This June, I had the honor of presiding over Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s 2025 Commencement ceremony, at which we celebrated nearly 900 students who earned their degree or certificate. While I have attended many graduation ceremonies during my more than two decades at YVC, this year’s event was especially meaningful as my first Commencement serving as president. The laughter and tears of joy that our graduates shared with family and friends, the hugs and handshakes with the faculty and staff who supported them here at the college — watching our newest alumni celebrate their achievement with those closest to them reinforced for me the importance of Â鶹ÊÓƵ.
Our YVC community — students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends — is making the world better through the fearless pursuit of our mission. We strengthen our communities by supporting all our students along their learning journeys. Students like this year’s student speaker at Commencement, Jaspinder Kaur, who moved to the U.S. to pursue better educational opportunities and will be transferring from YVC to Central Washington University to continue her dream of becoming a doctor. We are an engine for socio-economic opportunity for alumni like Ann Marie Anderson (BASM ’24), now serving as human resources director for Astria Health in Sunnyside, who have achieved a better life thanks to what they have learned here and the relationships fostered during their studies.
In this issue of YVC Voice magazine, we are pleased to share additional stories of how the college continues making progress in our efforts to serve students holistically. One of our feature stories dives into the college’s recent efforts to support mental wellness for students. Another story highlights this spring’s Career & Transfer Fair, accompanied by numerous pre- and post-fair workshops, which brought dozens of local employers to campus to help students get a strong start to their professional careers.
I have no doubt that in the decades to come, the Yakima Valley and communities further afield will be more prosperous, healthy and vibrant thanks to our Class of 2025. If you have an opportunity in the months and years to come to support one of these graduates, whether in their career development or some other aspect of their life, I encourage you to do so. These small steps we take for one another are an important way to strengthen our YVC community and improve the lives of those around us.
Sincerely,
Teresa Rich, PhD
Interim President