Friday, April 24th marked the 3rd annual Graduation Ceremony for Ross Medical Education Center in Port Huron. The event was held once again at the beautiful Black River Country Club in Port Huron. The evening began with the arrival of excited graduates along with very proud family and friends who were greeted in the lobby by their former instructors and the front office staff who had witnessed their journey as students at Ross. As Pomp and Circumstance played and graduates proceeded up the aisle, there were many happy tears and proud smiles throughout.
The evening included two wonderful guest speakers. This year the staff and faculty were honored to host Michigan State Representative, Kathy Crawford. Ms. Crawford was elected in November 2014 to the Michigan State House of Representatives and prior to that was an Oakland County Commissioner and local city council member. Ms. Crawford engaged the crowd with some of her own personal stories as they related to the medical field, as well as discussing the important qualities that medical professionals need in order to be successful in the field. Everyone in attendance seemed to enjoy and appreciate Ms. Crawford’s informative, sincere, and at times very humorous, presentation. 
The second presenter of the evening was Ms. Kristen Junga, Medical Assistant Instructor at the Port Huron campus. Kristen shared with everyone that she herself was a Ross graduate from back in 2010. She eloquently shared her story and her search in the past for the right school setting and how that search led her to the Medical Assistant program at Ross. Kristen talked about her passion for teaching future Medical Assistants and how she enjoys giving back in the form of providing a positive learning experience for her students the same way her instructors did for her. Both speakers were motivating and inspirational in their delivery.
Next was the celebration and recognition of graduates; the congratulatory scrolls were presented to graduates by the Campus Director, Mia Vargo, and Assistant Campus Director of Education, Stacey Clark. In addition to the presentation, all graduates who earned Attendance Achievement and/or Academic Achievement were identified in the program that was distributed at the ceremony. The Port Huron campus also recognized two of their recent graduates, Nicole Hardy and Michele Perez, who were recipients of the “Outstanding Student Award” by the Michigan Association of Career Colleges and Schools.
The evening ended with graduates surrounded by family and friends sharing memories and taking photos to remember the very special night. It is a favorite night of staff, faculty, and students, and each year’s event is significant to all in attendance.