Merced College to honor graduates with virtual commencement video Friday

Merced College will honor its 2020 graduates virtually and with a commencement video that will be released noon Friday.

According to a new release, the tribute video will be viewable on Merced College’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube pages.

The college’s commencement ceremony, traditionally held annually in May at Don Odishoo Field, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friday’s video will include remarks by President Chris Vitelli, Board President Ernie Ochoa, a student speaker and special guests. Friday evening the stadium lights at Merced College will also be lit to honor the graduates.

“While this is not the celebration we had in mind for the class of 2020, we want each graduate to know how proud we are of your achievement,” Vitelli said in the release. “We will be celebrating our grads all week online and on social media. To honor the class of 2020, graduates will be invited to participate in a 2021 commencement ceremony.”

Merced Community College District will confer a total of 3,265 degrees or certificates for the 2019-20 academic year. Of those, 660 associate in arts, 490 associate in arts for transfer, 139 associate in science, 369 associate in science for transfer, 1,305 certificates of achievement, and 302 certificates of proficiency will be mailed out to graduates.

To celebrate the class of 2020, each of the 1,800 graduates will be mailed a gift box including a 2020 tassel, festive socks with the MC logo, an alumni sticker, and a commemorative letter from Vitelli and Ochoa.

Included among the graduates are 24 Superintendent’s Honors recipients who have completed at least 36 units at Merced College with a 4.0 grade point average in all other courses and colleges they have attended. There are an additional 316 Honors recipients who have completed 45 or more units at Merced College and maintained a 3.5 GPA.

“On behalf of the Merced College Board of Trustees, I would like to congratulate the class of 2020,” said Trustee Ochoa in the release. “This is a time where resilience shines through, and we could not be prouder of your successes as Merced College alum.”

Students are encouraged to share selfies with items from their gift boxes using the hashtag #MCgrad2020.

This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 1:12 PM.