They ranged in age from 17 to 70, hailed from 14 different states, and shared one thing in common: the desire to utilize education to follow their flames toward brighter futures.
More than 1,300 students recently graduated from Delaware County Community College, earning associate degrees and/or certificates, in two separate commencement ceremonies at West Chester University’s Hollinger Field House.
The morning ceremony was for graduates of the Business, Computing & Social Science and Workforce & Economic Development divisions, and the afternoon ceremony was for those of the Allied Health and Nursing; Communication, Arts & Humanities; and STEM divisions. Presiding over the ceremonies were DCCC President Dr. Marta Yera Cronin and Dr. David Grossman, Chair of the college’s Board of Trustees.
The oldest graduate was Liberal Arts major Roland Sharpe, 70, of Upper Darby. The youngest was one of DCCC’s many high school dual enrollment students, some of whom earned their associate degrees prior to their high school graduations and will enter four-year colleges as sophomores and above.
“DCCC doesn’t just educate; the college sees you and shows up for you,” said student commencement speaker Dionne Harrison of Philadelphia. “It sees the parent, the career changer, the international student, the first-generation student, the student who thought it might be too late.”
Harrison, who majored in Communication Arts, was Vice President of Leadership for the Alpha Tau Epsilon chapter of DCCC’s Phi Theta Kappa, the national honor society for two-year colleges; Vice President of the college’s Black Student Union; and a member of DCCC’s New Media Lab. She also served as a peer mentor for her fellow students.
“After a 20-plus-year career in corporate America, a layoff, navigating divorce, and after becoming a full-time, single mom again, I came to DCCC and walked into classrooms, often as the oldest student in the room, quietly wondering: ‘What did I sign up for, and do I belong in this space?’” Harrison said. “I discovered that belonging isn’t about age; it isn’t about perfect timing. It’s about your flame.”
Among the college’s high school dual enrollment graduates were Thatcher Respicio, 18, of Downingtown, who graduated with an associate degree in Engineering, and Marcella Ballisty, 17, of Glenmoore, who finished her associate degree in Liberal Arts at DCCC in December 2025 — a full six months prior to her high school graduation.
The most represented majors in DCCC’s Class of 2026 were Business Administration, Nursing, Liberal Arts, Psychology, Science for Health Professions, and Early Childhood Education.
The mission of Delaware County Community College, which has locations in Marple Township, Downingtown, and Drexel Hill, is to facilitate learning by providing quality educational programs and services that are student-focused, accessible, comprehensive, and flexible.
