Orlando, FL – On Tuesday, Dec. 13, more than 1,100 Valencia College students will receive their associate or bachelor’s degrees or technical certificates when Valencia College holds its 54th commencement ceremonies at the University of Central Florida’s Addition Financial Arena.
This is the first time the college has held a December commencement ceremony, The college added a December ceremony to honor and celebrate the graduates closer to the date they earned their degrees, rather than holding only one commencement each spring.
The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m.
This year’s commencement address will be given by Christopher Davis, who was named the Valencia College’s Summer/Fall 2022 Distinguished Graduate.
Davis, now 36, struggled in his first two attempts at college, but when he enrolled at Valencia College in in 2020, he vowed this time would be different. Knowing math had always been his weakest subject, he hired a tutor who could coach him through his classes. That, combined with a renewed determination, and the memory of a dear friend who had died, powered Davis through – earning him spots on the dean’s list.
Now Davis, who teaches phlebotomy at a technical school in Lake County, plans to start his own business – and serve as a role model for younger students. The key to success, he says, is hard work. “You can’t achieve extraordinary results,” he says, “with ordinary behavior.”
Also graduating will be 14-year-old Evan Byrne, who is one of the youngest students to ever earn an associate degree at Valencia. Byrne, who graduated from high school in May 2021 at age 13, began taking classes at Valencia in fall 2021 and completed his associate degree in December 2022.
The ceremony will be streamed live online and can be viewed on the Valencia College graduation website at https://valenciacollege.edu/students/graduation/. A recorded version will also be available online one week after the ceremony.
Parking will be available for graduates and guests in UCF parking garages D and H.