COEUR d'ALENE - North Idaho College graduate Connie Ord insists she had one thing in particular on her mind as she waited to walk up to the stage and have her name called during Friday's commencement ceremony.

"Not to go in the wrong direction - and have a senior moment. And that's the truth," the 71-year-old said.

Ord, a portrait artist, said she has advanced her skills as she earned an associate of arts degree, one she has been working on a long time to finish. She said teachers at the school inspired her to complete the degree.

"The instructors I've had here are absolutely phenomenal," Ord said. "They are here to teach you, and they do teach."

She plans to continue on to Lewis-Clark State College's Coeur d'Alene campus, and also travel to Europe to continue her studies.

"I'm not stopping life," Ord said. "Don't ever give up."

She was one of nearly 700 students eligible to graduate from NIC this spring, compared with 535 last year. NIC has seen record enrollment because of the economy. From fall of 2008 to fall 2009, NIC has posted a 16.5 percent enrollment increase, said Stacy Hudson, NIC spokeswoman.

An estimated 300 walked Friday in the commencement ceremony in the Christianson Gymnasium.

Coeur d'Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem delivered the commencement address, telling the graduates that learning is a habit and does not stop after graduation.

"It is a process for the rest of your life," Bloem said.

Bloem's words rang true to Ord and graduate Snezana Kaufmann, 37.

Kaufmann, a mother of two who moved to the U.S. from Yugoslavia 12 years ago, graduated with an associate of science degree in nursing, and plans to find a job in Coeur d'Alene or Spokane.

"I'm from a Third-World country," the Hayden woman said. "I would never have thought 12 years ago that I could get a good education like this, because it would be impossible anywhere else. I feel blessed that I live in a country that has these types of opportunities."

Brian Gelnette, 32, of Coeur d'Alene, balanced it all to earn his associate of arts degree: Being a father of two with 10- and 11-year-old kids, working full time, and going to college.

"So just trying to maintain that balance is really hard - being dad, husband, all that," Gelnette said. "I feel really excited about getting through all this."

He's planning to attend the University of Idaho to earn a degree in elementary education.

"I always struggled in school and high school and never had teachers that inspired me until maybe ninth or 10th grade," Gelnette said. "Then one of my teachers turned me on to school, and it just kind of changed how I looked at it. And I realized at that point that all it takes is one person to inspire a student, and it can change them for the rest of their lives."

Jacob Carber, a former Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy student, graduated with an associate of science degree in general studies, and said he plans to go on to the University of Idaho to major in accounting.

The 19-year-old from Athol said that in addition to the difficult academic work he has conquered, he has grown socially while attending the college.

"I think I was kind of a loner before I started out here, I didn't really talk to people," Carber said. "When I started going here I talked to everybody, and I knew most of the people in my class, and shared a bunch of classes with them. I knew the teachers and would stop by the teachers' offices and say hello."