DMC announces Winter Commencement scheduled this Friday, Dec. 12, with 573 participants walking stage out of nearly 890 combined fall “prospective” graduates and summer 2025 graduates
College taps Nurse Education major Melissa Torres as keynote speaker with student’s role during commencement being first in memorable history, Torres “walking the stage” with peers, too, as part of Class of Fall 2025
Article by Melinda Eddleman
For friends and family of the Del Mar College (DMC) Classes of Summer and Fall 2025, it will be a wonderful moment when the “prospective” fall graduates and participating summer graduates march into the arena of Hilliard Center this Friday, Dec. 12. The ceremony is more than “Pomp & Circumstance.” It represents the work both classes completed to reach their goal … “walking the stage.”
“Prospective” fall graduates and summer graduates combined is 889 with 573 participating in Friday’s ceremony, including 139 from the summer class. Between the two classes, the college will have awarded 1,092 certificates, associate’s and bachelor’s degrees and occupational skills awards overall overall.
The ceremony begins at 7 p.m. in the Hilliard Center arena (1901 N. Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78401). Graduates were given a limited number of tickets to distribute to family and friends; so for anyone who is unable to attend the event, DMC will livestream commencement activities beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the following link: https://youtube.com/live/cLxaMOnAi2M.
Prior to fall “prospective” graduates and summer grqaduates making their way to “center stage,” DMC Nurse Education major Melissa Torres will serve as commencement speaker. Torres is the first student in recent memory to deliver the keynote address.
Torres is also a member of the Class of Fall 2025 and will join her peers to “walk the stage” to receive her Associate in Applied Science in Registered Nursing degree after addressing everyone in the arena.
A Corpus Christi native who graduated from W.B. Ray High School in 1992, Torres, is recognized for her exceptional commitment to academic excellence, service and leadership as she advanced her journey in health care education. She first graduated from Del Mar College with an Associate in Applied Science in Surgical Technology degree in 2004 and began a career as a medical professional with Driscoll Children’s Hospital.
The 51-year-old takes pride in being a dedicated mother, partner and daughter and brings a deep sense of purpose to her studies and her future career as a registered nurse, and Friday night, she’ll address her graduating class with a theme focused on “bettering one’s self.”
I loved my job at Driscoll Children’s Hospital, but knew I could do more. So, the reason I came back was because I needed to create a better version of myself. [That principle applies to everyone graduating this fall] because the community benefits from all of us since most graduates stay in the community. Everyone is benefiting from Del Mar College no matter whether a [graduate] is a welder, teacher, accountant or counselor.
Before Friday’s commencement, Torres will also receive her pins and cords during the Department of Nurse Education’s two ceremonies at Richardson Performance Hall on the Heritage Campus––including the Alpha Delta Nu Honor Society’s pinning and the department’s pinning that includes students taking the Florence Nightingale Oath. Torres has served as President of the Fall 2025 Nursing Pinning Ceremony Committee, leading the group with professionalism, collaboration and a strong commitment to her classmates.
In addition to being a member of Alpha Delta Nu, Torres is an active member of the National Student Nurses’ Association and the National Society of Leadership and Success.
For her next step after DMC’s Winter Commencement, Torres has been rehired by Driscoll Children’s Hospital, and she begins their Cardiac Intensive Care Unit Residency Program in February.
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.
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