Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College will hold two ceremonies honoring its summer 2023 graduates Thursday, July 25, on campus in the college’s Roquemore Auditorium.
The 2 p.m. ceremony will celebrate graduates of the college’s Medical Assisting, Physical Therapist Assistant and Radiologic Technology programs.
Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Business, Computer Technology, Criminal Justice, Education, Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Technology, and Healthcare Preparation program graduates will be honored at the 4 p.m. ceremony.
Karrie Powell, chief nursing officer of the Medical University of South Carolina in Orangeburg, is the keynote speaker for the 2 p.m. ceremony.
Powell has been a nurse for 23 years. She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Charleston Southern University and Master of Science in Nursing from University of Phoenix-Sacramento.
Powell is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and American Nurses Association, member and state executive representative for the American Organization of Nurses Executives, executive leader on the South Carolina State Board of Nursing, and serves on the board at the Dorchester Children’s Advocacy Center and advisory board for the High School for Health Professions.
Dr. Sherisse Jackson, an electrical engineering technology instructor at the college, is the keynote speaker for the 4 p.m. ceremony.
Jackson received her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Clemson University. She later earned a Master of Education degree from Columbia College and Doctor of Education degree from the University of South Carolina.
Jackson is a licensed professional engineer in South Carolina and North Carolina. She has designed electrical systems for architectural and civil projects such as water and wastewater treatment plants, and participated on the design team for emergency lighting at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Jackson was the 2020 winner of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate Dissertation in Practice of the Year Award. She is an editorial board member and publication assistant for CPED’s Impacting Education journal, and was awarded the 2022 Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching and Innovation Excellence at OCtech. She volunteers with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying and the National Science Foundation’s Black SciGirls Role Model Initiative.
Graduation tickets are required for admission. The ceremonies will be streamed live at octech.edu.
Fall classes begin Monday, Aug. 14. For more information and to apply, visit octech.edu or call 803.535.1234.
