CONCORD, NH � The sun shone brightly on the �鶹��ý � Concord�s Community College campus on Friday, May 19, 2023, as the school celebrated its 73rd Commencement � but it was nothing compared to the smiles of the 200+ graduates and their families. More than 200 students participated in the ceremony as part of the Class of 2023, with degrees conferred in programs ranging from Dental Hygiene to Mechanical Engineering.

This was the first Commencement to occur on �鶹��ý�s campus in many years, and it was the first to include �鶹��ý�s certificate earners as part of the ceremony.

�It�s hot in these robes, but in a few minutes, it�s going to get even hotter � by about 200 degrees,� joked �鶹��ý�s president Patrick Tompkins in his address to students. �All of us at �鶹��ý congratulate you on this momentous achievement in your life. But it wasn�t easy. You studied and worked late at night and early in the morning. You sometimes wondered if you were good enough. You sometimes wondered if it was worth it. But you have proved you are good enough, and it is worth it. Remember that your success is your success. No one can take it from you.�

>> WATCH COMMENCEMENT AND SEE MORE PHOTOS!

Students and their guests were treated to the hour-long ceremony in �鶹��ý�s gym, decked out for the occasion. The event was also live-streamed online and at various locations on campus to accommodate overflow attendees.

Outside on �鶹��ý�s Quad, students cheered each other�s accomplishments, posed for photos, and mingled with �鶹��ý�s Advisory Board members, faculty, and staff members who helped them along the way. The scene was a chaotic dance of excitement, relief, and pride: Students and their families gathered in groups of hugs and chatter in many languages. Faculty members mingled and cheered their students. One student proudly displayed her fifth degree from �鶹��ý � this one in Mechanical Engineering � while another held the Business degree she just earned at age 69.

The student speaker, Lindsay Hobbs, spoke about her journey to get to �鶹��ý during the ceremony.

�If you had told me five years ago that I�d be graduating from �鶹��ý with a degree in Dental Hygiene, I would have laughed at you,� she said. �I had been an aimless student at UNH, changing my major every semester as I looked for my passion. At �鶹��ý, I found it.�

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�鶹��ý � Concord�s Community College

�鶹��ý is a dynamic public institution of higher learning that provides accessible, rigorous education for students, businesses, and the community. We create pathways for lifelong learning, career advancement, and civic engagement, offering 90+ academic programs to 4,600+ students annually. �鶹��ý is a member of the Community College System of New Hampshire and since 1969 has been accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, a nongovernmental, nationally recognized accrediting agency. Visit for more information. To learn more about the �鶹��ý Athletics programs, contact Berkley Stevens at bstevens@ccsnh.edu.

>> WATCH COMMENCEMENT AND SEE MORE PHOTOS!

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PHOTO CREDIT: Deb Smith, �鶹��ý