Rep. Blunt Rochester thanked the families of the graduates, stating that graduation would not be possible without their support. She said DelTech is a place for students to learn and expand their horizons, and that has prepared them for any challenges that life should bring.

“You will come away transformed. You are DelTech ready for the world. And as I said before, it’s a new world. Jobs are changing. We now have telehealth, we now have telework, robotics, advanced manufacturing to social media influencers,” Rep. Blunt Rochester said.

“We interact differently… It’s a different day. But we also are facing a time of urgency. Everything from making sure that we have social justice to making sure we have health from a pandemic, that we have wealth and shared prosperity, and that we have a planet to even live on. Class of 2022, we need you now more than ever.”

Rep. Blunt Rochester closed her remarks by encouraging DelTech graduates to follow an acronym for the word impact, urging graduates to be innovative, practical, adaptive (and aspirational), compassionate, and tenacious.

She said that when thinking of the challenges of the past few years, she is reminded of the name of the church that her grandmother used to attend, “Bright Hope.” Rep. Blunt Rochester spoke about her own experiences, including about how she prayed for safety in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection. She mentioned that while praying, she clutched a scarf that depicted an 1867 voter registration form from her great-great-great grandfather, which was a reminder of how far society has come.

“We’ve been through slavery, we’ve been through Jim Crow, we’ve seen women lock arms for the right to vote. This country is an amazing country. And so are we, and so are you. So, in this moment, when it feels dark, we need bright hope. We don’t just need hope, we need bright hope. We need bright hope. Graduates of 2022, you are our bright and shining hope. Shine on.” Rep. Blunt Rochester said.

DelTech’s Stanton and Wilmington Campuses held their joint commencement ceremony last Wednesday at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark. DelTech will hold a commencement ceremony at their Georgetown Campus for those graduates on Wednesday at 6 p.m. where Delaware National Guard adjutant general Maj. Gen. Michael Berry will give the keynote address.