MOOREFIELD, W.Va. – Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College honored 36 Fall 2025 and 64 Spring 2026 graduates at the college’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 9, at Moorefield High School. 68 graduates participated in the ceremony.
Speakers for the ceremony included Lillian Callaway, who provided the invocation, and Keira Ridgeway, who performed the National Anthem. President Thomas Striplin welcomed attendees and recognized donors. Joe Miller, Eastern Foundation Board president, and Andrew Blackwood, Board of Governors vice chair, provided welcome messages. Board of Governors Chair Sheldon Arbaugh presented the Harold K. Michael Founders Award, and Director of Workforce Education Lauren Arbaugh presented the APEX Award.
Callaway reflected on the graduates’ journey and the importance of resilience during the invocation.
“This moment is one of reflection, gratitude, and shared trial. Each of you has taken a unique path to reach this day. Some journeys are steady, others are challenging, but all require resilience,” Callaway said. “Along the way, we gain not only technical knowledge and professional skills, but something deeper: the discipline to keep going when you are exhausted, the courage to ask for help when you need it, and the sense of community you built by supporting one another.”
She encouraged the graduates to maintain a commitment to integrity and growth as they enter the next chapter of their lives.
“Use your skills to not only build a career but to make a meaningful impact on the world around you,” Callaway said. “With clear minds and hopeful hearts, we officially begin this ceremony.”
Student speaker Miranda Simon, a business management graduate, spoke about her non-linear and difficult, but rewarding, journey to completing her degree.
“My journey here wasn’t a straight path, and I want to share this today to possibly influence someone in the audience to step out of their comfort zone and try something different,” Simon said. “After graduating high school in 2013, I started at Eastern in the Certified Medical Assistant Workforce program, which led me into urgent care and eventually into healthcare roles, where I continued to learn and grow.”
Simon discussed her struggles with self-doubt after failing a semester in 2016. “In 2023, I made a decision; not because things suddenly got easier, but because I didn’t want that chapter to be the end of my story,” Simon said. “I came back and was placed on academic probation. I had to rebuild my confidence, my discipline, and my belief in myself, one course at a time.”
She reflected on how her children watched her work for hours on her laptop, noting she was finishing her degree for them as much as for herself. “I want them to know that even when life doesn’t go as planned, you don’t quit, you keep going. We put so much pressure on ourselves to follow a timeline, to have everything figured out by a certain age,” said Simon. “The truth is there is no one right way to succeed… To my fellow graduates, you are not behind, you are not too late and you are far more capable than you think.”
(second row l-r: Samantha Long, Shana Price, Brittany Goldizen, ShyAnna Feagans, Nikole Miller, Jennell Borror, Chloe Herron, Maria VanMeter, Tara Aylor, Treavor Mayle, and Caleb Nelson).
(third row l-r: Lawanda Schoonover, Tori Adams, Destiny McWhorter, Sadie Smith, Miranda Simon, Makyiah Shirk, Kaitlyn Shockey, Aidan McCrory, Hannah Haines, and Vanessa Webster).
(fourth row l-r: Odessa Cullers, Mariah Baublitz, Nicole Thompson, Elizabeth Williams, and Alessa Unruh).
(fifth row l-r: Tristian Ritchie, Trevor Smith, Lila Martin, Lori Moran, Ashley Dawn Lucas, Grace Willis, Lindsey Thompson, Americus Shanholtz, Bonnie Taylor, Ramanda Evans, and Sarah Zirkle).
(sixth row l-r: Bryan May, Amanda Moorehead, Makayla Dove, Margaret May, Madison Miller, Jacob Harris, Brittany Whittaker, and Britani Pearce).
The Harold K. Michael Founders Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the college, was presented to Ward Malcolm for his leadership in organizations including the West Virginia Poultry Association and the Board of Hardy Tele-Communications.
The APEX Award, which honors organizations serving the Potomac Highlands, was presented to Superintendent Clayton Burch and the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind in Romney.
“It is much more than a school, it is a center for innovation,” said Lauren Arbaugh. “In recent years, they have transformed their campus into a hub for career and technical education, ensuring that their students are not just graduating, they’re entering our economy with specialized skills, certifications, and the confidence to lead.”
Burch accepted the award, stating he chose to join the community because of its values. “I wanted to be a part of what this community represents,” Burch said. “When I got here, one of the first phone calls I made was to Dr. Striplin and Eastern because I’ve always seen potential in students. No matter what the obstacle is, find a path for them.”
Sheldon Arbaugh, Eastern’s Board of Governors Chair and Malcolm Ward, Recipient of the Harold K. Michael Founders Award.
Three faculty members were recognized for their dedication to student success. Seyed Mirkhani, division chair for Business, Computer, and Information Technology, was honored for his 25-year tenure, where he went above and beyond for students and community members. He will retire in July 2026. Adjunct faculty members Sarah Purol and Allison Riggleman were both recognized with the Outstanding Leadership Award for excellence in teaching and leadership.
Burch delivered the commencement address, drawing on his 30 years of educational leadership, including his time as the 32nd State Superintendent of Schools. He began his speech with lighthearted remarks before offering insight into the nature of success.
“Don’t be me. I’ve been very fortunate in my career…but for a long time I was on autopilot,” Burch said. “I was always, ‘what’s next,’ and it worked well, but there were these moments that would come up; big and small. It wasn’t until my 50s when I thought, ‘Why didn’t I pause?'”
Burch used a highway metaphor to describe life after graduation. “There are times when you are going to need to take exits… This is not something [graduation] you finish; this is something you’re starting. I hope at some point, far future, you are sitting somewhere thinking, ‘How did I get here?’ and you recall right now, and you go, ‘Oh, I did this. I made the choice.’ Make sure you take the exits you need to take. This is an exit you can always come back to.”
Alec Kidwell gave the benediction to conclude the ceremony.
To view the recorded graduation, visit us on Facebook. A complete list of the area’s Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 graduates will be released later this month.
About Eastern
Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College, based in Moorefield, serves six counties in the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia and offers academic programs and workforce training. Learn more about Eastern at https://easternwv.edu.