Commencement Ceremony for Motlow Smyrna Students to Occur at 4 p.m. May 5

         SMYRNA -- Motlow Smyrna students will participate in the 48th annual Commencement during a ceremony at 4 p.m. May 5 (Saturday) inside Nisbett Center on the Moore County campus.

         Incoming President Dr. Michael L. Torrence will preside over the ceremonies, with Krissy DeAlejandro, executive director of tnAchieves, serving as guest speaker.

         According to the Motlow office of Admissions and Records, more than 1,100 Motlow students have applied to graduate, making up the largest graduating class in the history of the college. Moore County and Fayetteville campus students will graduate at 10 a.m. Students from the McMinnville campus and the Nursing class will graduate at 1 p.m. The day will end with Smyrna campus students receiving their degrees.

Krissy DeAlejandro, executive director of tnAchieves

         As the leader of the partnering organization for Tennessee Promise, DeAlejandro’s work through tnAchieves has contributed to enrollment increases and student outcomes for Motlow and other community colleges throughout Tennessee. The overwhelming majority of these students are the first in their families to attend college. Raised in a small town in rural Tennessee, Krissy herself is the first in her family to attend college. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of the South in Sewanee and pursued her master’s degree and doctorate at the University of Tennessee, where she began teaching at age 24.