Ceremony Honors Graduates

November 11, 2009
By Mass Communication Specialist
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Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (Sw) Mark Logico

Commander, Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) - Navy College Pearl Harbor (NCPH) recognized more than 60 service members from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard who have made educational achievements in the past year at Sharkey’s Theater aboard Naval Station Pearl Harbor Oct 29.

More than 445 service-members in Navy Region Hawaii, including the 60 recognized at Pearl Harbor, have either earned a degree or a United Services Military Apprenticeship Program certificate in 2009.

“A lot of our Sailors graduate from distance learning schools, so they never get a chance to walk and get recognized,” said Fabiola Hurtado De Mendoza, an NCPH educational adviser. “This is the perfect chance for them to do that.”

During the recognition ceremony, Aviation Maintenance Administrationman 3rd Class (AW) Timothy Glenn was selected to speak on behalf of all the graduates.

“It feels great [to earn a degree],” said Glenn. “Now I have a ton of opportunities. If I want I can put in a package for an officer. I can further my education for a master’s degree. This is something that I can take with me for the rest of my life.”

Glenn joined the Navy June 7, 2006 and deployed to Iraq for seven months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While serving in Iraq, Glenn successfully completed 18 college credit hours.

“It was challenging because of the environment that I was in at the time,” said Glenn. “There were several rocket attacks and bombings at the base that I worked, not to mention the fact that we were working 12 hours a day, pretty much everyday.”

Glenn earned his Bachelor of Arts in music from Thomas Edison State College headquartered in Trenton, N.J., Sept. 11, 2009.

NCPH Director, Bill Mc-Cormick, a retired master chief petty officer, joined the Navy in 1973. Mc-Cormick related how difficult the challenge is for any Sailor to obtain a degree while serving in the military.

“Being a former Sailor who was the only one in my family who got an associate’s, bachelor’s and a master’s degree, I really felt moved being allowed to be recognized for those achievement,” he said.

“It’s extremely important, because these are such great milestones for us. I know in my own case, I started my education in 1978, and I didn’t complete my bachelor’s degree until 2004,” continued Mc-Cormick. “That is a heck of a lot time.”