‘It is never too late to follow your dreams’: 303 graduate from Colorado Mountain College Vail Valley at Edwards
Graduates at Friday's ceremony spoke of hard work and the reward of committing to a yearlong educational journey
Madison Rahhal/Special to the Vail Daily
Education is a lifelong journey at Colorado Mountain College Vail Valley at Edwards. While the message may have originated from the university’s leadership, it was embodied by the 303 students that earned degrees from the school during Friday’s graduation ceremony at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek’s Ford Hall.
Graduates from the college’s summer 2024, fall 2024 and spring 2025 bachelor’s and associate’s programs, including 12 local high school students participating in the concurrent-enrollment program, received their degrees, walked across the stage in front of a standing-room only crowd of family, friends, teachers and supporters.
Marc Brennan, Colorado Mountain College Vail Valley at Edwards’ campus vice president and dean, presided over the ceremony.
“Graduates, today is a day to remember,” Brennan said. “Today is also the day that we bestow upon you a new title that we know you will wear with pride: Alumni of Colorado Mountain College.”
Students reflect on years of hard work, celebrate commitment to educational dreams
As students walked across the stage, each was given the opportunity to say a few words to the audience. Most of the students thanked their families, friends and teachers for supporting them through years of hard work.
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Some students provided insight into their educational experience. One student studied for nine years to earn his degree, while others raised children, supported family members living abroad, and had family members pass away in the course of their studies.
After a brief blackout midway though the ceremony, one student thanked the “lighting and sound guy, because this would’ve been a lot less impressive, and I’ve waited a long time for this,” said Benjamen Hawf, who earned his associate of general studies degree.
Davide Settembre, who earned addiction specialist and technician certificates, thanked the CMC faculty. “They taught me the difference between marking my career with what I gained and measuring my life with what I’ll be able to give back,” Settembre said.
Paula (Gaby) Garcia, the student speaker, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and early childhood on the education pathway.
A preschool teacher, wife and mother on top of her studies, Garcia spoke in both English and Spanish about the worthwhile challenge of returning to her studies after taking time off at age 19. “Dreams don’t disappear. They wait, patiently, for us to return,” Garcia said. “It is never too late to follow your dreams.”
Garcia encouraged her fellow graduates to thank themselves for the work they put in and the challenges they surmounted to earn their degrees. “We each have our own journey, our own setbacks, our own doubts, but here we are: We made it this far, and I hope this is not the end to many of our own journeys,” Garcia said. “No matter where life takes you, you are not defined by how fast you got there. You are defined by the fact that you did it.”
‘Use your powers for good,’ keynote speaker asks of students
Chris Romer, president of Colorado Mountain College’s board of trustees and president and CEO of the Vail Valley Partnership, delivered the keynote speech.
Romer compared the graduates to superheroes, pointing out that, like each superhero has their unique traits, the knowledge the students gained and the challenges they faced during their time at Colorado Mountain College gave them super-strengths, too. “What better place than right here, in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, to celebrate the heroes that you have become?” Romer said.
Romer told the graduates that they were bridge-builders, an asset in a world in which some people respond to fear by putting up walls. “Keep forging those connections as you step into your future,” he said.
“Now, it’s time to use your powers for good,” Romer said.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, under Brennan’s guidance, the graduates moved the tassels on their graduation caps, then threw the caps at the ceiling to celebrate their accomplishments.
Students streamed out of Ford Hall through a congratulatory tunnel made by Colorado Mountain College leadership and the teachers that got them to the finish line. In the warm spring air at the base of Centennial Lift, the sun set behind the mountains around families, friends and students embracing, taking photos and sharing stories of their journeys.
