Over 150 students will receive degrees or certificates at Kaua‘i Community College’s 2006 Commencement Exercises on Friday starting at 6:15 p.m. at the KCC Performing Arts Center. KCC Fall 2005 and Spring 2006 graduates, as well as Kaua‘i distance-learning University
Over 150 students will receive degrees or certificates at Kaua‘i Community College’s 2006 Commencement Exercises on Friday starting at 6:15 p.m. at the KCC Performing Arts Center.
KCC Fall 2005 and Spring 2006 graduates, as well as Kaua‘i distance-learning University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, and University of Hawai‘i n West O‘ahu baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate graduates will be honored.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for those with tickets, and at 6 p.m. any remaining seats will be available to those without tickets. A live video feed of the ceremonies can be viewed at the KCC Cafeteria.
The evening’s keynote speaker will be Keith Olsen, president of Pogologo Productions Corporation, a music production company. Olsen, a record producer, has been in the pop and rock music industry for 25 years and has produced over 120 albums, of which one in four were later certified Gold or better. Olsen still produces several albums per year and gives his time and energy to The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the NARAS Producers and Engineers Wing. He is actively involved with the Hawaiian music scene and authored the Hawaiian music Grammy proposal. He recently arranged, produced, and engineered Na Leo’s album, “Feel the Spirit.” Na Leo is one of Hawai‘i’s top female groups. He currently serves as Trustee of the Recording Academy, Pacific NW Chapter, and is also on the Awards and Nominations Committee, Producers and Engineers Steering Committee, and Producers and Engineers Advisory Council.
Together, KCC graduates Elizabeth Kane and Lisa McDown will be the 2006 student speakers. Elizabeth Kane, a Liberal Arts major and student government leader, has been actively involved with the Associated Students of the University of Hawai‘i-KCC throughout her KCC career and is currently the ASUH-KCC secretary. In addition to serving the students of KCC, Kane is a member of the Leadership Club, the Rotaract Club, and the College’s honor society, Phi Theta Kappa. She is a Spanish tutor and also finds time to volunteer at the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge. Kane will be transferring to the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa campus in the fall where she plans to major in biology with a concentration in marine biology and minor in speech. Her ultimate goal is to attend law school and specialize in environmental law. She hopes to return to Kaua‘i and become involved in the protection of the Hawaiian environment and ecosystems.
A former blackjack dealer for 15 years in Lake Tahoe, Lisa McDown began her college career at KCC after her high school son signed up for the Running Start program at the college. McDown, a Liberal Arts major, will remain on Kaua‘i and enter the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Statewide Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education program in the summer. She is also actively involved with the Koloa Missionary Church youth group, golfs in her free time, and is a professional cheerleader at her children’s sporting events. After earning her elementary education degree, McDown would like to get a Master’s degree in counseling and guidance and become a counselor at an elementary school.
