First Lady Jill Biden To Address Dallas College Class Of 2021

Press release from Dallas College:

June 10, 2021

(DALLAS) — The nation’s first lady will address the first-ever group of students to graduate from the new Dallas College this year in specially prepared remarks that will be aired during commencement ceremonies June 24 to June 26.

The group of students is the first to receive official diplomas from Dallas College, following the name change and the July 2020 unification of the seven separate colleges that were formerly the Dallas County Community College District.

As part of a commencement congratulatory message, Dr. Biden is expected to thank Dallas College Chancellor Joe May and the board of trustees for the opportunity and for their effort to re-imagine the landscape of higher education in Dallas County. She first connected with Dallas College leadership in 2018, when she visited Dallas for the launch of Dallas County Promise.

As an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College, Dr. Biden has an intimate understanding of the power community colleges hold. Community colleges, like Dallas College, meet students where they are, Dr. Biden says. “The chance to go to college is life-changing for students and their families. We can’t afford to exclude so many from continuing their education just because they come from certain areas or income brackets.”

As the first in-person graduating class since the pandemic, these students — 11,647 in all — and their families will also be celebrated for all that they have overcome to successfully complete degrees and certificates during a pandemic. Last year, they abruptly transitioned to online learning to complete their programs of study and persevered through a period of tremendous economic and civic strife that brought additional pressures, uncertainty and frustration.

This press release was produced by Dallas College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.