BCC Holds First Workforce Programs Graduation
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— During Berkshire Community College's inaugural Workforce and Community Education graduation, scholars were asked, "Will you stay comfortable or will you grow?"
In the fall, 55 students completed training for careers such as emergency medical technician, phlebotomist, paraeducator, registered behavior technician, and community health worker. Their work was celebrated on Wednesday night in the college's Boland Theater.
Keynote speaker Michael Obasohan, Pittsfield's chief diversity officer, told the graduates not to let fear define their future; instead, let the future be determined by curiosity, courage, and purpose.
"At different times in our lives, we each reach intersections, not crossroads that are dramatic and obvious, but small moments that ask us questions," he said.
"Will you stay comfortable, or will you grow? I say, get uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable is when learning happens. It's when empathy shows up, and it presents understanding."
President Ellen Kennedy said choosing to step into a workforce program takes courage and commitment, and the college is deeply grateful to be trusted with students' time and goals. This first commencement reflects something intentional on the part of BCC, she said, which is a commitment to education that fits real lives and the needs of the community.
"We know that traditional pathways don't work for everyone, and they shouldn't have to. These programs were created by listening carefully to employers, students, and the community partners and by centering adult learners, working learners, and career-focused students, all of you," Kennedy said.
"As graduates, you are now ambassadors of what workforce education can be: practical, responsive, and transformative. Not only for yourselves, but for others who will follow your path."
The college has offered classes and training for many years, but this was the first gathering to celebrate the students' achievements in this way. Executive Director of Workforce and Community Education Linda Clairmont read the names of graduates while program managers Jessica Pemble and Tiffany Moreno handed out certificates.
Community health workers can use this training to apply for state certification after completing the required field work.
When Obasohan was preparing for this address, fear kept coming to his mind.
"With everything happening in our country today, that word just keeps ringing in my head over and over again. But fear shows up in different ways for different people. Fear of change, fear of trying something new, fear of starting a business, fear of applying for that job, fear of going back to school, and fear of standing up against injustice," he said.
"So you guessed it, my theme is, stop letting fear hinder your greatest potential. Today is not just a ceremony. Today is not just a celebration. It's a declaration. It's a declaration that each of you graduates decided at some point to step in front of fear instead of standing behind it."
Each student in the audience took a chance on themselves, he added, not just completing a program but building something new and becoming a milestone that connects education, workforce, and community in powerful ways.
Obasohan, who previously worked in higher education, including at BCC, explained that these programs were designed to provide skills that are "so desperately" needed in the workforce and will strengthen the local economy.
"You are not just graduating with theories. You are graduating to make an impact. An impact on our community and the people who live in it," he said.
"This is what it looks like when a college becomes the bridge between education and opportunity. When learning is not abstract but applied, when classrooms connect to careers, when students become contributors to the future of our community, and you are now a part of that bridge."
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