Heartland Community College Commencement set for May 19

 

[May 04, 2023] 

Heartland Community College’s annual commencement will be held at Grossinger Motors Arena at 6:30 p.m. on May 19, 2023.

The full ceremony will include graduate recognitions and remarks from Heartland President Keith Cornille, Board of Trustees Chair Becky Ropp and two student speakers.

The Heartland Commencement ceremony will be held at Grossinger Motors Arena (101 S. Madison St, Bloomington, IL). There are no restrictions on the number of guests who can attend to celebrate with graduates.

Grossinger Motors Arena will be enforcing a "clear bag policy" for all attendees. It is recommended that guests are informed in advance of this policy and also bring a clear bag for their belongings. Further details regarding the clear bag policy can be found at www.heartland.edu/graduation.

Two selected as student speakers

Commencement celebration will feature two student speakers who are graduating this spring.

Marlphonsia Kimbembe moved to the United States from Congo while only knowing how to speak French and signed for her first ESL class in 2015. Since then, she has not only become fluent in English, but also became employed full-time as a janitor, took care of her four children, and passed the test to become a U.S. citizen in 2019.

Marlphonsia will be completing her certificate in Construction Skills as a non-traditional student and transferring to Illinois State University for Construction Management.

Rodney Billerbeck II recently completed his term as the 2022-2023 Student Trustee, where he served as a contributing member to the Heartland Board of Trustees.

While at Heartland was also a Student Ambassador, as well as an active member of Professional Agricultural Students and Collegiate Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), winning national titles in both clubs.

Billerbeck, a native of Cullom, IL, is a graduate of Tri-Point High School and served as the 2019-20 Section 10 FFA President. In the fall, Billerbeck will be attending Illinois State University to pursue an Agricultural Business degree.

The Commencement ceremony will also stream online via the Heartland Facebook and YouTube pages.

[Steve Fast
Assistant to the President, Public Information and Communication
Heartland Community College]