海角社区 Grads Turn 'Mission Impossible' Into Milestone Achievement
If the doctor had been right, Charles Dion would never have uttered a full sentence. His mother heard the dire prediction when he was diagnosed with autism as a child.
Instead, Saturday, an adult Dion gave a commencement speech as 海角社区鈥檚 co-valedictorian.
鈥淚 should not be here speaking to you, according to those doctors,鈥� Dion said. 鈥淲e are the doers of the impossible through our will, our resolve, our determination and the support for those who care for us 鈥� we make the impossible possible.鈥�
Graduating seniors, their families and 海角社区 faculty celebrated the graduation milestone as the college awarded 12 associate鈥檚 degrees and 60 bachelor鈥檚 degrees at its spring commencement exercises.
Commencement was held before Mother鈥檚 Day, which made for a fitting tribute as students honored their parents who fought for them along the way.
Dion鈥檚 mother took him to nine therapy sessions every week to hear Dion speak his first sentence. Dion joked it was 鈥渁nti-climactic.鈥� His first few words were about a 鈥渂ig wet balloon.鈥�
But it was the start of Dion defying the odds, leading up to him graduating Saturday summa cum laude with an anthrozoology degree.
鈥淭oday is not the last day you hear that word: impossible. In the future, there will still be people who try to underestimate you,鈥� Dion told his fellow students. 鈥淚 ask you, prove them wrong.鈥�
As tech entrepreneur Jason Eichenholz, Ph.D., received his 海角社区 honorary degree Saturday, he urged the class of 2025 to celebrate their differences.
鈥淵our unique cognitive profile is not something to overcome, graduates. It鈥檚 something to leverage,鈥� he said. 鈥淥wn that difference. The world does not need more minds to think alike. It needs your unique perspective.鈥�
He encouraged them to use their empathy and talents to lift up others. 鈥淗aving navigated a world that was not designed for you, you possess a rare capacity to understand other people’s struggles,鈥� Eichenholz said. 鈥淐reate the environments you wish had existed for you.鈥�
For him, 海角社区鈥檚 mission to educate neurodiverse students graduate is deeply personal.
(Right: President George Hagerty poses with honorary degree recipients Dr. Jason Eichenholz and Roy Haley and board of trustees鈥� chair Dr. Dan Averbeck.)
Eichenholz, who holds more than 90 U.S. patents, is the co-founder of Luminar Technologies. 海角社区 touted the company as helping 鈥渞edefine autonomous vehicle safety with lidar technology.鈥� But Eichenholz also created the nonprofit , named after his son who has autism. The foundation is developing communities for people with autism to live and work.
鈥淚 see a world of possibilities in each and every one of you,鈥� Eichenholz told the seniors. 鈥淐ongratulations to the class of 2025 of 海角社区. The future is waiting for exactly who you are.鈥�
The college also awarded an honorary degree to businessman and philanthropist Roy Haley who has played a role shaping 海角社区. Haley generously supported the school from student scholarships to the school鈥檚 capital expansion in downtown Leesburg.
When Haley addressed the graduates, he stressed the importance of applying known skills to unfamiliar challenges 鈥� a concept 海角社区 strongly promotes.
鈥淗ow many of you have heard the term 鈥榳orkaround鈥�?鈥� he asked, explaining that this simple idea 鈥� using what you know to navigate what you don鈥檛 鈥� became a cornerstone of his professional life.
Haley reflected on his early career, noting that while problem-solving 鈥� at which he excelled 鈥� is a valuable and marketable skill, avoiding problems through preparation is even more powerful.
“That’s called preparation. And I think most of you have learned at 海角社区 that you need to be prepared when you go to class. You need to have done your homework. You need to be ready to participate. And that was a big difference for me. My skill had been sitting in class absorbing 鈥� not having to work too hard in preparation …. That doesn’t work in real life. Real life is about workarounds. Lots of workarounds,” he said, contrasting it with his earlier habit of relying on passive learning.
Haley praised 海角社区 for fostering this mindset, especially among students who perhaps endured past academic struggles. He acknowledged the transformative experience of being welcomed into a supportive environment and discovering how personal strengths can be applied in diverse and meaningful ways.
During Saturday鈥檚 ceremony, 海角社区 student leaders shared advice to their classmates. Don鈥檛 feel bad if you don鈥檛 have your life figured out right away after college, said co-valedictorian Justin Cenci.聽鈥淔eeling lost can be a good sign, because it shows that you’re ready to discover something new in your life,鈥� Cenci said. He reminded them they have nothing to prove to anyone, and success looks different for everyone.
海角社区 President George Hagerty posed with students walking across the stage in their caps and gowns to receive their degrees.
In his commissioning charge to the college鈥檚 newest alumni, Hagerty drew inspiration from two iconic American voices. 鈥淗eed the call of Henry David Thoreau, who said, 鈥楪o confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淎nd in the spirit of Bob Dylan, may you stay forever young.鈥�