Associate Degree

Since she was a little girl, Rhonda Kendall's grandmother told her that she would make a great nurse. By the time she was 15, hopes for that dream seemed to be dashed. Just a ninth-grader, Kendall became pregnant, dropped out of school and had a baby. But even then, her strong spirit was evident. Kendall went to night school and earned her GED at 16. "I was determined," said Kendall, now 31, of Hagerstown. "I wanted to finish what I'd started. " Then once again, her tide turned away from education.

Air Force Airman Melissa A. Crocker, daughter of Carole and Matthew Crisci of Boonsboro, graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio. She is a 2001 graduate of Boonsboro High School. Navy Seaman Recruit Jesse A. Hale, brother of Deborah L. Collins of Brunswick, Md., recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. Hale is a 2008 graduate of Lompoc High School of Lompoc, Calif. Air Force Airman 1st Class Marquita J. Polhill, daughter of Denise Polhill of Hagerstown and Lonnie Polhill of Lawrenceville, Ga., graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio.

JAN. 1, 1961-NOV. 21, 2009 Karen Marie Keating Ridenour, 48, of Hagerstown, Md., died Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, in Hagerstown. Born Jan. 1, 1961, in Frostburg, Md., she was the daughter of Bernard A. and Phyllis C. Livengood Keating of Hagerstown. She graduated from Williamsport High School, class of 1979, and received her associate degree in early childhood education from Hagerstown Community College. She was previously employed with the Washington County Department of Social Services and the Jim Thorpe Elementary School, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, Nev. She attended St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Ditto-Kennedy Dr. and Mrs. Allen Ditto of Hagerstown announce the engagement of their daughter, Meghan May Ditto, to Nathan Thomas Kennedy, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kennedy of Hagerstown. Ms. Ditto is a 2001 graduate of North Hagerstown High School and received a bachelor's degree in history and mathematics from Gettysburg College in 2005. She is employed with the U.S. Air Force as a operations research analyst in Arlington, Va. Mr. Kennedy is a 2002 graduate of North Hagerstown High School and received a bachelor's degree in government and politics from University of Maryland, College Park in 2005.

Reed-Strite Sarah Strite and Jacob Reed were married Oct. 7, 2006, at Maugansville Bible Brethren Church. The bride is the daughter of Joseph and Sharon Strite of Williamsport. The bridegroom is the son of George and Sherron Whittington of Dillsburg, Pa. The bride is a 2002 graduate of Washington County Technical High School and received an associate degree in specialized business with a focus on computer systems from York Technical Institute. She is employed as a help desk technician at Foot Locker Inc. The bridegroom is a 1994 graduate of Northern York County High School and received an associate degree in business with a focus on accounting from York Technical Institute.

Hagerstown Business College kicked off this spring's commencement season Saturday morning as the Class of 2007 donned caps and gowns to collect their diplomas during a ceremony at North Hagerstown High School. This year's class includes nearly 140 graduates in the school's allied health, business, computer technology and legal divisions. The graduates ranged from young students not that far removed from their high school graduation, to grandparents seeking a career change. The commencement speakers, both of whom graduated summa cum laude on Saturday, spoke of the challenges they faced while attending HBC, and those that are ahead.

Hagerstown Business College kicked off this spring's commencement season Saturday morning as the Class of 2007 donned caps and gowns to collect their diplomas during a ceremony at North Hagerstown High School. This year's class includes nearly 140 graduates in the school's allied health, business, computer technology and legal divisions. The graduates ranged from young students not that far removed from their high school graduation, to grandparents seeking a career change. The commencement speakers, both of whom graduated summa cum laude on Saturday, spoke of the challenges they faced while attending HBC, and those that are ahead.

HAGERSTOWN - Jeannie Beer of Martinsburg, W.Va., watched her stepdaughter, Christina, cross the dais at Hagerstown Community College to receive her associate degree Saturday, but Christina's mother had a better view of the event. "They both got their degrees today," Jeannie Beer said. "They got to sit beside each other and walk across the stage together. " More good news for the Beers: Christina already has a job offer to be a radiology technician at City Hospital in Martinsburg, W.Va.

Click here to view and/or purchase photos. HAGERSTOWN - Diana Keely was 12 years old when she enrolled at Hagerstown Community College. Two years later and a month shy of her 15th birthday, Diana graduated on Saturday sporting a 4.0 grade-point average and an associate degree in history, making her the youngest graduate since HCC opened about six decades ago. "I'll be staying at HCC and taking Internet classes at the University of Maryland (in Hagerstown)