Pictured: Outstanding Graduate Award recipient Jana Maynard. Photo courtesy of SCF.

“Today is a celebration of achievement, perseverance, and what comes next.”

As I looked across the stage during SCF’s Spring 2026 commencement ceremonies, those words felt especially meaningful. Our graduates are not defined only by the degrees and certificates they earned. They are defined by the determination, resilience and courage that carried them to this moment.

This spring, State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota awarded more than 1,000 degrees and workforce certificates, including 668 associate in arts degrees, 294 associate in science degrees, 97 bachelor’s degrees and 70 workforce certificates. Behind every number is a student story, and many of those stories reflect the realities facing today’s learners: balancing work, family, financial pressures and personal challenges while pursuing an education and building a future.

Our health sciences graduates, in particular, represent the very best of what a state college education can provide for both students and the communities they serve.

SCF’s Nursing program celebrated 110 Associate in Science in Nursing graduates and 35 Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates this spring. Several students were recognized for academic excellence and leadership, including Aura Brock, recipient of the Pat Kubler Award, and Christopher Nothdurft, recipient of the Manatee Memorial Hospital Excellence in Nursing Scholarship.

The Dental Hygiene program graduated 16 students from the Class of 2026, with graduates earning multiple academic and leadership honors. Most impressively, students completing both the National and Clinical Board examinations achieved a 100% pass rate.

Our Occupational Therapy Assistant students achieved a 94% certification pass rate and 100% job placement, while SCF’s most recent Radiography graduates posted a 97% first-time pass rate and 100% job placement. SCF’s Physical Therapist Assistant graduates also achieved 100% job opportunity offers after completing community-based projects with five nonprofit organizations focused on accessibility, mobility and wellness.

These accomplishments matter because they represent more than academic success. They represent lives changed and futures strengthened right here in our region.

I think about one Physical Therapist Assistant graduate who adopted an infant during the second week of the program and still completed the curriculum with exemplary academic performance. I think about another student who depended entirely on public transportation to attend classes and travel to clinical sites. Their journeys required sacrifice, discipline and persistence, yet they kept moving forward.

That spirit was captured beautifully by Outstanding Graduate Award recipient Jana Maynard during her commencement remarks. Speaking openly about overcoming illness, uncertainty and self-doubt, she reminded her fellow graduates that growth often happens in imperfect moments.

“People didn’t lean in to see perfection,” she said. “They leaned in to see the process. The how, the why, the honesty.”

Her message reflects something I believe deeply: progress does not require perfection. It requires courage and the willingness to continue forward, even during difficult seasons of life.

At SCF, we are proud to serve as this community’s state college. For generations, local families have trusted SCF to provide affordable, high-quality education that changes lives while strengthening our workforce and economy. Today’s graduates will soon be caring for patients in local hospitals, supporting families in rehabilitation centers, working in dental practices and serving neighbors throughout Manatee and Sarasota counties.

That is why commencement is so meaningful. These graduates are not leaving our community behind. In many cases, they are preparing to serve the very communities that supported them along the way.

For those of us fortunate enough to call this region home, there is great pride in knowing our community college continues to open doors for students of every age and background. The success of these graduates is a reminder that opportunity, hard work and community support still create powerful outcomes.

The spring class of 2026 has already shown what is possible through perseverance and purpose. Their achievements deserve to be celebrated by all of us.

Tommy Gregory, J.D. it the President of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota.

Pictured: Outstanding Graduate Award recipient Jana Maynard. Photo courtesy of SCF.