(ST. GEORGE, Utah) - The completion of school is the commencement of a new future. Prepared for that future with in-demand skills, discipline and enthusiasm, Dixie Applied Technology College (DXATC) graduates will celebrate with “Pomp and Circumstance,” caps and gowns, friends and families, and local VIPs. Thursday, June 20th at 6:30 PM in the Eccles Fine Art Building at the Dixie State University will be the venue where certificates will be received, tassels flipped, pictures taken, and futures commenced. To the graduates, DXATC President Kelle Stephens affirms, “You’ve spent a year or two with us here at the DXATC, and you’ll never look back. Opportunities are waiting for you, and you are prepared with competence and confidence to take advantage of them in ways that will enrich your life.” Graduates, certificate holders, and award winners will be honored in a big way in 2013, the 10th Annual Graduation Ceremony that will reflect the growing achievement and recognition of the premier college for skill and competency-based training in Washington County—which offers the following Council on Occupational Education (COE) accredited programs: Medical Assisting, Pharmacy Technician, Office Management, Drafting and Design, Manufacturing Operations, and Diesel Technology. With Also honored will be those who have certified in numerous industry specific competencies—including American Heart Association, Wildland Firefighting, Six Sigma, and Medical Billing and Coding—to name a few. Plus, ten DXATC students who took top honors at the Skills USA state-level competition will be recognized. These students will be representing the state of Utah and DXATC at the National Skills competition in Kansas the last week of June 2013. Graduation speakers will include Outstanding Student, Nate Bishop, a Medical Assisting student; and Outstanding Alumni, Stacy Palmer, a Pharmacy Tech student. The keynote speaker will be Christine Healy, MA, PHR, CEBS, who is the Human Resources Manager at Wells Dairy-Blue Bunny, Faculty/Facilitator at University of Phoenix, and former officer for SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management). Ms. Healy’s wit, warmth, and passion for leadership development, progress, and continuous improvement have earned her the respect of many, both locally and beyond Southern Utah. Platform guests include Mayor McArthur, local legislators, City Council members, as well as representatives from Washington County, St. George City, Washington County School District, Dixie State University, and the DXATC Board of Directors. Ushering in the 21st Century, DXATC (www.dxatc.edu) was established in 2001 by the Utah State Legislature as part of Utah’s UCAT (Utah College of Applied Technology) state-wide system of eight campuses. Originally housed in half of the former Harmon’s grocery store (now Dixie State University’s North Plaza Building), the DXATC campus now occupies several buildings in the Tonaquint Business Park—but only temporarily. Within the next five years, a new Dixie Applied Technology College campus will arise on the west bluff overlooking the St. George Valley. Where airplanes took off into the Dixie sky, a new generation of “Forward Thinking, Future Focused, Job Ready” graduates will rise to meet the needs of in-demand careers, as DXATC remains focused on “Quality Students, Quality Programs and Processes, and Quality Graduates.”