First lady Jill Biden to be special guest speaker at Mesa Community College graduation

PHOENIX – First lady Jill Biden will be the special guest speaker at Mesa Community College’s 2023-24 graduation ceremony, the East Valley school announced Tuesday.

Biden, a longtime educator, will deliver remarks during the May 11 event, which is limited to graduates and their invited guests. The commencement will be livestreamed online starting at 9 a.m.

Biden has a doctorate in education and has been an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College since 2009. She visited MCC in February 2023 to promote the Mesa College Promise scholarship program and the importance of career-connected education.

“We are very honored that Dr. Biden will join us to celebrate this important day for our graduates and for the college,” interim MCC President Dr. Kimberly Britt said in a press release.

Who else will appear at Mesa Community College graduation?

More than 540 students are expected to participate in the 2023-24 graduation ceremony, MCC said. In addition to the first lady, Arizona state Rep. Lorena Austin, who attended MCC, and Maricopa County Community College District officials will speak during the event.

The class honors speaker is Noemi Panza, a first-generation college student from Italy.

“Our faculty and staff congratulate these students who have reached this significant milestone in their lives, many of whom began their academic journey amid the pandemic,” Britt said. “They should take tremendous pride in the courage it took to accomplish their goals.”

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