CSM Students Take Center Stage as Keynote Speakers for 65th Spring Commencement May 10, 2024

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) will recognize 449 candidates for 367 degrees and 111 certificates during its 65th Spring Commencement May 10 at the college’s La Plata Campus. CSM students Jaqrai Smith, Robert Katzberg and Wendy Bollino will provide the keynote addresses at their respective ceremonies.

Of the students being celebrated, 208 are from Charles County, 137 are from St. Mary’s County, 98 are from Calvert County and six are from outside the region. Sixty-five percent of the graduates are women and 35% are men. Nearly 30 percent of the students graduated with honors. The majority of degrees, or 17.4%, are in the field of arts and sciences, nursing (16.3 %), business administration (7.1%), cybersecurity (6.8%) and engineering (4.4%). The top certificates obtained were in general studies transfer (65.8%), human services, graphic design and business management. The youngest graduate is 17 years old and the oldest graduate is 69 years young.

The CSM School of Liberal Arts commencement will begin at 10 a.m. and Smith, of Charles County, will address his class. Smith, pictured right with his mom, is a senior at Westlake High School and will be receiving his General Education Transfer Certificate as an Early College student. At Westlake, Smith leads the Chess Club and the National Honor Society and at CSM, he has excelled in his classes. He will continue at CSM to earn his associate degree and plans to transfer to the University of Maryland to study management information systems.

The CSM School of Professional and Technical Studies commencement will begin at 1 p.m. and Katzberg, of St. Mary’s County, will address his class. Katzberg, pictured left, enrolled at CSM 15 years after graduating from Leonardtown High School. Today, he will graduate with an Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity. Katzberg attended CSM while working full-time as a cloud administrator for the United States Army - Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance. He will be attending the University of Maryland Global Campus in the fall and plans to pursue his master’s degree.

CSM’s School of Science and Health commencement will be held at 4 p.m. and  Bollino, of Calvert County, will address her class. She has been attending CSM on and off for 23 years. Last month, Bollino, who is pictured right, was inducted into the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing Alpha Delta Nu Honor Society for earning a B or higher in nursing courses and today, she will graduate with her Associate of Applied Science in Nursing. She will enter her nurse residency program at CalvertHealth on the Level 2, medical-surgical telemetry and observation unit.

CSM Spring Commencement Schedule

CSM’s Spring Commencement activities take place at the Physical Education Center (PE Building) at the La Plata Campus. CSM holds three commencement ceremonies on the same day to align with the college’s schools. On May 10, the schedule of ceremonies will be:

1. School of Liberal Arts at 10 a.m.
2. School of Professional and Technical Studies 1 p.m.
3. School of Science and Health at 4 p.m.

Tickets are not required to attend each ceremony. Guests are strongly encouraged to arrive at least 30 minutes before the ceremony begins. Doors will close when the procession begins. A video of each commencement will be available for viewing on the college’s YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/@CSMDTube/playlists -- following the events.

The safety of CSM students, guests and employees is of utmost importance. CSM will conduct bag checks at commencement, and all individuals may be subject to a bag check before entry. CSM Public Safety officials encourage guests to leave large secondary bags, diaper bags and backpacks in their vehicles or at home as these will be subject to the bag check process at the door.

Photos from graduation will be available at no cost at https://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/24maygrad.