James Lloyd enrolled at Pellissippi State Community College in 2004. But “life happened,” and Lloyd ultimately stopped attending. Twenty years later, he was one of hundreds to graduate with an associate degree from the college at its fall Commencement Ceremony on Friday, December 20, 2024.
Lloyd said he knew it was time to finish what he had started at Pellissippi State when his kids were grown and pursuing higher education themselves. To be at his commencement after a decades-long journey is really cool, said Lloyd, who is now enrolled at Bellevue University and studying behavioral science.
“It’s overwhelming,” Lloyd said before Pellissippi State’s Commencement Ceremony at World’s Fair Exhibition Hall in downtown Knoxville. “It’s like, ‘Wow, I’m really doing this. Finally.’ It’s been a great experience.”
Lloyd, who said he eventually wants to get his master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling, recalled with fondness his time at Pellissippi – and particularly his multiple study abroad programs in Slovakia, Hungary, Brazil, France and Ireland.
He was one of about 350 students to graduate from Pellissippi State this fall, each wearing a medallion to mark the college’s 50th anniversary and its continued legacy of learning, leading and serving.
Pellissippi State President L. Anthony Wise Jr. congratulated students on their many accomplishments and encouraged them to give a round of applause to their friends, family and faculty in the audience for helping them get to this moment.
“As you leave this place at this point in time, I hope you’ll have the opportunity to pursue your passion to the fullest, to share what you’ve learned with others, to make our community a better place to live and to help others along the way,” Wise said during the ceremony. “I hope if there’s ever anything that this college community can do for you, you’ll simply ask us.”
Commencement also included remarks from Regent Danni Varlan from the Tennessee Board of Regents, alumnus Tyler Neal and Clarice Phelps, nuclear engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and adjunct in Natural and Behavioral Sciences at Pellissippi.
Individual students were recognized for achievements in leadership, academics and more, before each graduate was awarded their degree to raucous applause. The day of celebration, which started with a Veteran’s Graduation and a Nursing Pinning Ceremony, ended on an emotional note as Pellissippi’s latest graduates became alumni.
One such graduate was Kevin Bridges, president of the National Society of Leadership and Success and Hardin Valley campus representative for the Student Government Association at Pellissippi.
“It sort of feels like I’m living a dream,” said Bridges, whose graduation fulfills a family legacy. His parents are not only alumni of Pellissippi State but also met at the college, and his older brother graduated from the college in 2020.
Bridges is transferring to East Tennessee State University to study business with a minor in public health, but said leaving Pellissippi State still feels bittersweet.
When asked what his favorite aspect of the college, Bridges talked about the community and abundance of resources available to students.
“And I say that because, wherever I was – whatever I needed – there was somebody with a smiling face ready to help me find it,” said Bridges, who also worked for more than two years in the college’s Academic Affairs Department. “I love Pellissippi,” he said.
Pellissippi State Community College is a public community college based in Knox and Blount counties in Tennessee and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college operates four campuses: Hardin Valley, Blount County, Strawberry Plains and Magnolia Avenue.
