Congratulations 2020 Graduates
At Piedmont Technical College, we know celebrating your graduation is very important to you, and it is important to us. We look forward to celebrating your accomplishments with you, in a traditional graduation ceremony. For those of you who have earned a credential in a program of at least 30 credit hours or more, you will have the option to participate in a future ceremony.
In the meantime, we are excited to share a special message from Dr. Ray Brooks, PTC president, and video messages honoring our candidates for graduation. We are all so proud of you!
A Message from Dr. Brooks
At a time like this, it’s important to bear witness.
Throughout history, everything we know has been witnessed, documented, archived. These critical actions inform decisions and seed entire trajectories for the future.
As you complete your degree at Piedmont Tech, understand that you aren’t missing a graduation. You are changing what it means to graduate in an entirely new world paradigm. You are demonstrating a deeper understanding of societal priorities and values.
Decades from today, you will tell the stories of the Great Pandemic of 2020. You will carry forward a spirit of resolve during uncertainty, of perseverance through hardship, of sacrifice for the common good.
And, by digital means, we bear witness to that.
I love PTC graduations. There is no matching the energy and excitement of gathering to formally recognize our graduates. I adore the pageantry. I enjoy donning the regalia and personally shepherding our graduates across the stage and into the next chapter. Admittedly, a “virtual” commencement just isn’t the same. So we are planning a memorable, in-person ceremony in the months to come. We will keep you posted on the date.
As you depart Piedmont Tech changed by your experience, the world, too, has changed. We all have a heightened sense of gratitude — of what bonds us as human beings. We emerge fortified with this collective wisdom gleaned from an event that’s bigger than ourselves.
You have more tools to navigate the world than ever before. Use them to offer light and perspective where it is lacking. Use them to communicate the important lessons of today, because you lived it. Be the generation equipped to find consensus and solutions — maybe even some cures.
Almost certainly, you are viewing this on your phone or tablet. You can’t smell the sweet bouquets or your mother’s perfume. You can’t hear the pensive French horns of the Emerald City Brass. One day, as soon as possible, we will return to tradition, and we want you to be there with us to celebrate this important milestone. We will confer flowers and balloons. We will high-five, hug and eat cake again. But for now, together, we remain PTC Strong.
You are today’s engineers, caregivers, teachers, managers, and peacekeepers. You also are tomorrow’s leaders, innovators, healers, and philosophers. By virtue of what you have witnessed, I hope you feel honor-bound to pass it on for the benefit of others.
I hope you leave us more curious, more determined, more optimistic than before you came. You bear witness to remarkable times. The world is watching.
On behalf of the entire PTC family, I wish all of you good health and Godspeed.
L. Ray Brooks
President
Congratulations 2020 Graduates*
* Piedmont Tech shares in the well-deserved pride our graduates feel in their accomplishments. Due to semester and course delivery changes in 2020 some courses and grades are still being finalized. For that reason, names of students who may not meet graduation requirements may be included. Conversely, names of students who will later meet those requirements after publication may be omitted. We regret any embarrassment or inconvenience these ongoing course completions may cause. An official list of all 2020 graduates will be maintained by the Student Records Office once all courses and grading have been completed.