June 11, 2019

Media Contacts:
Libby Siebens, community relations executive director, 509-682-6436 (Mon. – Thurs.)
Erin Tofte-Nordvik, associate dean of campus life, equity and inclusion, 509-682-6868 (Wenatchee campus)
Cindie Martin, secretary supervisor, 509-422-7807 (Omak campus)

Wenatchee Valley College commencement ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, June 14, for the Wenatchee campus and Saturday, June 15, for the Omak campus. Nurses pinnings for both Wenatchee and Omak campuses are Friday, June 14, in Wenatchee.

The nurses pinning for students who have completed their associate degree in nursing for both campuses will take place at 1 p.m. on Friday at the Wenatchee High School auditorium, 1101 Millerdale Ave. The nurses pinning will be streamed live on the WVC Facebook page. Light refreshments will be served after the ceremony.

The Wenatchee commencement ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday at Apple Bowl Stadium, 1005 Orondo Ave. The Wenatchee graduation ceremony will be streamed live on the NCWLIFE channel and Facebook page.

The Omak campus commencement will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the Omak Performing Arts Center, 20 S Cedar St. The Omak graduation ceremony will be streamed live on the WVC Facebook page.

There will be street parking, parking in the Wenatchee High School parking lot and parking in the Triangle Park parking lot available for graduates and their guests. There will be a shuttle available for transportation to and from the high school parking lot. Students (including family/friends) with a physical disability may request a reserved spot at Pioneer Middle School by contacting the WVC Campus Life office (campuslife@wvc.edu) by June 13 at 12 p.m. Otherwise, the parking lot will be open to those with handicap placards on a space available basis.

Edgar Salamanca will give the Wenatchee commencement keynote address. Salamanca is currently the Program Assistant for the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at WVC. He graduated from WVC in 2015 and then transferred to Washington State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in business administration. Motivating students to continue their education in order to obtain a better life has been a lifelong goal of Salamanca’s. Being back in Wenatchee and giving back to the community that gave so much to him is a dream come true. 

William Layman is the guest speaker for the Omak ceremony. Layman is a local historian and educator and community activist. He has authored several ground-breaking books on the once wild and free Columbia River including “Native River; the Columbia Remembered,” and “River of Memory: The Everlasting Columbia.” Recently he co-authored “Red Star and Blue Star Defeat Spexman” with P’Squosa elder, Randy Lewis. His research into documenting numerous rock images of Central Washington stands as invaluable to the Plateau People. Layman’s interest in telling the broader story of our place includes: permanent historical sculpture installations, exhibitions for the Wenatchee Valley Museum, and a type of theater that, over a 10-year period, listened to, honored and rendered regional real-life stories enacted by improvisational actors and musicians.

For more information about the pinning and graduation ceremonies, visit wvc.edu/Graduation. 

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Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Visit our website, wvc.edu.