Arapahoe Community College will celebrate two commencement ceremonies again this year at the Orchard Road Christian Center. The traditional commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 15, will begin at 9:30 a.m. Commencement ceremonies for the GED program will begin at noon.

During the traditional graduation ceremony, Deb Stieneker, ACC faculty member of the year, will give the keynote address. Haley Ruybal, a First Generation Scholar, will speak on behalf of the students. Allan Stone, Chaplain at VFW 4666, will give the invocation. About 200 students will participate in the ceremony.

During the GED ceremony, Dusty Autumn Reins, who received a GED from ACC, will speak, and the invocation will be given by Native American Elder, Phillip Gates.

Deb Stieneker, Communications Instructor and former Communications Chair at Arapahoe Community College, was recognized as the ACC faculty member of the year during the February 10, 2010, meeting of the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education. Stieneker came to ACC in 1994 as a communications instructor and has been at the College for 16 years. For 9 years, she served as Chair of the Communications and Speech Department. She also has taken a lead role in the strategic planning process, as faculty associate for the ACC Center for Professional Development and has served on numerous committees.

As a First Generation Scholar, Ruybal receives a scholarship to attend ACC. The scholarships assist students who are first in their family to attend college but have the commitment and motivation to pursue a degree or certificate. The scholarship provides up to $800 per semester for each recipient enrolled in at least 12 hours. Recipients must maintain a 2.0-grade-point average and complete all coursework with a “C” or better for the scholarship to continue from semester to semester.

GED Commencement Speaker Dusty Autumn Reins received her GED from ACC on April 20. She had been in the construction business and wants to pursue her dream job in criminal justice and forensics. She has enrolled to continue her education at ACC in the fall.

Reins said she enjoyed her experience at ACC. “It’s been wonderful,” she said. “Never in my dreams did I expect these things to happen to me. I wanted an accredited college, it’s close to home and the credits can carry over. It’s beyond my dreams. I’m really excited.”

Orchard Road Christian Center is at 8081 E. Orchard Road, Greenwood Village. The Center is a tan building on the north side of Orchard Road, just west of I-25.

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