MDC To Host Commencement Ceremonies For 2019-20 Graduates On Dec. 12

Graduates, get your regalia ready—it’s time to celebrate.

Miami Dade College announced this week that it will host five commencement ceremonies  on Dec. 12 for students who graduated during the 2019-20 academic year.

The ceremonies will take place outdoors at the North and Kendall Campuses. The specific locations where the graduations will take place have not been decided.

To ensure social distancing, only graduates, the College’s Board of Trustees, and select faculty and administrators will participate. Family and friends of students will be allowed to watch via a live stream (the link will be provided at a later date).

“The word ‘commencement’ means a beginning, and it is the beginning of great things when people have their degrees in hand at Miami Dade College,” said the College’s Director of Communications Juan Mendieta. “They’re either going to continue their studies at another institution or they’re going to enter the workforce and that’s obviously a cause for celebration.”

Here are the ceremonies scheduled at North Campus, 11380 N.W 27th Ave.:

• North Campus students will start their commencement ceremony at 8 a.m. 
• The Wolfson and Medical Campuses will have a joint ceremony at 2 p.m. 
• Students at the Eduardo J. Padrón and Hialeah Campuses will graduate at 7 p.m.

These are the ceremonies that will take place at Kendall Campus, 11011 S.W. 104th St.:

• A joint ceremony for the Homestead and West Campuses will start at 10 a.m. 
• Kendall Campus students will graduate at 4 p.m.

Students who graduated during the Fall 2019, Spring 2020, and Summer 2020 semesters are eligible to participate. The College will send a survey via email to eligible graduates so they can indicate whether they plan to attend. 

Regalia will be available at campus bookstores or student life departments about three weeks prior to the ceremony. 

On graduation day, attendees will undergo a temperature check upon entering the campus. They must wear face masks and stay six feet apart from other participants at all times. Hand sanitation stations will be available throughout the venue.

Campus graduations, which usually include music and performances, will be scaled back. If coronavirus conditions do not improve, students won’t get the opportunity to shake the president’s hand as they cross the stage during the ceremony.

Information about the ceremonies’ speakers and honorees will be released at a later time. 

“This is one of my favorite days of the year,” said North Campus Dean of Students Georgette Perez. “It celebrates student accomplishment. We look forward to celebrating with all of our students because these are very important milestones and achievements.”