Commencement Brings Joy and Celebration to SFSC Graduates

AVON PARK, Fla. – Dec. 12, 2025 – For the South Florida State College (SFSC) graduates who gathered in the Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Dec. 11, the Fall 2025 Commencement ceremony was a time to celebrate.

Student Commencement speaker Lacie Hershberger, who received her Associate in Arts, congratulated fellow classmates on persevering through their studies to graduation. She offered advice from lessons learned through her own life. Hershberger graduated from high school 23 years ago. She had a dream of attending Florida Gulf Coast University and becoming a broadcast journalist. However, before the end of her second semester at the university, she returned home, feeling overwhelmed. Through the years, she married, had children, and held several jobs managing offices and teaching at private schools. The desire to earn a college degree never left her. With the support and urging of her husband, friends, and her current employer, she enrolled at SFSC. “To anyone sitting in the audience thinking, ‘Maybe it’s too late for me,’ I am living proof that delay doesn’t mean defeat,” she said. “I truly believe that sometimes the best stories are the ones that take a little longer to write.”

Approximately 349 students met the SFSC requirements by fall Commencement. Of these, 10 received their Bachelor of Science in Supervision and Management (BAS-SM), nine received their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), 97 received their Associate in Arts, 55 received their Associate in Science, 45 received their State of Florida High School Diploma, 38 received their College Credit Certificate (CCC), and 115 received Career Technical Certificates. Students participating in the Commencement ceremony totaled 171.

Early in the program, SFSC District Board of Trustees chair, Terry Atchley, welcomed guests and addressed the new graduates: “Commencement is a celebration of the journey you’ve completed and the limitless future that lies ahead. Your time at SFSC has equipped you with more than just knowledge— it has prepared you to lead, to innovate, to serve, and to make a meaningful impact in the communities you call home. Wherever life takes you, carry the spirit of Panther Pride with you, and never stop learning, growing, and striving.”

Special guest speaker, Kathryn Hebda, who serves as chancellor of the Florida College System at the Florida Department of Education, encouraged the graduates: “You chose higher education not because it was easy, but because you believed in its promise and its power to make your life better and, in many cases, the lives of your loved ones. You step now into your future. Take the knowledge, the skills and experiences, and the memories you’ve gained here and use them boldly and generously. In the words of Dr. Seuss, ‘Oh, the places you’ll go.’ Now go, strengthen your families. Go, elevate your communities. Go, make a meaningful difference in the world around you. Be courageous, curious, creative — and even alliterative! Your future awaits.”

Mace bearer and chief marshal for Commencement is Garrett Lee, and marshals are Marlene Cruz, Kelly Fairfield Dec, Tina Gottus, Courtney Green, Robert Hampton, Candy Jones, Michelle Macbeth, Tanna Markel, Micah Montague, Sofia Ochoa, Lena Phelps, and Andrew Polk.