Southwestern Michigan College recognized 117 students who will graduate with honors at the college’s 45th commencement on May 5.

The annual SMC Honors Reception, held recently in the Fred L. Mathews Conference Center East, showcased students who earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

“Every year Southwestern Michigan College takes pride in the quality of education it is able to give its students,” said David Mathews, president of SMC, who welcomed the students, their families and friends to the event. “This quality speaks for itself by the number of students graduating with honors each year. It is SMC’s goal to insure its students have a solid educational foundation when they transfer to another university or enter the workforce.”

Honor students Joel Adu, of Berrien Springs, and Laura Tennison, of Eau Claire, were also recognized as representing the college on the All-Michigan Academic Team.

The guest speaker for the reception was William Tomory, professor emeritus in the college’s communications department. Tomory, who has a doctorate in English from the University of Denver, has taught English at SMC since 1981 and has had the emeritus status since 2010.

Musical entertainment was provided by the college’s Select Voices, directed by David Carew, SMC’s director of Choral Music.

Tomory told students they will encounter many obstacles in life that will require them to “pick themselves up and start over again.”

“I started out as a business major and then switched to accounting and then economics,” Tomory said. “By my senior year at the University of Michigan, I had decided I couldn’t go in that direction.”

He said life is about reinventing yourself and making mid-course corrections.

Below are area honors graduates listed by home town:

Berrien Center
Robert Allen
Stephanie Bishop

Berrien Springs
Joel Adu
Desiree Bullock
Stephanie Harrington
Alissa Root
Bristol, Ind.
Jennifer Nissley

Buchanan
Ashley French
Amanda Lindamood
Jeffrey Platt
Nicole Rutherford
Robert Shelton
Cassopolis
Paige Breden
Matthew Eby
Sierra Knepple
Lucienne Lafontant
Gene McIntosh
Brett Poorman
Brandy Reed
Kayleen Velthouse

Decatur
Corey Barbieri
Teresa Brautigam

Dowagiac
Bradley Baker
Tonnie Blackamore
Tiffany Brooks
Brian Darlas
Glen Ditz
Kelly Frantz
Kandace Gebhard
Lindsay Heidenreich
Kenneth King
Adeline McFadden
Guy Nearpass
David Ottinger
Dominic Rappelli
Benjamin Wainwright
Alyson Wheeler
Sarah Wright

Eau Claire
Zachary Harner
Laura Tennison

Edwardsburg
Rachel Breden
Kathy Davis
Nicole Griffing
Paul Harris
David Sinkiewicz
Ronald Spring
JoAnn Sunday

Niles
Emily Calbreath-Frasieur
Taelyn Cassiday
Kelly Courtney
Andrew Cox
Gary Crouch
Joshua Curtis
Melissa Dickey
Kyle Garlanger
Andrea Groote
Leslie Hopper
Paula Kendall
Lynzy Manaloto
Kathy Mankowski
Robert Mitchell
Christopher Mondschein
Ashley Olson
Brooke Olson
Ashleigh Pellow
Bonnie Roberts
Steven Rolston
Philip Shirk
Emily Sossoman
Erica Thomas
Heather Walker
Kristen Werner
Cody Williams

Portage
Rachel Johnston
Sodus
Melissa Mauchmar
South Bend, Ind.
Paul Martinczak
Valerie Akeyo
Hannah Marquardt

St. Joseph
Amanda Barber
Elizabeth Drenth
Three Oaks
Daniel Alden
Deanna Phillips
Stephanie Sexton

Three Rivers
Chelsea Thompson

Union
Aileena Fager
Shirley Hood
Mary Maynard

Vandalia
Cortney Ramsey

White Pigeon
Arica Freshour
Kylie Oldenburg