The final weeks of the 2008 spring semester at Tyler Junior College are coming to a close as students all over campus are preparing for their finals, and for some of us, graduation.”I have right at 600 students that have applied for graduation,” said Denny Yarbrough, registrar and graduation specialist.The spring 2008 graduating class is larger than previous years and will be awarded over 650 various degrees and certificates.These include 301 degrees from the School of University Studies, 189 from the School of Allied Health and Nursing, and 182 from the School of Applied Studies.Although there are only 600 graduation applicants, many students throughout the college will be receiving one or more degrees or certificates from TJC. Students in the School of Applied Studies, such as welding and surveying students for example, can receive up to four certifications for the completion of their respective program.Sarah Goulden is one of the 600 students graduating this year. Goulden has been attending TJC off and on since January 2005 while also taking courses at the University of Texas at Tyler.Goulden will be graduating with an Associate of Arts in General Studies. From here, she plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations, also at UT-Tyler.Once Goulden has completed her bachelor’s degree, she plans to start working on a master’s degree in communications.”After getting my associate’s I hope that I will have more job opportunities that are related to my major. My major is advertising, and I know that I need a lot of first-hand experience in the advertising field even before I graduate with my bachelor’s degree. I intend to get my bachelor’s in Advertising and PR and my Master’s in Communications,” said Goulden.Like many students, Goulden has many goals she hopes to accomplish by obtaining her degrees in her chosen career field.”From there, I hope to work for an advertising firm who works mainly in commercial advertising. I would love to own my own advertising agency someday, or possibly work on the production end of television commercials. My greatest goal would to one day be watching TV and be able to say, ‘hey, I made that commercial. That whole thing was my idea,'” said Goulden.”Taking classes at TJC has helped me,” said Goulden. “The classes are small enough that I still get a one-on-one relationship with my professors, and I also get to interact with my classmates more so than in larger classes. I feel like TJC has helped me learn study skills better, partly because I took a lot of online courses in which I had to learn to be responsible for getting work done on time. Once I am at a four-year university, I believe I will have the skills I need to study better for tests, and prepare for my classes better. I have definitely stopped procrastinating as much since I have been at TJC.”Students applying for graduation this fall have the option of participating in the commencement ceremony held at 10 a.m. May 10 in the Wagstaff Gymnasium on campus.Those that choose to participate in the commencement ceremony, or have applied for graduation, will not receive their diplomas until all grades have been finalized. Graduates participating in the ceremony will only initially receive the diploma cover.”Diplomas will be mailed out approximately six weeks after graduation to the permanent address they indicate on their applications,” said Yarbrough.There is no limit to how many family members and friends that can be invited, and the guests will not need a ticket for entry into the ceremony.
