Georgia Gwinnett College commencement celebrates graduates, anniversary

There will be a lot to celebrate on Saturday, May 10 at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC). Leading the way will be over 850 students excited to turn their tassels during two commencement ceremonies on the GGC campus at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

GGC itself is celebrating these graduates, and its 20th anniversary. GGC was signed into existence by then Governor Sonny Perdue on May 10, 2005.

Along with the emotions of joy and a few tears, highlights include:

• Morning commencement student speaker Sumayyah Yoonas originally wanted to go to medical school and graduate before her children started school. She was studying in the United Arab Emirates before she and her husband moved 7,000 miles to the United States, where she earned her GED. Fourteen years later, the mother of three started at GGC, where her path led her to study to become a middle school teacher. Her daughter is following her at GGC and is in pre-education.
• Afternoon commencement student speaker Nolberto Sanchez started at GGC in 2015 and failed, unable to balance a full-time job to help support his mother and siblings, and full-time school. During the following six years, his mother and siblings moved from the Dominican Republic to live with him. After four years, she and his siblings moved back to the Dominican Republic, and she opened a successful restaurant. He will graduate with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. He will then apply to medical school and wants to become a cardiac surgeon.
• David Still, mayor of the city of Lawrenceville, is the keynote speaker for both ceremonies. Born and raised in Lawrenceville, Still has lived in Lawrenceville his entire life. Still is also the founder, designated merger and acquisition advisor and lead business appraiser of Capital Endeavors, Inc.

What

• Georgia Gwinnett College Commencement Ceremonies

When

• Saturday, May 10, 2025
• Morning ceremony: Procession starts at 9:30 a.m.; Ceremony at 10 a.m.
• Afternoon ceremony: Procession starts at 1:30 p.m.; Ceremony at 2 p.m.

Where

• Georgia Gwinnett College Convocation Center