The programs ranged from emergency medical technician to computers to commercial drivers. See more photos here.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College Workforce and Community Education graduates were encouraged to be all they can be on Wednesday.
Graduates, families, friends, and staff gathered in Boland Theatre to celebrate around 100 graduates who completed a variety of courses.
They included community health worker, emergency medical technician, phlebotomy technician, registered behavior technician, AI fundamentals, Commercial Drivers License Class A and B, CompTIA Tech-plus, para educator, and English for Speakers of Other Languages.
College President Ellen Kennedy said it was amazing that this might be her last public speaking event before her tenure comes to an end.
She acknowledged the diverse reasons for their studies including career advancement and personal growth, commending their vulnerability and dedication.
"Some of you explored AI, some of you improved your English speaking in really important ways, and the reason that each of you is here is because you decided to put your heart and soul to get vulnerable to do something that might have felt a little bit uncomfortable," she said. "And you did it, and we are so incredibly proud of you, and so happy to be here tonight, celebrating you."
Keynote speaker Shirley Edgerton, founder of Rites of Passage and Empowerment (ROPE) encouraged the graduates to reflect on their accomplishments and look forward to the future.
"Only after you have truly savored this moment, should you ask yourself, how do I want to further my career? What is it that I truly want to do next?" she said. "As you look to the future, be bold, be humble. Being humble does not mean downplaying your talents or diminishing your worth. Never diminish your life. Own your journey, own your success, and always do what is right for you."
She also told them to embrace their intelligence and the importance of lifelong learning sharing examples of famous late career success as well as young career success.
"A few strategies to connect or reconnect to the excitement of learning is to seek out topics, books, or projects that align with your personal interests and lived experiences, engage in discussions or share what you've learned, or study in groups to foster social connection," Edgerton said. "Finding your place in the world can occur at any age."
She ended with the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost.
Kennedy wished the graduates the best with the continuation of their journeys.
"I wish you that this is perhaps the first step in a journey that you're taking with Berkshire Community College, or in the field that you've chosen, and you inspire each and every one of us. Your stories have been shared in some cases to inspire others."
She hoped they may have inspired people in the theater to continue their education.
"So, I hope if you were in this audience tonight, and you started and had to pause, or you've been thinking, 'Is this the right next step for me,'" she said. "That you will be inspired to be over here the next time we do this event, wearing one of those beautiful white stoles, and being celebrated by family, friends, by the college, and by our community."
Executive Director of Workforce and Community Education Linda Clairmont presented the certificates.
Health care and social services certificates were presented by program manager Tiffany Moreno; education, IT, and trades certificates by program manager Jessica Sheehan; and English for Speakers of Other Languages certificates by program coordinator Ana Suffish.
Class of 2026 Graduates:
HEALTHCARE AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Community Health Worker: Na'Oshi Ollie Adekunjo, Soren Bouchard, Mariana Cardena Orozco, Destiny Cartagena, Daily Micaela. Carlos Quintanilla Gilligan, Carl Sain Vil, Kelvin Toro, Eleanor Troske
Emergency Medical Technician: Isaac Bowles, Hunter Briggs, Michelle Dowling, Cody Doyle, Amanda Filiault, Taylor Fiske, Joshua Kelly, Brad Lepicier, Olivia Miranda-Brasil, Rune Ritcher, Steven Soldato, Benjamin Westlake
Registered Behavior Technician: Jazmin Baskin, Caitlyn Caporale, Gabrielle Connors, Limoges Dauray-Strange, Caroline Fontana Troian, Aisha Gardner, Jennifer Victor, Naomi Vieu-Holloway, Kristen Ward, Derek Wood, Lisa Wright
EDUCATION, IT AND TRADES
Al Fundamentals: Masachs Boungou, Jazmin Bowland, Alex Cordero, Favio Mariduena, Karl Myers, Ivan Piraquive Torres
Commercial Driver's License (Class A): German Eduardo Hernandez Perdomo, Scott Hunter, Eamonn Percy, Nicholas Puntin, Jose Rosario, Brandon Senner, Jeffrey Shea
Commercial Driver's License (Class B): Richard Adamczyk, Austin Delgado, Tarik El-Hilali, Gabriel Fahey, Huntter Hathaway, Noah Hunter, Eric Keefner, Jonathan Miller, James Rivers, Kerry Robinson, Kristen Storer, Louis Tellone
CompTIA Tech-plus: Haze Brown, Shaun Knysh, Dominic Lannan, Robby Larke, Aidan Lyman, Prince Owusu, Jacob Reilly, Devin Reynolds
ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES: Mayra Armijos, Andrés Barrera, Edison Bravo-Saldana, Yuzhen Chen, Alberto Ramon Coronel Gonzalez, Jian Chao Gao, Indunil Hitihame Mudiyanselage, David Melchor, Maria Jose Ortega Zapata, Akemi Parra Palacios, Ricardo Oliver Santillan Garcia
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Pittsfield Council Says 'Yes' to Soccer at Crane Park
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
The pitch will have the logos of the city and the US. and Massachusetts soccer associations.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is gladly accepting a "mini-pitch" from the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring games back to Crane Park.
Fueling excitement around the World Cup, U.S. Soccer has been working with the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League to make these facilities available to 20 communities — one of which will be at the park at the intersection of Benedict Road and Springside Avenue.
The City Council accepted the gift on Tuesday during its regular meeting.
A mini pitch is a compact, modular field typically used for soccer, and it can also accommodate inline skates. It has a galvanized steel border with built-in goals and a rubber plastic surface that is clicked together; installed on the existing inline hockey court.
Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he has gone door to door speaking with nearby residents, and they are "really excited" about the upgrade. He also sees it as a great addition.
"They say that nobody really uses the court a ton now, and they are excited to see kids back on there playing," he said.
Decades ago, the Crane Park facility was a wading pool. It closed in 1980, and before the turn of the century, it was filled in and marked for hockey.
Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained that the wooden border around the rink is showing its age, has been vandalized and tagged, and the facility is seeing a "real decline" in use.
"This would seem to be an appropriate spot for us to remove the board system that's in place and install the mini pitch system through this grant," he said.
Pittsfield High School has announced the students who will speak at graduation ceremonies on Sunday, June 14, at 4 p.m. at Tanglewood in Lenox. click for more
The ceremony took place under a large tent behind the Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Arts Center on the School's Holmes Road campus and was broadcast worldwide via Zoom. click for more
