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JCC Announces Keynote Speaker for 59th Commencement
Ceremony
Published: May 15, 2023 at 06:00
p.m.
By: Press Release from Jefferson Community College
JCC Announces Keynote
Speaker for 59th Commencement Ceremony
Jennifer Hayes, Alumna and Underwater Photographer
with National Geographic Magazine
 Jefferson Community College (JCC) will
hold its 59th Commencement Ceremony for May 2023 and
August 2023 candidates for graduation on Friday, May 19, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. Jennifer Hayes,
Class of 1981, of Clayton, will deliver the keynote address.
Hayes is a widely
recognized contributing photographer, author, and speaker for National
Geographic Partners who has been awarded multiple awards for her work
focused on marine environments. She has spent more than 11,000 hours
submerged beneath the surface of interior Africa, local ponds, the Pacific
and both polar regions. Her current assignments are rewilding zebra sharks,
harp seals as a face of climate change and coral through the lens of time.
Hayes is a recipient of the SUNY Environmental Science & Forestry
President’s Medal for Natural History, a trustee of the Shark Research
Institute, Explorer Club National Fellow, honorary editor and contributor
for Ocean Geographic magazine and principal photographer
for Elysium Artists for Antarctic, Arctic Expeditions and Coral Triangle
Expeditions. Her work has been featured on NPR, CNN, ABC Good Morning
America, ABC World News Tonight, National Geographic TV, Wild and Disney
Channel.
In addition to
holding an associate degree from Jefferson, Hayes also holds a bachelor’s
degree from SUNY Potsdam, a master’s degree from the University of Maryland
(College Park) and doctoral research on sturgeons at SUNY College of
Environmental Science and Forestry. She resides in Clayton with her husband
and National Geographic photographer, David Doubilet.
They co-own UnderSea Images, Inc. with the focus
on connecting people to the miracle of our planet.
The student
commencement speaker is Kerry M. Elliott, Watertown. Elliott received her
teaching assistant certificate in December 2022 and is graduating with her
associate in arts (A.A.) degree in humanities and social sciences. She
embarked on a ten year career as a dental
assistant before seeking a change and enrolling at Jefferson to earn her
college degree. Elliott demonstrates a strong commitment to her coursework earning President’s List honors and
maintaining a 3.9 GPA at Jefferson. She is a member of the JCC writer’s
room club and penned a nonfiction short story titled “Red Maple Leaf” that
was printed in the College’s 2023 literary journal, Black River
Review, and earning her an Outstanding Creative Writing Contribution
Award from the School of Arts and Humanities. After graduation, she
anticipates pursuing a non-teaching career in the education field.
The ceremony will
take place in the McVean Student Center Gymnasium at 7:00 p.m. and will be
video-streamed on the College’s website, www.sunyjefferson.edu beginning
at 6:45 p.m. Approximately 248 students are eligible to graduate from
Jefferson upon successful completion of degree requirements. Participating
in Jefferson’s commencement exercise are five candidates for graduation
from Jefferson Higher Education Center (JHEC) partner SUNY Potsdam;
candidates for graduation will receive their diplomas from SUNY Potsdam.
Tickets are
required for admission to the McVean Student Center Gymnasium. Overflow
seating for those without a ticket is available in Sturtz
Theater, McVean Student Center. Parking is available in Lot D. Gymnasium doors will open at 6:30 p.m.
A reception for
graduates and guests will be held in the Jules Center Commons immediately
following the ceremony. Additional commencement information for students
and guests is available online at www.sunyjefferson.edu/commencement or
by calling 315-786-2234.
Photo Caption
Jennifer Hayes
’81, an alumna of Jefferson Community College and underwater photographer
with National Geographic magazine will deliver the keynote address to
graduates at the Jefferson Community College 59th Commencement Ceremony to
be held on Friday, May 19, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. Commencement information for
students and guests is available online at www.sunyjefferson.edu/commencement or
by calling 315-786-2234.
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