Local students graduate from Fort Lewis College

Fort Lewis College hosted its first in-person commencement in a year with multiple outdoor ceremonies celebrating nearly 400 graduating seniors. With a backdrop of the La Plata Mountains and a mix of blue and blustery skies, FLC's stadium filled up with raucous applause and heartfelt remarks from speakers.

Seven small commencement ceremonies took place over two days on Dennison Memorial Field. About 60 graduates were recognized during each ceremony with some friends and families seated in the audience. The stadium guest allowance was limited but other supporters of graduating seniors were able to tune in to a live-stream on Facebook-and some honked and cheered from the parking lot.

President Stritikus, Provost Cheryl Nixon, student body President Carson Ingram, student body Vice President Sophie Schwartz, and faculty commencement speakers addressed the graduates. Multiple speeches touched on persevering through COVID-19, but what imbued each ceremony with triumph was the acknowledgment of how much growth, learning, setbacks, and successes seniors experienced in their time at FLC.

Graduates in the 2021 Spring Commencement ceremony received Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Master of Arts in Education degrees, as well as certificates in Pre-Health, Geographic Information System, and Digital Marketing.