NICC commencement speakers share their stories of overcoming adversity in life and career
Thursday, May 5, 2022
The Calmar ceremony will be held at Upper Iowa University Dorman Gymnasium in Fayette at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, and the Peosta ceremony will be held at the Five Flags Center in Dubuque at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 13. Both events are free and open to the public.
CALMAR & PEOSTA—Northeast Iowa Community College will hold spring commencement for 326 Calmar and Peosta campus graduates this spring. Ceremonies for both campuses include Fall 2021, Spring 2022 and Summer 2022 graduates.
The Calmar ceremony will be held at Upper Iowa University Dorman Gymnasium in Fayette at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, and the Peosta ceremony will be held at the Five Flags Center in Dubuque at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 13. Both events are free and open to the public.
At the Calmar campus, 124 graduates are participating in the ceremony. Jim Anderson, of Decorah, NICC Board of Trustees chair, will give the welcome address. Chris Redenius, general manager and CEO of Bodensteiner Implement Company, will give the keynote address.
Redenius leads a 10-store John Deere dealership with 240 employees and manages overall financial and operational performance of Bodensteiner Implement. He serves as John Deere TECH Program Advisory Board president at NICC, is president of the Winneshiek Medical Center Foundation and a member of Decorah Jobs, a business development board.
Litci Marroquin-Gonzalez, Associate of Arts – Elementary Education ‘22, will deliver the NICC graduate address. She served as the Phi Theta Kappa chapter president at the Calmar campus, and this spring was named to the 2022 Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society All-Iowa Academic Team. She plans to transfer to Upper Iowa University next fall to complete a double major in elementary education and business administration.
At Peosta, 202 graduates are participating in the ceremony. NICC Trustee Gary McAndrew, of Peosta, will give the welcome address. Rick Dickinson, president and CEO of Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, will deliver the keynote address.
In his role at Greater Dubuque Development Corporation, Dickinson serves as the principal liaison between business and government on all issues relating to economic development. He is a founding board member of the Iowa Child Advocacy Board, chairman of the board for the Dubuque Racing Association from 2017-2018 and board member of Dubuque Initiatives.
Elvira Osmicevic, Health Information Technology ‘22, will deliver the NICC graduate address. Osmicevic left her native country of Bosnia after the war and moved to the United States in 2004. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and served on the Health Information Technology Program Advisory Board to lend input on the program and curriculum. After graduation, she plans to continue her education in a health information management bachelor’s degree program.
Northeast Iowa Community College serves eight counties in northeast Iowa and surrounding areas. Offering academic programs of study in a variety of disciplines, in addition to online and blended learning, customized business and industry training, short-term certification options and adult education and literacy, the College is committed to affordable, high-quality education and training to ensure the growth and vitality of northeast Iowa. For more information about NICC, visit www.nicc.edu.