Nearly 900 Bucks Co. Community College Graduates Step Into The Future

NEWTOWN, PA — Bucks County Community College celebrated the Class of 2025 at two ceremonies on Thursday marking the college’s 59th annual commencement.

The public, two-year college conferred a total of 882 associate degrees and certificates for the 2024-2025 academic year. Hundreds of students took part in two ceremonies on the Newtown Campus, with family members, friends, faculty, and other supporters cheering them on.

At each ceremony, graduates heard from one of their own. At the 10 a.m. event, the student speaker was chemistry major and honors graduate Kateryna Maksymenko of Warrington, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine at age 8. She completed a research internship on Alzheimer’s disease at the University of Pennsylvania and will transfer to the University of Pittsburgh to study neuroscience.

At 2 p.m., graduates heard from Nursing graduate Gerald Gwambuga of Sellersville, who immigrated from Uganda in 2017, leaving behind a 15-year career as a teacher. He will continue to change lives here in the United States as a nurse. One of his four daughters is following in his footsteps and is pursuing a nursing degree at Bucks.

Other outstanding graduates include Jacqueline Lemming-Russell of Bristol, who continued her Bucks County Community College journey after a 31-year hiatus, which she says is “proof that it’s never too late.”

The psychology major, who won the President’s Cup award for her contributions to the campus and community, graduated cum laude and is transferring to Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J., with a goal of become a behavior specialist.

Another top graduate is Adrian Tyrk of Morrisville, a chemistry major who will transfer to Swarthmore College to study biochemistry, with an ultimate goal of attending medical school. His high achievements earned him a spot on the Pennsylvania Association for Community College’s 2025 All-Pennsylvania Academic Team.

Leah Lovelace-Square also made an impact during her time at Bucks. While working full-time and raising a family, she earned an associate degree in Guided Studies, but also found time to mentor and teach underprivileged youth in Bristol and Morrisville. Such outreach earned her the college’s MLK Student Leadership Award this year.

These are just some of the Bucks County Community College graduates who are making a difference in their community and who were celebrated at the 59th annual commencement.