President Obama and Dr. Jill Biden share a laugh at NOVA. This photo by Joshua Davis won a Virginia Press Association award.

Dr. Jill Biden, Second Lady of the United States and a full-time professor of English at Northern Virginia Community College, will be the speaker for NOVA’s 50th Commencement. The event will be held on Saturday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. This year, NOVA will hold one ceremony at Jiffy Lube Live, 7800 Cellar Door Dr., Bristow, Va. More than 7,600 students will graduate this Spring.

Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, is a mother and grandmother, a lifelong educator, a proud military mom, and an active member of her community. As Second Lady, Dr. Biden works to bring attention to the sacrifices made by military families, to highlight the importance of community colleges to America’s future and to raise awareness around areas of particular importance to women. She has been a full-time English professor at NOVA since 2009.

Dr. Biden has always said that community colleges are “one of America’s best-kept secrets.” As a teacher, she sees how community colleges have changed the lives of so many of her students for the better. As Second Lady, she works to underscore the critical role of community colleges in creating the best, most-educated workforce in the world. In 2012, she traveled across the country as part of the “Community College to Career” tour to highlight successful industry partnerships between community colleges and employers. In the fall of 2010, she hosted the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges with President Obama, and she continues to work on this outreach on behalf of the Administration – frequently visiting campuses, meeting with students and teachers, as well as industry representatives around the country.

NOVA’s new president, Dr. Scott Ralls, will participate in his first college commencement ceremony since becoming NOVA’s fifth president in Sept. 2015.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to participate in my first NOVA commencement,” Ralls said. “I have spent the last eight months going out to campuses and meeting our students, faculty and staff. Many students have defied unbelievable odds to succeed, and our faculty and staff are passionate about helping them achieve their goals. I am honored to be the one to shake their hands and congratulate them on this hard-fought victory.”

For details and directions, visit NOVA’s Commencement page.

By: NOVA College

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