Tri-C Spring Commencement Celebrates Nearly 1,700 Graduates

Ceremony for Class of 2025 takes place May 16 at Wolstein Centerer

CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C^®) will celebrate the academic achievements of nearly 1,700 petitioning graduates during its Spring Commencement on Friday, May 16, at 3 p.m.

The College will confer 1,892 degrees and certificates of completion this spring. The graduate total reflects the ongoing impact of the College's programs and initiatives to keep students on the path to completion. The ceremony will be available for viewing on Tri-C's Commencement web page.

Tri-C President Michael A. Baston, J.D., Ed.D., reminded graduates that Commencement, while celebrating a milestone achievement, looks forward to what comes next.

"We're focused on the spectacular power each of them has to take their degrees, certificates and newfound knowledge to create something new," Baston said. "A new career, a new life, a new future for themselves, their families and their communities."

Baston also told graduates that their college achievements are different from other levels of education because they are motivated to be there.

"The decision to attend college is theirs alone," he said. "Once they make that decision to attend college, it is because they are motivated to succeed, they are passionate about learning, and they are driven to achieve."

Valentina Sánchez Rodríguez, a Euclid resident, was selected by her classmates as the student speaker. Sánchez Rodríguez, who will graduate with an Associate of Applied Business and a Certificate of Proficiency from the School of Creative Arts, will continue her academic journey at Cleveland State University, where she plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in general business.

An international student from La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, Sánchez Rodríguez has become an active and engaged member of the campus community, taking on leadership roles in various organizations. She has served as the vice president of the Multicultural Club, a member of the Film Club, a student assistant at the Student Production Office and a senator for the Student Government at the Metropolitan Campus. She was also in the Honors Program, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Scholars Academy and the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Read more about Sánchez Rodríguez and other high-achieving graduates on the College's Commencement Graduate Stories web page.

The College will posthumously award two honorary degrees to Bill Burges and Charlene Moskal-Burges.

Bill Burges served as the Tri-C vice president for development, dean of instruction and director of strategic planning. He also coined the College's tagline, "Where futures begin.^SM" While at Tri-C, he met Charlene, his wife and business partner for 40 years. Charlene launched the College's communications systems, founded its Theatre program, designed the Metropolitan Campus Auditorium, and led initiatives in educational TV and international academic partnerships.

The couple helped establish the media center and scholarship fund in Bill's mother's memory, providing a path to higher education for many.

In 1983, they cofounded Burges & Burges Strategists, becoming Ohio's go-to firm for public policy and political strategy. Bill led nearly 20 successful levy campaigns for Tri-C and was instrumental in securing billions in public funding for education, libraries, parks and transportation. Charlene mentored clients and colleagues with passion and purpose, leaving a lasting mark on civic progress.

This semester's Commencement ceremony will take place at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center, located at 2000 Prospect Ave. in Cleveland.

May 16, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: Anthony Moujaes, 216-987-3068 or anthony.moujaes@tri-c.edu