With graduation just two weeks away, the excitement and expectations are high for many reasons.

New graduates are accepting positions with local companies or pursing an even higher level of education by going on to a four-year university.

It is official that with the Summer Semester starting on May 29, we are River Parishes Community College, Reserve Campus. Your very own Vo-Tech grew into a Technical College several years ago and here we are in 2018 as a full-grown Community College.

The added benefits to our local communities will be the Louisiana Transfer Degree opportunities.

Students looking forward to attending a four-year university will now have the option to earn their first degree right here at home. Many of those students can begin as early as ninth grade, while they are still attending high school classes.

In the Arts there are options for Business, Criminal Justice, Humanities or Social Science. Under the Transfer Degree for Science, there is Biological Science or Physical Science. These degrees transfer to four-year Louisiana universities.

Degree programs include Drafting & Design, General Studies, Industrial Instrumentation, Process Technology and Industrial Maintenance.

The technical side is as popular as ever and offers Diploma and Certifications in Business Administration, Medical Assistant, Electrical, A/C, Welding, Patient Care Technician and Nursing.

There will be a lot of activity on the campus in the coming months with new parking and landscaping at the new building. The new Welding shop will be breaking ground this Summer and we are looking for a January 2019 ribbon cutting.

The main campus is in line for a bit of a facelift and some maintenance to bring it more current.

It is an exciting time for all of us in the River Parishes, and the new educational opportunities that will be available right here at home.

Penelope Shumaker is Campus Dean for South Central Louisiana Technical College. She is at the Reserve Campus. Email her at penelopefreeman@ scl.edu.