Governor Northam to participate in ESCC Commencement

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is slated to deliver the commencement  message for the Eastern Shore Community College 2021 50^th Graduation Ceremony, to be held  at 6:00p.m. Thursday, August 5, at the Nandua High School Auditorium in Onley, VA. The  ceremony was rescheduled from May to accommodate the changing landscape surrounding  COVID-19 recovery. The event will celebrate the accomplishments of ESCC students from a  number of programs and areas of study.  

ESCC President James Shaeffer commented, “We are most honored to have Governor Ralph  Northam accept our invitation to address our students and families. The resiliency shown by our  graduates through the difficult period of COVID-19 and their ability to adjust and prevail over  these challenges warrant special recognition. We feel the governor’s attendance adds to the  excitement and relevance of this momentous occasion and provides an exclamation mark to our  YES! (Your Eastern Shore) culture of hospitality at ESCC.” 

Before he was inaugurated as the 73^rd Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Ralph  Northam served as an Army doctor, pediatric neurologist, business owner, state Senator and  Lieutenant Governor. A native of Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Governor Northam is a graduate of  Onancock High School and was educated at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), where he  graduated with distinction. After graduation, Governor Northam was commissioned as a second  lieutenant in the United States Army. He served eight years of active duty and rose to the rank of  major. Governor Northam and First Lady Pamela Northam have two adult children. 

Students and special guests have been issued tickets for the event and a reception is planned  immediately following commencement. President Shaeffer added that “sincere thanks are shared  with our educational partners at Nandua High School. We appreciate the collaboration with  administration and staff at Nandua, assisting us in making this special for our students and  guests. It will provide a wonderful and appropriate prelude to upcoming celebrations surrounding  ESCC’s 50^th Anniversary celebrations in the Fall and into 2022.”