Gwinnett Daily Post

Special Photo Dawn Thompson of Lawrenceville celebrates her bachelor’s degree in business administration as she and her fellow 2012 graduates are applauded by the college faculty at the end Friday’s commencement ceremony.

LAWRENCEVILLE -- While Georgia Gwinnett College recently sent its most recent class of nearly 200 graduates out into the world, the college is now looking for new students for fall semester. The deadline to apply is June 1.

Last week's commencement ceremony saw the largest graduating class to date, an occasion that the institution's president said was worth noting.

"As we pass the four-year mark for our first, smaller freshman classes of 2007-09, we will begin graduating much larger groups of students," said GGC President Daniel J. Kaufman.

One of the graduates, Kaveh Vakili, who was born in Iran, said he looked forward to what the future holds. "I believe in challenging myself and pursuing opportunities to broaden myself as a person," Vakili said. "I love this school. It's given me a chance when other schools would not."

The ceremony's keynote address was presented by Debra Smithart-Oglesby, chairman of the board of directors for Denny's Inc.

In her comments, she described the challenges of being a young, uneducated mother who had dropped out of high school and struggled for many years.

"You must learn to trust that you can rely on yourself," she said. "Do not wait. Get started."

For more information or to apply, visit www.ggc.edu.