Amergit "Nicky" Angomas came to PGCC to study psychology and prepare for a career as a middle school counselor. Midway through her program, she took a semester off to have her baby and then returned to complete her final classes while caring for her newborn.

"It was tough balancing classes and taking care of her," she said. "My family really helped. My mom would watch the baby so I could do homework or go to class."

As she prepared to cross the stage, she joined 738 graduates celebrating PGCC's 66th Commencement, where 1,308 (1,295) degrees and 315 (405) certificates were awarded. Among them were students whose paths to this moment looked very different, but they all shared the same determination to move forward.

For William Flores, reaching this stage meant rewriting expectations he once held for himself. A first-generation Latino student, he entered PGCC without a clear sense of what college even was, relying on his own research and determination to find his footing.

"I did so much research to learn what it was to just be in college," Flores said. "As a first-generation Latino, I would say that college was never seen as a goal for me…My parents don't come from an educational background, so I didn't have anyone to tell me I had to go. In my head, college was for people who were smart, wealthier, or already successful."

Flores completed his time at PGCC as a Distinguished Scholar, a Southern Management Leadership Program scholar, and an Honors Program graduate. He will continue studying public policy at the University of Maryland, College Park.

While Flores learned to imagine a different future, Ahnora Ozor worked to build one for herself and others. After moving from Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic, she discovered PGCC through dual enrollment and quickly embraced leadership roles that reminded her of responsibilities she held back home.

Her most ambitious effort was reviving PGCC's debate team, which she led to competitions against Harvard, Yale, and Stanford. Her initiative and leadership earned her the Phi Theta Kappa Founder's Medal; she was selected out of 1,200 submissions and the first PGCC student to receive this prestigious honor. Ahnora plans to transfer to the University of Maryland as a criminal justice major.

"I'm really incredibly grateful to God," she said. "Didn't think that I would see myself here…it was like a dream, honestly."

Where Ahnora created opportunities for others, Eric Colquitt focused on finishing what he started. A criminal justice major and former member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, he returned to PGCC after multiple surgeries that made something as simple as walking across campus painful.

Still, he pushed forward, supported by his wife, his sisters, and a creed he learned long before college.

"No matter how bad the odds were, I just kept going. I remember the Ranger Creed—never surrender—and that stayed with me the whole time," he said.

With the help of professors who understood his challenges, he excelled academically. Passing difficult courses reinforced what he already believed about perseverance.

He now hopes to encourage others facing physical hardships to keep pushing, even when progress feels slow.

Together, these journeys reflect the heart of the PGCC experience. The College provides structure and support, but it is the students who bring resilience, curiosity, and ambition.

Each graduate walking across the stage represents a life redirected or a dream reimagined.

As the Class of 2025 moves forward, their stories show what becomes possible when dedication meets opportunity.

From first-generation scholars to returning adults, from student leaders to advocates in the making, they prove that PGCC is not a steppingstone; it's a launchpad.