On May 15, 2025, MICC College seniors gathered with their friends, families, supporters, and other MICC participants to celebrate a major milestone: Graduation!
This culmination of their three-year journey at MICC began with a pizza party at Woodlake, before boarding a shuttle to the big event at Best Buy headquarters. The evening began with a reception featuring their Senior Spotlights and the opportunity to chat with their guests before it was time to get their gowns on and line up!
CEO Amy Gudmestad opened the ceremony with a speech, encouraging the graduates to honor their efforts, “Graduates, tonight marks an incredible achievement. You’ve worked hard, stayed committed, and grown in ways that will shape your life for years to come. Take pride in this moment—you’ve earned every bit of it.”
Lead ILS and Wellness Instructor Nicole Ogren delivered this year’s commencement address, sharing, “I have had the privilege and honor of being part of this journey with all of you. Watching you learn and grow in the most beautiful ways. From our first move-in, deep cleans, and every step in between; the smiles, the tears, the laughs, the stumbles, and the amazing victories. How far you’ve come is even more pronounced in the smiles and love filling this room tonight.” Her speech was followed by a video slideshow displaying photos from their very first week on campus back in 2022!
The Class of 2025 chose Zach as their class speaker, who shared wonderful memories and reflections on their experiences, “Looking back, the event that started us all on this journey was the day we went swimming together at a beach. This was when we first started to get to know each other. I would have never guessed that 3 years later we would all be as close as we are! Remembering this makes me feel very happy and proud of how far we have come as a group.”
One-by-one, each graduate took the stage to share their own speech of memories, achievements, and gratitude. Then, it was time to graduate! Walking across the stage, each graduate received their MICC diploma and their Century College career certificate, pausing for a celebratory photo. Chief Program Officer Anna Hilfers closed out the ceremony, “And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for…Graduates, please rise and turn to face your loved ones. Before we officially celebrate, let’s mark this important moment: Please move your tassel from the right side of your cap to the left. This simple gesture shows the world—you are now a graduate!”
Caps flew into the air and the graduates marched out to the tune of “Pomp and Circumstance,” diplomas in hand, to take photos and celebrate with loved ones.
Thank you to all the families, friends, and MICC supporters who joined us to celebrate our graduates. And thank you to all staff who coordinated and participated in the ceremony, including our incredible Transition and Resource team, Jena and Logan.
We would also like to add a special acknowledgement to Best Buy. Best Buy once again partnered with MICC to host our graduation ceremony and provided wonderful volunteers to help make this event special. Thank you, Best Buy, for your continued support of MICC! And thank you to Coppersmith Photography for these amazing graduation photos!
