More than 1,000 to earn diplomas during Columbus State’s commencement May 13

Campus News | Thursday, May 12, 2022

Ohio State University President Kristina Johnson will provide Columbus State Community College’s address to graduates during their Spring Semester Commencement ceremony. A total of 1,059 students will earn associate degrees this semester.

Amber Little says she is well on her way to a bachelor’s degree, having saved thousands of dollars by obtaining an associate degree at Columbus State. The 19-year-old student enrolled in 2020 as a College Credit Plus student in high school, earning 32 credits along the way. She finishes her Associate of Arts degree with money in the bank. “I would have been at a four-year university,” she says, “spending more money than necessary.” Little plans to transfer to Otterbein University to pursue a degree in Middle Childhood Education with an emphasis in math and social studies. 

Adonis Zaraa, 34, enrolled at the College in 2021 to work on an Associate of Applied Science in Electronic Engineering Technology. Zaraa recently passed an industry exam and is now a Certified Associate in Biomedical Technology. That certification led to a position as a Biomedical Electronics Technician in the Department of Clinical Engineering at the Ohio State University Medical Center; his new degree makes Zaraa eligible for the Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician exam. “That is the industry gold standard and accepted at nearly every hospital nationwide,” he says. “I am excited to see what doors this next step unlocks for me.”

Nesrin Jaber is one of those rare students earning a Columbus State degree ahead of their high school graduation. At just 18 years old, Jaber will receive her Associate of Arts degree on May 13, then graduate later this month from Pickerington High School North. Jaber says her family migrated here from Saudi Arabia in 2012. She says she wanted to make her parents proud, and the College Credit Plus program was one way to do that. “I dedicated my junior and senior years to earning high school and college degrees together,” she says. Jaber plans to transfer to the University of California-Davis to study biochemistry, molecular biology, and pursue a minor in professional writing.  

The commencement will be held on Friday, May 13 at 11 a.m. at the Celeste Center on the Ohio State Fairgrounds, 717 East 17th Ave., Columbus. The ceremony will be on this livestream.

 

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