Triple Ceremony

This year, two students, Semirat Ajisafe ’19 and Caramie Tshimanga ’19, participated in all three commencement ceremonies – a first for York College.

Semirat Ajisafe was an executive officer for UNITY and the Explorative Learning Association, as well as a resident assistant. She was also part of the Student Nurses Association, Nursing Honors Society, and President of African Students Association. She said, “It was very exciting for me to be able to participate in all three ceremonies because it brought together three aspects of my college career that meant a lot to me. I value my background as a Nigerian American, which was celebrated in the Kente ceremony. I aspire to be a NICU nurse and eventually return to get my doctorate in Nursing and conduct research on how to better care for the POC and LGBT populations.”

Caramie Tshimanga was a member of the Student Nurses Association, Alpha Chi National Honor Society, and Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society. She will work on a Cardiovascular Surgery ICU in Washington, D.C. and eventually plans to obtain a doctoral degree in nursing practice. She said participating in all three ceremonies was not just an honor, but “a culmination of hard work, and a willingness to push myself the extra mile...[it] enabled me to physically represent some of the qualities of myself and my culture that I truly hold dear, and I can only hope that it inspires others to do the same."