For 40th Commencement, Tunxis Graduates Largest Class

The 40th commencement at Tunxis Community College Wednesday night was rich with stories of students of every age and from every part of the earth, struggling to succeed and overcoming on the Farmington campus.

Salutatorian Anna Karpiej is an example. When she arrived from Poland almost 12 years ago, she didn’t speak a word of English and didn’t dream of graduating from college. She enrolled in a class at Tunxis to practice her English skills and discovered the power of learning to amaze her and to offer a better future.

“All of us have faced obstacles in our life. For me it was the challenge of coming to a new country… and taking advantage of opportunities I never knew existed and never knew I wanted,” Karpiej said.

Karpiej, 44, of Newington, said she was encouraged as she began her studies to see other students working hard and achieving their goals.

“You gave me strength,” she said. “I could never have done this without the support of the Tunxis faculty and community.”

Karpiej didn’t just get an associate’s degree in accounting from the growing community college, rather she earned it while maintaining a 4.0 GPA during her entire time at Tunxis.

Elizabeth Edwards, 35, of West Hartford, is class of 2011 valedictorian and also held a 4.0. Edwards, who already holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, decided to pursue her longtime interest — art and design by going back to school Tunxis. While pursuing her associate’s degree, she worked full-time as a waitress at Max’s Oyster Bar in West Hartford, completed an internship in graphic design at Nutmeg Symphony Orchestra, and did freelance design work. Edwards was not able to attend the ceremony.

Another student was absent from the commencement, Zeineba Suleiman, who would have graduated Wednesday, but died in October. The college awarded the certificate posthumously and presented it to her son, Omar Suleiman.

Among those in attendance were veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, young mothers, whose parents held their babies as they waited through the ceremony, and seniors.

Bertha Burkes is the “most senior graduate” of the 20111 class, said Tunxis President Cathryn Addy. “She’s been with us off and on through the entire history of Tunxis.”

Burkes, now 77, enrolled in Tunxis when the school opened in 1970 and received a certificate in human service. But Burkes raised five children, worked full time at the Corbin Russwin factory and volunteered for almost 20 organizations before earning her associate’s degree Wednesday.

Janis Hadley, Ed.D., former president of Housatonic Community College, was there to congratulate the graduates and encourage them to impact their communities.

“What do you say?” she asked, to students who’ve seen earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados, flooding and “image of 9/11 juxtaposed with the end of the life of Osama bin Laden?”

“I do not minimize the mess we live in but the only person you can control in this world is you. What you do, what you say, how you conduct yourself makes a difference in the world today,” Hadley told them.

“All of us here to celebrate with you are proud of you,” she concluded. “And we’re counting on you.”

Canton graduates:

• Alexandra Campos Castillo, Associate Degree, Engineering Science
• Nina Hejl, Associate Degree, Retail Business Management; Certificate, Marketing Management
• Judith Marciano, Associate Degree and Certificate, Business Administration
• Ashleigh McClane, Certificate, Business Administration