Illinois Central College Grads Receive “Celebration Boxes” for Virtual Commencement
Virtual Commencement this Saturday afternoon

 

[May 15, 2020]  LINCOLN - Illinois Central College will host their virtual commencement ceremony this Saturday, May 16, at 2:00 p.m. While the online format may be different, the excitement to celebrate ICC students has never been more inspired.

To help graduates prepare for the celebration, ICC created and shipped “celebration boxes” to the nearly 400 students who chose to participate in the virtual ceremony. The boxes included their cap and tassel, diploma cover, commencement programs, alumni license plate, and other celebratory items.

Graduate Siobhan Decker just received her celebration box in the mail and said, “Although my graduation commencement won’t be as planned, it is still a special occasion. The celebration box ICC mailed to me was a wonderful surprise. It took away some of the disappointment of not being able to walk across the stage, and it made me excited for my graduation again.”

During the ceremony live stream, participating graduates will be recognized by a slide personalized with their name and program of study. Live remarks will also be made by ICC President Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey, and keynote speaker Kim Blickenstaff, local community developer and ICC alumnus.

“Illinois Central College realizes how important it is to recognize this major accomplishment of our students' success,” said ICC President Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey. “In addition to many of our students being first generation graduates, all of these students were challenged by a pandemic, many lost their jobs and struggled with the transition to virtual learning. And still, they achieved. They are resilient, they are tenacious and they need to be celebrated.”

The live stream will be available on the College’s website (icc.edu) and Facebook page (facebook.com/illinoiscentralcollege). A recording of the virtual ceremony will be available to share after with family and friends. Graduates will also have the option to participate in next year’s traditional commencement alongside the class of 2021.

For more information, contact [e-mail].   

[Kayla Thompson
Lead Coordinator,
Communications & Media Relations]