Sinclair College Makes History With First Bachelor's Degree Graduates

Sinclair Community College will make history at its 2021 Commencement when it awards the college’s first bachelor’s degrees. Four Sinclair College students are the first to earn bachelor’s degrees from a community college in the State of Ohio. The four students will be recognized for this tremendous achievement during the afternoon commencement ceremony (4:00 p.m.) on May 6, 2021 at University of Dayton Arena.

In 2019, Sinclair introduced two bachelor’s degrees:

• Bachelor of Applied Science – Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)

• Bachelor of Applied Science – Aviation Technology/Professional Pilot

Two students are graduating this spring with the Professional Pilot bachelor’s degree. Two students will graduate with UAS bachelor’s degrees (1 Spring/1 Summer).

Mugisha “Mo” Kamana of Kigali, Rwanda (East Africa) came to Sinclair College at the age of 17 with the dream of becoming a pilot because “Dayton is the birthplace of aviation.” Mugisha is graduating this Spring with a Bachelor of Applied Science – Aviation Technology/Professional Pilot.

“I believed Sinclair could get me where I wanted to go. First of all, it’s affordable and the Aviation Department, looks at everything. They look at your progress. I think Sinclair is a good school to pursue an aviation career,” said Mugisha. “When Sinclair got approved that I could finish my bachelor’s degree, it was my dream come true. It’s a success to Sinclair, but it’s a big success to me as well. Getting my bachelor’s and being able to move on. I’m pretty proud and happy about it.”

Centerville native Michael Sherbet will graduate this Spring with Sinclair’s Bachelor of Applied Science – Aviation Technology/ Professional Pilot.

“I feel very honored to be a part of the first group of bachelor’s degree graduates and testing the waters for this new program. Not only for this program specifically, but for the school because with other bachelor’s degrees to come, this is something that is going to set Sinclair apart from the others,” said Sherbet. “A lot of the airlines now require a four-year degree for you to be accepted and start the job as a career. Now that you are able to get everything at Sinclair, without having to transfer to a four-year institution to finish that up, makes it very appealing.”

Preston Moore of Huber Heights had a love for video games that drew him to Sinclair’s UAS bachelor’s degree program. He’s also utilizing his UAS skills as a realtor to showcase properties.

“Sinclair’s UAS bachelor’s degree program is very hands-on so instead of just studying and trying to find it out for yourself, you are in the lab working on designing, 3-D printing, building, manufacturing, and fixing broken vehicles. Just a plethora of hands-on learning to better prepare you for a career in Unmanned Aerial Systems,” said Moore. “Sinclair is affordable and has a very good open schedule for students like me who are balancing family and work. The professors will work with you if you have a tight schedule and that is very accommodating. They really take care of you.”

Samuel Bryan of Beavercreek will graduate this summer from Sinclair College with the Bachelor of Applied Science – Unmanned Aerial Systems.

“What I love most about Sinclair’s UAS program is just how hands-on everything is and how they encourage us to be creative with our ideas. The instructors want to discuss ideas with us so that they can help us turn a dream into reality. We expand on stuff that may sound really crazy, but anything’s possible. I really love how they encourage creativity in this program,” said Bryan. “The professors here care and want you to expand your knowledge outside of class. They encourage you to keep researching, keep learning more, and keep developing new methods. Sinclair has really helped me achieve my goals as I pursue a career in the UAS industry.”

Sinclair College will honor and recognize all 2021 graduates on Thursday, May 6, 2021, with two in-person ceremonies at University of Dayton Arena. Each ceremony will allow for approximately 500 graduates with up to four guests per graduate. Safety will continue to be a top priority as Sinclair aligns the ceremonies with state and local health protocols due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

2021 Commencement Ceremonies:

Ceremony 1 – Thursday, May 6, 2021

Time: 10:00 a.m. (Doors open at 9:00 a.m.)

University of Dayton Arena

1801 Edwin C. Moses Blvd., Dayton, OH 45417

Divisions:

Business & Public Services

Liberal Arts, Communications, & Social Sciences

Ceremony 2 – Thursday, May 6, 2021

Time: 4:00 p.m. (Doors open at 3:00 p.m.)

University of Dayton Arena

1801 Edwin C. Moses Blvd., Dayton, OH 45417

Divisions:

Health Sciences

Science, Math & Engineering

Bachelor’s Degree graduates will be recognized at the afternoon ceremony.