The keynote speaker for this year’s commencement ceremony will be Ericia Ward-Williams, program manager for the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.

The graduation ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 16 at 1 p.m. at the Forum in downtown Rome.

Ward-Williams is from Atlanta. She attended college at Georgia State University and Mercer University where she received her Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration from Mercer University.

“I am currently pursuing a Master of Science in Organizational Development and Design from Kaplan University,” she said.

Ward-Williams is “absolutely ecstatic” about being the keynote speaker for the Georgia Highlands’ commencement ceremony.

“Having the opportunity to share in this celebration of achievement with the graduating class of GHC and those that support and love them is an overwhelming honor,” she said.

According to the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation website, Ward-Williams has been with the foundation since 2002 and is heading the Scholar selection process.

Ward-Williams stated on her profile, “There is something very fulfilling about seeing a Scholar grow from a teenager making an impact in his or her local community, into a young man or woman making an impact on a greater scale and knowing that the work that you do on a daily basis helped facilitate their success in some small way.”

Graduates should report to the Forum no later than noon.

The nursing pinning ceremony will precede graduation at 10:00 a.m.

Preordered caps, gowns and announcements may be picked up from the Georgia Highlands College Bookstores. The bookstores will have a few extra caps and gowns available for purchase on a first come, first served basis.