Wharton County Junior College held its 79th annual commencement exercises on May 9 and May 10 at the Gene Bahnsen Gymnasium in Wharton. A record 335 graduates participated.
WHARTON, TEXAS – Wharton County Junior College’s 2025 commencement ceremonies set a record for the largest walking classes ever, with 335 students participating. One ceremony was held on May 9 and another two were held on May 10, with awards issued to graduates earning Associate of Arts, Associate of Science and Associate of Applied Science degrees as well as those obtaining a certificate. The ceremonies were held at the Gene Bahnsen Gymnasium on the Wharton campus.
Attendance also set a new record, with 1,000 visitors for the May 9 ceremony, 1,600 for the May 10 morning session and another 1,000 for the May 10 afternoon event. The ceremonies were broadcast at the Horton Foote Theatre in the Duson-Hansen Fine Arts Building to accommodate the maximum capacity crowds.
WCJC students were singled out for outstanding achievement, with President’s Award honors issued to Devin Avila of Bay City, Tori Biskup of El Campo and Nancy Cantu of Wharton. Academic Excellence awards were presented to Juan Barrera of Bay City, Jacob Flores of Richmond, Steve Kowal of Richmond, Cali Merecka of Boling, Serena Okakpu of Richmond and Jesus Rico of Brookshire. Commencement speakers included students Erin Kamont of Brookshire and Zainab Malkani of Sugar Land, as well as alumna (and WCJC employee) Lori Saucedo Rosales. Also recognized during the ceremonies were 42 dual credit students who graduated with their associate’s degree. This included 17 from Wharton Independent School District and another 25 from Bay City Independent School District.
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