Monroe County Community College graduates will be recognized during the 58th Annual Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 2 at 6 p.m. in the Gerald Welch Health Education Building, located at 1555 S. Raisinville Rd. in Monroe.
There are nearly 315 candidates for graduation.
Student addresses will be made by graduation candidates Elizabeth Anson and Mick Valentino. Each will be introduced by their faculty nominators who mentored them in the preparation of their remarks. Anson will be introduced by Edmund La Clair, associate professor of history, and Valentino will be introduced by Dr. Matt Bird-Meyer, professor of humanities.
Dr. Ken Mohney, professor of anthropology, has been awarded the position of honorary grand marshal for the ceremony. This traditional honor is peer-awarded and bestowed upon a full-time faculty member who is held in high academic and personal esteem for contributions to the institution. He will carry a ceremonial mace that was created and donated to the college by River Raisin Wood Carvers.
At the ceremony, the 2025 Alumnus of the Year Award will be presented to Helen Stripling, who earned her associate of applied science degree in respiratory therapy from MCCC in 2013 and also holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in creative writing from Bowling Green State University and a master of science degree in teaching and learning from Colorado State University.
Stripling has extensive experience working in the role of registered respiratory therapist and holds active RRT licenses in both Michigan and Ohio, and she is certified as an Adult Critical Care Specialist and in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, as well as an instructor in Basic Life Support.
She served as adjunct instructor of respiratory therapy at MCCC from 2013-2017 and as a full-time RT faculty member from 2017- 2022 and was nominated for the MCCC Outstanding Faculty of the Year all five years of her full-time teaching service. She was chosen as the RT Program Alumnus of the Year in 2018.
Stripling has been a critical member of the RT instructional team at MCCC that has been recognized by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care for exceptional program outcomes year after year, and under her leadership, a team of MCCC respiratory therapy students won the Michigan Sputum Bowl – a highly competitive quiz bowl-style tournament among college RT programs – in 2022 and 2024, qualifying MCCC to participate at the national level.
She has evidenced outstanding leadership skills through progressive administrative position appointments since starting as a full-time respiratory therapy faculty member, culminating in her current role as the dean of health sciences and director of respiratory therapy. In that role, she led the development of new programming, including associate of science degrees in Health Sciences with both applied and transfer tracks, an Emergency Medical Technician certificate, and a radiography technician program through the Educational Programs in Collaboration Consortium.
Stripling has been a key contributor for planning the upcoming Welch Health and Education Building renovation and expansion and was instrumental in negotiating an exceptional purchase price for state-of-the-art ventilators, saving the college tens of thousands of dollars and securing the exact types of equipment RT students will see and be expected to use in the field.
In a recent resolution by the Board of Trustees, the members stated that Stripling "is diligent in her support of students, colleagues and the college as a whole and is a woman of great character and integrity who exemplifies the best of Monroe County Community College."
Degrees will be conferred by MCCC President Dr. Kojo A. Quartey as the candidates are presented by Dr. Grace Yackee, vice president of instruction.
The Agora Chorale, conducted by Jonathon Lunneberg and accompanied by Nancy Honaker, will perform “Song to Tradition” by Ruth Elaine Schram. The College/Community Symphony Band, conducted by Mark Felder, will open the ceremony with Edward Elgar’s “Fanfare and Processional” (also known as “Pomp and Circumstance”) and conclude the program with “Fanfare and Recessional” by James Ployhar.
MCCC’s Board of Trustees includes: Chair Aaron Mason, Vice Chair Lynette Dowler, Secretary Nicole Goodman and trustees Julie Edwards, Linda Roberts, Kristy Svatek-Whitson and Mary Kay Thayer.
About Monroe County Community College
Founded in 1964, Monroe County Community College is a public, two-year institution supported by tax monies from Monroe County, educational funds from the State of Michigan and student tuition. The college’s mission is to enrich lives in our community by providing opportunity through student-focused, affordable, quality higher education and other learning experiences. The Main Campus is located at 1555 South Raisinville Road, Monroe, Mich., 48161, with easy access to Toledo and Detroit. The Whitman Center is located in Temperance, Mich., 48182, near the Ohio-Michigan Border. Detailed information about MCCC is available at www.monroeccc.edu.
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