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    Central Wyoming College graduates first Bachelor’s students

    Riverton & Jackson, WY — Thursday, May 5 through Saturday, May 7, 2022, Central Wyoming College will host four commencement and pinning ceremonies to honor 250-plus graduates from the 2021-2022 academic school year. This will be the first year that Central Wyoming College will be graduating students with bachelor’s degrees.

    “I am so extremely proud of how CWC quickly stood up bachelor’s programs to meet our community needs,” said CWC President Brad Tyndall. “This graduation is particularly near and dear to my heart. I’m proud of all our graduates, from certificates and associate degrees to our new bachelor’s.”

    The Nursing Pinning Ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, May 5, at 7 p.m. The Riverton commencement ceremonies will be held Friday, May 6. Arts and Sciences graduates will be honored at 4:30 p.m., and Business, Technical, Health, and Safety graduates will be honored at 7 p.m.  These events are open to the public and will be held in the Robert A. Peck Arts Center Theater.  The Jackson nursing pinning ceremony and commencement activities are scheduled for Saturday, May 7, at 1 p.m. in the National Museum of Wildlife Art.

    Nurses pinning ceremony

    The nursing pinning ceremony is a time-honored tradition that celebrates the accomplishments of graduates and welcomes new nurses into the profession. The May 5 ceremony will celebrate 21 graduates from the Riverton campus. Members of the public are welcome to attend. 

    On May 6, the Arts and Science ceremony begins at 4:30 p.m. This ceremony will feature speaker Shane Dawson, who completed her Associate of Science in Agri-business. While at CWC, Dawson also served as the Sentinel on the Wyoming FFA State Officer team.

    Dawson said her favorite part about CWC was getting the opportunity to develop close relationships with instructors. 

    “Each and every teacher at CWC has made sure I have every opportunity to succeed,” she said.

    Dawson is transferring to the University of Wyoming to pursue her bachelor’s degree in ag business with applied economics and a minor in communications. From there, she intends to pursue law.

    The second ceremony, which will honor Business, Technology, Health and Safety division graduates, begins at 7 p.m. This ceremony’s speaker is Kerrie Metcalf, who is one of the first four graduates of the college’s new baccalaureate program.

    “I am graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Management and Leadership,” Metcalf said. “It is exciting.”

    Metcalf is a member of Sigma Alpha Pi through CWC’s National Society of Leadership and Success chapter. She is a lifetime resident of Riverton and will celebrate her graduation with her husband and two sons. 

    While at CWC, Metcalf said she appreciated the support she received as a nontraditional college student.

    “CWC is centered on providing our community with opportunities to learn and grow,” she said. “No matter what your age is, you can always reach for new goals, and CWC has provided me with that opportunity by introducing the BAS program.”

    Metcalf intends to use her skills to pursue a career and further education. 

     “My goals are to work within the community to improve the lives of the developmentally delayed, and to pursue my master’s degree,” she said.

    Director for Bachelor of Applied Sciences Dr. Lael Noonan said she is impressed by Metcalf and her fellow graduates’ ability to overcome hardships imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

    “The class has demonstrated strength and perseverance in navigating this new program in the midst of unprecedented times,” Noonan said. “This pilot group has weathered tremendous storms, tenaciously pursuing their dreams of having a four-year degree. I couldn’t be prouder of them or this college.”


    Dr. Lael Noonan, Director for Bachelor of Applied Sciences

    “All of the faculty at CWC went above and beyond to ensure each student met their academic goals,” she said. “The level of academic rigor required to ensure competent bachelor’s level education is quite evident, and I’m thrilled for the opportunities this education will provide as our graduates.” 

    In addition to pinning the nine nursing graduates from the Jackson Campus, Director of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Amy Madera said the Jackson graduation ceremony on May 7 will honor a wide variety of achievements of graduates from her program.

    “Our graduates have excelled in hands-on curriculum and have earned national certifications including ServSafe Food Protection Managers and Training for Intervention Procedures while interning at our local businesses,” she said. “I hope to see our graduates mentoring our future students.”

    CWC-Jackson’s team of graduates also created “Cooking With Community: Mobile Teaching Kitchen Project. 

    All ceremonies are free and open to the public and will be streamed live by Wyoming PBS at https://www.youtube.com/c/WyomingPBS. Rustler TV will also have both on Spectrum Cable Channel 189.

    Last year’s ceremonies:


    With a mission to transform lives and strengthen communities through learning, leadership and connection, Central Wyoming College offers two bachelor’s degrees, 58 associate degrees and 10 certificates. The college includes the main campus in Riverton, an outreach center and the Alpine Science Institute in Lander, as well as outreach centers in Jackson and Dubois. Central Wyoming College is a designated Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institution (NASNTI) and serves the largest American Indian student population in Wyoming.

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