WATCH SATURDAY’S ENTIRE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY HERE
Bay College held its graduation ceremonies Saturday at the Bay College Gym in Escanaba. The graduates were celebrated by hundreds of family and friends, as well as the college’s faculty and staff, Board of Trustee members, and administrators.
“Here at Bay College, we have continued to navigate changing student demographics, evolving enrollment trends, shifting societal expectations, and an ever-changing political and economic landscape that continues to influence how we serve and support and advocate for our students and for our communities,” said Bay College President, Dr. Nerita Hughes.
Hughes added that more students are taking classes on-line, something that has led to a big change to the traditional college education delivery model.
“We have seen changes in who our students are, how they access education, and what they need to succeed. We have responded to uncertainty with innovation, to challenges with resilience, and to change, with intentional transformation.”
The student commencement speaker was Abigail Rich, who moved to Escanaba from North Carolina along with her twin brother, Jacob. She talked about being home-schooled from the fourth grade on, and how Bay helped her to feel like she belonged after long stretches where she felt out of place.
“At Bay College, I wasn’t left to figure things out on my own,” Rich said. “The Office of Accommodations helped me with what I needed to succeed. My professors met me with patience and encouragement. TRIO gave me guidance, structure, and a place where I felt normal. Counseling Services reminded me that I didn’t have to carry everything by myself.”
Rich also cited her joining the Norse women’s softball team in the 2025 season as a big part of her journey at Bay. Even though the team won just one game that season, and she had never played softball before, Rich says being part of that team helped in her development as a person and as a student.
Now, Rich has graduated from Bay with a 3.9 Grade Point Average, will be transferring to Northern Michigan University to pursue a criminal justice degree. She interned with the Gladstone Public Safety Department, and this summer, Rich will be a cadet with the Michigan DNR.
“I know I’m not the only one who has felt out of place at some point along this journey,” Rich told her fellow graduates. “Maybe you were balancing work, school, and family. Maybe you were the first in your family to go to college. Maybe you struggled in ways that no one can see. Whatever your story is, you made it here! And if there’s one thing I hope you take with you today, it’s this. None of us had to feel like we belonged to move forward. We simply kept showing up.”
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