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SANFORD N.C. – When James G. Gordon IV earned his high school equivalency diploma from �ڰ�������, he kept a promise he made to his parents 36 years ago. Inner motivation made it possible. 

“I had to make sure that my goal was for me and not for anybody else,” Gordon said. “That was the hard part.” 

�ڰ������� held its annual College and Career Readiness Graduation Ceremony on Aug. 7, 2025, at the Dennis A. Wicker Civic & Conference Center in Sanford. 

The event honors graduates from the college’s high school equivalency diploma and adult high school diploma programs. 

“We are so proud of you,” �ڰ������� President Dr. Lisa M. Chapman told the graduates. “You are a huge part of the �ڰ������� family, so I hope that you know that.”

There were 129 graduates for 2024-2025, including the first-ever graduating class for �ڰ�������’s Spanish-language High School Equivalency program.

Marisol Tadeo Trujillo, one of the student graduation speakers, was part of that group. 

“Today, we celebrate the strength of the human spirit,” she said in Spanish. “We celebrate the courage of those who, despite challenges, chose to rise once more and risk everything for a new opportunity.” 

Dr. Della Woods Newkirk, �ڰ������� Instructor of Career and Academic Engagement, served as the Mace Bearer, symbolizing the academic honor of the day.

Claudia Clayton, Dean of Career and Academic Engagement, recognized the following honor graduates: Alexandra Alvarez, Usmary Moreno Romero, Leonidas Morales, Ali Alexander Omerani, Daniel Alejandro Amaro, Delta Joy McMullan, Jackson Campbell, Jonathan Damien Chitwood, Daimon Lee Lucas and Marley McGuire Smith. 

Anita Green, career pathways coordinator, presented the candidates for graduation and Julian Philpott, chair of the Board of Trustees, conferred the diplomas. Chair Philpott and Dr. Chapman greeted each graduate as they crossed the stage and shook their hands. 

For Gordon the graduation ceremony was not a goodbye to �ڰ�������, because he is set to join �ڰ�������’s automotive restoration program this fall. 

“Let this be the start of whatever you want to do,” he told his classmates. 

Dr. Chapman encouraged all the graduates to continue their studies. 

“Your dedication, your perseverance, your grit and your enthusiasm to start with us, get through this first milestone and continue with us, matters to us,” she said.