nicc covid19 logo featured image

Commencement speakers to share value of persistence and overcoming obstacles in life.

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Both events begin at 7 p.m. and the public may view the livestream on the College’s Facebook page (@neiowacc).

CALMAR & PEOSTA—Northeast Iowa Community College will hold spring commencement for more than 350 Calmar and Peosta campus graduates this spring. Ceremonies for both campuses include Fall 2020, Spring 2021 and Summer 2021 graduates. Both events begin at 7 p.m. and the public may view the livestream on the College’s Facebook page (@neiowacc).

The Calmar ceremony will be held at Upper Iowa University Fayette on Thursday, May 13, and the Peosta ceremony will be held at the Five Flags Center in Dubuque on Friday, May 14.

At the Calmar campus, approximately 150 graduates are participating in the ceremony. Sue Runyon, of Fayette, NICC Board of Trustees, will give the welcome address. Chris Earl, KCRG-TV news anchor, will give the keynote address.

Chris Earl has been a part of KCRG-TV since April 2008, just weeks before two major news stories, the deadly EF-5 tornado that hit Parkersburg and Aplington and the Flood of 2008. Aside from his years of anchoring in eastern Iowa, Earl has also covered just about every presidential politician asking Iowans for a vote, including the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.

Kasey Buchheit, Associate Degree of Nursing graduate, will deliver the student address. Buchheit was named Calmar campus president of the Lifting Students Higher program, an initiative created by the Northeast Iowa Community College Foundation to encourage philanthropic giving and leadership. Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society named Buchheit to the 2021 All-State Academic Team.

At Peosta, approximately 200 graduates are participating in the ceremony. NICC Trustee Dan White, of Dubuque, will give the welcome address. Ron Steele, KWWL-TV news anchor, will deliver the keynote address.

For 46 years in Iowa and around the world, Ron Steele has reported history in the making. A member of the Iowa Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame, Steele received the Jack Shelley Award from the Iowa Broadcast News Association (IBNA), its highest honor. He has also won numerous other IBNA news and sports awards, including Spot News Story of the Year and Sports Story of the Year. Steele is a multiple first place winner of the IBNA’s Excellence in Anchoring Award. 

Marlynn Livai-Larron, of Dubuque, a translator and paraprofessional for Dubuque Community Schools, will deliver the student address. Livai-Larron is graduating with an Associate of Arts degree and is a local leader and advocate who assists Marshallese families with transportation and community needs. She continues to provide a voice for the Marshallese community.

NICC is a public, tax-supported, two-year educational institution, serving eight counties in northeast Iowa. Students enroll at NICC to study in more than 60 academic certificate, diploma and degree programs. For more information about NICC, visit www.nicc.edu.