MCC awards degrees, certificates

McHenry County College conferred degrees and certificates on more than 540 students Saturday during its spring graduation ceremony.

Neveen Sheikhali, of Harvard, was the student speaker during the ceremony. She serves as president of Latinos Unidos, vice president of the Social Science Club, volunteers for the MCC Excel mentoring program and is a student worker in the first-year mentor program.

Sheikhali helped start MCC's annual celebration of World Hijab Day, where female students were invited to wear a hijab (headscarf) for a day as one way to increase awareness of women from a different culture. She also has worked as a counselor for the Kids and College summer program for the past four years.

She received her second associate degree in arts Saturday and previously earned an associate in science degree. Sheikhali plans to attend Northern Illinois University this fall majoring in communications and eventually earn a master's degree in higher education.

MCC President Clinton Gabbard and English instructor Anne Humphrey, co-president of MCC's Faculty Association, also spoke during Saturday's ceremony.