LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Rhodes State students walked across the stage Saturday morning and are moving on to the next chapter of their lives.
Rhodes State College's spring semester is officially over, and more than 250 students this year will be receiving their degrees. Most of the graduates were part-time students, many of them having to find the time to excel in their studies between working a full-time job and caring for their families.
Ohio House Representative Susan Manchester and the President of Rhodes left the students with some parting wisdom before they went off to face whatever comes next.
"If you're going to school part-time, you're working full-time sometimes or part-time, you have to manage time. And I believe Susan Manchester said time is the biggest commodity that we have. But they have learned to manage their time and move forward to be successful," said Dr. Cynthia Spiers, the president of Rhodes State.
The new alumni look forward to putting what they've learned at Rhodes to use, whether they plan to continue their education or begin their career.
"When I was with the marketing department, I was able to gain some more skills with communication and be able to just interact with people more and I'm definitely going to be able to use that skill when I go out into the workforce to be able to do great interviews and just meet great people," said Alyssa Jackson, who graduated with her associate degree in science and technology. She plans to work as a graphic designer.
"I want to help people in the hardest times of their life and make it easier for them as they grieve. I hope to come back here and serve the Lima community as a death care professional, and Rhodes has helped me accomplish that by showing me compassion and how to work hard," said Nicole Schweyer, graduating with an associate degree in arts. Schweyer is going on to study at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science.
Nearly 20,00 students have graduated from Rhodes State College since it opened in 1971.
