Northeast State Marks Milestone with 853 Spring Graduates

In a display of triumphant accomplishment, Northeast State celebrated an inspiring milestone on Tuesday, as a total of 853 students graduated in their spring commencement ceremony. The graduates, plucked from diverse parts of the curriculum, marked their fresh beginnings by tossing their graduation caps high into the sky at the Blountville campus.

Varied Degrees

A broad range of degrees and certificates were conferred, signifying the wide spectrum of learning at Northeast State. These included 12 academic certificates, 318 technical certificates, 276 associate of applied science degrees, 20 associate of arts degrees, 15 associate of science in teaching degrees, and 419 associate of science degrees.

Dual Enrollment Students

Among the graduates, standout achievements made their mark. Included in the numbers were 73 area high school dual enrollment students. Of these, 32 students completed an associate of science degree concurrently with their high school diplomas, while the remaining 41 students earned academic certificates.

State President’s Empowering Speech

“The mission of a community college is to make an impact on the communities that we serve. Graduates, we can only make that impact as a college as you do as an individual,” urged Northeast State President Jeff McCord, who encouraged the students to make their marks on the world.“Be proud of what you have accomplished and where you got your start, but don’t settle. Go out into your community, the region, and the world and make something good happen. Congratulations, we’re cheering for you and can’t wait to see what you do.”

Honors Graduates

Many graduates left the campus with honors, including 123 students graduating cum laude (grade point average, 3.50-3.74); 74 magna cum laude (grade point average, 3.75-3.89), and 91 students graduating summa cum laude (grade point average, 3.89-4.0).

Notable Speakers

The commencement ceremony also featured five graduates—Taylor N. Cockrell, Meredith W. Eades, Trevor Eller, Leon A. Phillips, and Joseph M. Tedder—who imparted words of wisdom to fellow graduates. Of these, Trevor Eller, an Engineering Design graduate from Johnson City, implored his fellow graduates to pursue their aspirations relentlessly: “Not everyone can be born great or have greatness thrust upon them, but every single one of us has the ability and potential to achieve greatness. And so, my fellow graduates, as we go out into the world with our new degrees…let us go and achieve greatness in all our endeavors.”

Ceremony Schedules

The College conducted separate ceremonies for individual divisions; with the Behavioral and Social Sciences and Science divisions commencing the day at 9 a.m., followed by Health Professions at 11 a.m., Humanities and Mathematics at 1 p.m., and Technologies at 3 p.m

Congratulations to all Northeast State 2024 spring graduates for reaching this educational milestone. The future holds no limits to what they can achieve.