Tri-C Spring Commencement Celebrates Nearly 1,700 Graduates
Ceremony for Class of 2024 takes place May 17 at Wolstein Center
Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) will celebrate the academic achievements of nearly 1,700 petitioning graduates during its Spring Commencement on Friday, May 17, at 3 p.m.
The College will confer more than 1,900 degrees and certificates of completion this spring. The graduate total reflects the ongoing impact of College programs and initiatives designed to keep students on the path to completion. The ceremony will be available for viewing on Tri-C's Commencement webpage and the College's YouTube channel.
Tri-C President Michael A. Baston, J.D., Ed.D., said the graduates' determination will serve them well throughout their lives.
"The motivation, the ambition and the inspiration of each graduate are qualities that will not only carry them far in life but will also give them the power to change their communities and this world for the better," Baston said. "Our graduates have contributed so much to Tri-C. They have brought their talents, enthusiasm and work ethic into our classrooms and corridors each day. Tri-C is a better place because of them, and I'm thankful they've helped make this College the tremendous institution that it is."
Ayodele Onoyungbo, a native of Lagos, Nigeria, was selected by her classmates as the student speaker. Onoyungbo, who will graduate with an Associate of Arts, plans to transfer to a four-year university to study international relations and economics. She hopes to become an ambassador and work with international organizations, such as UNICEF, the World Economic Forum and the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.
In addition to making the dean's list every semester at Tri-C, Onoyungbo was the vice president of service for Phi Theta Kappa and a Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Scholar. She was also named the 2024 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar, served as a Democracy Fellow and volunteered at organizations such as Greater Cleveland Volunteers, the Brain Injury Association of Ohio and more.
Read more about Onoyungbo and other high-achieving graduates on the College's Commencement Graduate Stories webpage.
Tri-C will also award an honorary degree to Trina Evans, a financial services executive with more than 30 years of experience. Evans is the chief of staff and the director of the Corporate Center at KeyCorp — a $190 billion financial services company with more than 18,000 employees. Considered one of the industry's most civic-minded leaders, she sits on the boards of the Bank Administration Institute, Cleveland Food Bank, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. She is a director emeritus of the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation.
Evans holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University and an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management. She also earned a master's degree in banking from the American Bankers Association's Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Georgetown University.
This year's commencement ceremony will take place at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center, located at 2000 Prospect Ave. in Cleveland.
May 17, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: Anthony Moujaes, 216-987-3068 or anthony.moujaes@tri-c.edu