PIQUA – Edison State Community College will hold its 43rd annual spring commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday in the North Hall on the Piqua Campus.
Nearly 450 students will be earning a total of 512 degrees or certificates in business, engineering and manufacturing, health sciences, information technology, and social and public services at this year’s graduation.
Edison State alumna and Dayton Children’s Hospital phlebotomist Alison “Sunny” Herring, will deliver the ceremony’s keynote address.
Herring, of Tipp City, is a 2004 graduate of Tippecanoe High School who began working toward obtaining a phlebotomy certification in 2013 after returning home from The Ohio State University. Since then, Herring has been employed with Dayton Children’s as a phlebotomist where she is a highly valued member of the hospital staff.
“It’s an honor to have been asked to speak to all of the graduates and their families,” Herring said. “I’ve never thought of myself as someone to be considered for such a great opportunity, so I’m excited and flattered that I have had enough impact on someone’s life to make them think of me.”
Edison State Provost Chris Spradlin has witnessed Herring’s work first-hand and knows just how valued she is at Dayton Children’s.
“As the parents of a child who has been treated at Dayton Children’s Hospital for a long-term illness, my wife and I can attest that one of the most difficult experiences for the child (and the parents) is to have blood drawn for testing,” Spradlin said. “There is anxiety for everyone before it happens, there is the pain of being poked, and there are the tears and the waiting for results afterward. In these circumstances, the role of the phlebotomist means everything. And our family has been blessed to find Sunny – simply the best phlebotomist in the world – to take care of our daughter.
“Sunny’s work at Dayton Children’s Hospital has been nothing short of outstanding; she is well-known throughout the hospital as the go-to person for blood draws. Her happy, caring and encouraging personality, along with her skills as a phlebotomist, are reassuring for children and their parents even in difficult times. It has now become a requirement in our house that we call the hospital a couple of days before our daughter is due to have her blood drawn just to make sure that Sunny will be working that day because no other phlebotomist will do.”
Commencement also will include a welcome and introduction from Thomas Milligan, chairman of the Board of Trustees; greetings from Stan Evans, chairman of the Foundation Board of Directors; presentation of candidates for degree by Provost Chris Spradlin; and special acknowledgments from Edison State President Dr. Doreen Larson.
The Edison State Community College Class of 2018 features:
• 447 graduates
• 393 associate degrees earned
• 119 certificates or certificates of completion (fast tracks) earned
• 35 percent of the graduating class lives in Miami County, 22 percent in Shelby County and 22 percent in Darke County
• Graduates represent 16 Ohio counties.
• 27 students graduating with a minimum 4.0 GPA
• 111 students graduating with a minimum of 3.5 GPA
• The oldest graduate is 60-years-old, the youngest graduate is 17-years-old; 116 are 21 or younger, and 10 are 50 or older.
• 33 graduates were pinned as registered nurses
• 51 College Credit Plus graduates including 1 high school junior
• 165 students with transfer credit totaled 7,475 hours transferred, averaging 39.5 hours per student.
