South Georgia Technical College will be honoring all 2020 graduates with a special Drive-Thru graduation ceremony on Thursday, December 10th at 6 p.m. Both the Spring 2020 and Fall 2020 graduations had to be adapted due to the Coronavirus. A video showing a demonstration of how the SGTC Drive-Thru celebration will look is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhju1QpYR68&t=23s&ab_channel=SouthGeorgiaTechnicalCollege.
All 2020 South Georgia Technical College graduates are invited to participate in the Drive-Thru graduation ceremony which will allow students to exit their vehicles and have their diploma covers presented by SGTC President Dr. John Watford. The SGTC marketing department will be taking photos and preparing a video of the Drive-Thru ceremony which will be made available through the college website at www.southgatech.edu and on the college’s social media accounts.
Graduates who would like to be recognized in this Drive-Thru graduation ceremony need to make sure they have completed their course work and have applied for graduation with SGTC registrar Kari Bodrey at kbodrey@southgatech.edu by November 6th so caps and gowns can be ordered. All 2020 graduates will receive a special SGTC 2020 survivor t-shirt, SGTC masks and an SGTC alumni sticker. Graduates will be notified when to come to SGTC to pick up caps, gowns and other graduation items.
Graduates can have as many family members in their vehicle as they would like. Graduates are also asked to have someone drive their vehicle while they sit in the front passenger seat. Graduates can decorate their vehicles.
All vehicles will be asked to arrive at 5:30 p.m. and enter through Opportunity Avenue. All other entrances will be blocked. Students should be dressed completely in cap and gown on arrival. Students will check in at a registration table in front of the SGTC gymnasium and receive a graduation card and final instructions.
Campus safety will direct cars to the gym area where graduates will check in with the Registrar office personnel. Campus safety will line up the vehicles in the gym parking lot and lead the graduate parade down Transportation Drive to Lindbergh Avenue to the circle area in front of the John M. Pope Center. The graduation ceremony will be held underneath the Jet in the center roundabout area.
SGTC President Dr. John Watford, SGTC Vice President of Academic Affairs David Kuipers and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Vanessa Wall will be waiting in the center roundabout to call the graduates name and present them with the SGTC Diploma cover. No bystanders will be allowed but family members can watch their graduate from the car.
SGTC faculty and staff will sit in socially distanced chairs in the sidewalk area around the Odom Center to cheer on their graduates. Students will exit their cars two car lengths before the graduation area, hand their card to the announcer and then walk down the red carpet to SGTC President Dr. John Watford.
A photo of the graduate will be taken with SGTC President Dr. John Watford and made available at no charge for download from the SGTC website and social media. Once the diploma cover has been presented, the students will exit the sidewalk to the left where they will be picked up by their car and family or friends.
The college virtual graduation video will offer words of encouragement from President Dr. John Watford, SGTC 2020 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year Dorothea McKenzie, and Vice President of Academic Affairs David Kuipers. The graduate’s photo and name will be called out with their program of study for completion of degree or diploma. Honor graduates will also be recognized.
To be included in the Drive-Thru ceremony, graduates are asked to contact SGTC Registrar Kari Bodrey at kbodrey@southgatech.edu so caps and gowns can be ordered.
