More than 400 Flathead Valley Community College students walked across the stage at the Northwest Montana Fairgrounds Friday evening, picking up 431 degrees and certifications as the college’s 46th graduating class.

Although a smaller class than in some recent years, the 2014 graduates didn’t lack for enthusiasm.

Chasta Markham, the college’s student government secretary, had to hold back tears as she gave her powerful speech to the gathered crowd.

“This is the moment we’ve been imagining since we first stepped up to that registration desk,” said the single mother and graduate of the medical assistant program. “There might have been a few times I wanted to throw in the towel and walk away. But the support from the college kept me going. FVCC was the perfect place to foster our minds and bodies. Think of this diploma as your ticket to change the world.”

College President Jane Karas reminded the students and their friends and families of just how diverse the day’s graduates were. From prospective nurses, doctors, engineers, artists, gunsmiths and teachers, the goals of the students were as numerous as the caps on their heads.

John Rawlings was chosen to give the faculty speech, and the art professor delved into the history of education and furthering of a rich tradition.

Referencing the ancient Greeks, Charlemagne and mercantilism, Rawlings reminded the audience that each student was one step along the path of human enlightenment.

“We sit here today wearing silly costumes and sillier hats. Why is that?” he asked. “The answer is tradition. We are sustaining the tradition of education.”

The crowd gathered in the fairgrounds trade center building was then treated to two string musical pieces from student and professor duo Rachel Wambeke and Wai Mizutani.

Commencement speaker for the evening was Daily Inter Lake Publisher Rick Weaver. As a 1973 FVCC graduate and recipient of the 2013 FVCC Distinguished Alumni Award, he was able to talk about the tremendous change he had seen in the business world as well as the newspaper industry.

“When we installed the first business computer at the Daily Inter Lake, it was the size of a compact car,” Weaver said. “Now, my iPhone has more computing power and probably more memory than that computer the size of a Volkswagen ever did.”

He joked that when he graduated, at what was then Kalispell’s Liberty Theater, he didn’t want to listen to some old “guy” when he could be moving on to celebrate with a beer at Moose’s Saloon.

The new graduates were in no rush though, instead savoring the moment as they had their time at the college.

“I enjoyed all the time here,” said Tatum Hunter, a new radiologic technology grad with a job secured at Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s Polson clinic. “It was a hard program to get into but completely worth it and a great education.”

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.