Dear LaGuardia Community,
I want to take this opportunity to congratulate this year’s graduates from LaGuardia Community College.
Yesterday’s Commencement was a culmination of a lot of hard work and collaboration from LaGuardia faculty and staff volunteers who created a welcoming space for graduates to be recognized and for them to celebrate with their loved ones.
An incident occurred involving one graduate who demonstrated their frustration during the student procession for not being able to hold the microphone while they announced their name. As a process for keeping the ceremony running in an orderly manner, students are given the opportunity to say their name while a volunteer holds the microphone. None of the students are allowed to hold the microphone to avoid any delay of the student procession and the ceremony. We are mindful the type of behavior demonstrated by this student impacted the celebration for all graduates and attendees. We are currently reviewing the incident involving this student to gain a better understanding of what occurred.
Despite our efforts, this student has gone on social media and shared her side of the story. We apologize to this student and any other student who felt they were not given their full moment to shine as they celebrated their achievement. We don’t want to deny our students their right to express themselves, especially when they have worked so hard to earn their college degree.
At LaGuardia, we take pride in providing our students with the academic, emotional, and developmental support they need to be successful inside and outside of the classroom. We celebrate the diversity of our students and our college community; and continue to advance the importance of equity and inclusion on our campus.
I want to thank the numerous students, faculty and staff members who volunteered during our Commencement, and I want to thank President Frank Wu and his staff for hosting our graduates and their loved ones on their beautiful campus.
Congratulations to the Class of 2023! To view photos from yesterday’s Commencement, CLICK HERE. I wish you all continued success.
Kenneth Adams
President