June 23, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
More than 400 students received associate's degrees from Wharton County Junior College this spring.
WHARTON, TEXAS – COVID-19 won’t stop more than 400 students from receiving associate’s degrees from Wharton County Junior College this spring.
Although commencement ceremonies have been cancelled due to the virus, college officials said students should be lauded for staying the course in the midst of unprecedented challenges.
“We are proud of our students for their accomplishments as well as for the way they quickly adapted to online courses as part of WCJC’s response to the pandemic,” said WCJC President Betty McCrohan. “We want to congratulate each of them for attaining their educational goals.”
In addition, seven Wharton High School students received associate’s degrees as part of the Realizing Our Academic Reward (ROAR) Academy. ROAR is a collaboration between WCJC and Wharton Independent School District that enables a select group of students to earn upwards of 60 college-level credit hours while still enrolled in high school. ROAR students completing enough credit hours to earn an associate’s degree included Clarissa Valades, Maria Olivo, Ashton Sosa, Esau Guajardo, Britney Guajardo, Jerry Jiang and Josue Guajardo Colchado, all of Wharton.
Esau Guajardo, Britney Guajardo and Jerry Jiang — along with Garrett Grahmann of Sugar Land, Colton Vincik of Hungerford and Michael Kalisek of Garwood — also received Academic Excellence Awards for having a perfect 4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).
The President’s Award was granted to Britney Guajardo of Wharton and Megan Ruley of Bay City. This honor recognizes graduates who exemplify outstanding scholastic achievement.
The Excellence in Teaching Award recipient was Deborah Yancey, WCJC Instructor of Associate Degree Nursing. The award recognizes an instructor who embodies WCJC’s mission to build dreams and transform lives by making a difference inside and outside of the classroom.
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