LCCC Commencement Speaker Bedoya & Soloist Clarke

Whether stepping up to an all-new starting line or pushing on to finish strong, commencement celebrates staying the course, seeing how far you’ve come, and inspiring others to invest in their own potential. 

Student speaker Brittani Bedoya and soloist Shanice Clarke model this spirit and what it means to dream big, work hard, and celebrate the people who support you along the way. The two recent graduates were eager to bring their energy to Lehigh Carbon Community College’s 59th annual commencement exercises, held May 18, at the PPL Center in downtown Allentown.  

Brittani Bedoya

Bedoya is no stranger to facing adversity and harnessing the strength to try again. Her remarks touched upon struggling with homelessness, living

 through abuse, and resurfacing to see her son and daughter, ages four and seven, as the cheerleaders she needed to succeed at becoming a nurse.

“Because every time my children looked at me, I was capable of anything,” said Bedoya at commencement. “I realized I had two choices: become the person they believed I was or teach them that dreams don’t come true.”

Bedoya refused to let the latter become her reality. Through late nights and self-doubt, while juggling mothering and marriage, Bedoya earned her associate degree in health science and is entering St. Luke’s School of Nursing this fall to become a registered nurse.  

“When I first started this journey, I wanted to get into critical care and emergency room trauma, but I’m leaning more towards NICU and PICU to care for children. My son was diagnosed with epilepsy last year, and connecting with nurses working in these environments through my studies really shifted my thinking,” says Bedoya. 

LCCC’s online offerings and supportive faculty met Bedoya at the intersection of life and learning, making it possible to earn her degree at her own pace. 

“With my son’s diagnosis, there were nights where I was in the hospital doing my homework while sitting next to him, and I had a lot of professors reach out to make sure I was okay, that my son was okay, just to say, ‘I understand what you’re going through, and I’m here for you,’” says Bedoya. “This is why LCCC has a piece of my heart.” 

Courses in chemistry, anatomy, and physiology challenged Bedoya, but her instructors situated safety nets—from one-on-one study time

to test-taking strategies—to help her command the subject matter. Their compassionate disposition more deeply cemented her desire to make a career of caring for others.

The budding nurse in Bedoya regularly took inventory of her peers, noticing their different walks of life that all somehow led them to the path that is LCCC. She says, “I’ve sat next to younger dual enrollment high school students, and I was in a psychology class with a recently divorced 72-year-old who was starting her life over again. I got to be surrounded by so many different people, and it was awesome. I loved it so much.”

Bedoya does not describe herself as a public speaker, but being a part of LCCC’s diverse student body solidified her belief that everyone has a story—and she knew it was time to tell hers. 

“If someone would’ve told me, ‘Brittani, just do it. Just believe in yourself. Just go to college,’ I probably would’ve gone 20 years ago,” says Bedoya. “So, I decided to put pen to paper to say just that. If my words inspired even one person in that audience, then it means everything to me. ”

Shanice Clarke

Clarke’s love of singing, as well as her heart for nursing, are rooted in family tradition.

“Most of the women in my family are nurses, so the passion to help others was instilled in me from the very beginning,” says Clarke.

She completed her Associate in Applied Science in Nursing through LCCC’s LPN to RN transition program and will begin her career as a registered nurse at Tower Health’s Phoenixville Hospital on the medical surgical unit. Clarke’s prior supervisor, a graduate of the same program, inspired her to consider this next step. Clarke is grateful for her example and encouragement because it helped her realize she could continue working as an LPN while earning her degree.

 “I am so excited to begin my career at a major health network, and my friends and family are so proud of this life-changing opportunity,” says Clarke.

At LCCC, she connected with the faculty and resources she needed to become a more confident nurse. Instructors took their time with complex material, and the Testing Center provided a calm, supportive environment for Clarke, who struggles with test anxiety. 

In her free time, Clarke enjoys writing poetry, helping her community, spending time with her family, singing, and singing with her family. 

“My singing background dates back to the humble age of four. My family is of Jamaican descent, and I sang ‘Tomorrow’ from Annie at my mom’s 40th birthday party,” says Clarke. “And I’ve been singing ever since!” 

For Clarke, singing is about connecting, making others feel good, and celebrating her Jamaican culture, as well as her spouse’s Bengali Indian culture. When it came to commencement, the opportunity to be the soloist was a special occasion and a personal milestone. 

She says, “I felt honored to represent my beautiful country and my nursing class. It meant the world to me to stand before more than 6,000 people and sing at the PPL Center in Allentown. Seeing the audience with their hands over their hearts, listening to me sing the National Anthem with joy, power, and pride was an out-of-body experience that I will never forget! It was such an amazing way to wrap up my nursing school career at LCCC.”