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WKCTC to Hold Commencement at The Carson Center on May 12

by Justin Jones

Paducah, KY (05/02/2025) — West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) will honor more than 900 students eligible for graduation during two spring commencement ceremonies on Monday, May 12, at The Carson Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Paducah.

The ceremonies will be held at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., with Paducah Mayor George Bray serving as the featured speaker. Samyuth Pinnegar of Paducah and Joan McLeod-Philbee of Calvert City will deliver the student addresses.

Bray, who was first elected as Paducah's 40th mayor in 2020, was reelected for a second term in 2024. He has had a long career with Amerisource Bergen (now Cencora), and is deeply committed to fostering economic development and job growth for Paducah and McCracken County. Bray believes that the region's growth will be greatly enhanced through collaboration with neighboring counties. He is dedicated to helping recruit new businesses, including the reindustrialization of the Paducah Department of Energy site, while also supporting small businesses and enabling entrepreneurs.

Bray shared, "Growth will be enhanced greatly through collaboration with the surrounding counties that make up our region. I am dedicated to helping lead the vigorous recruitment of new businesses and supporting small business growth and entrepreneurs."

After migrating from Jamaica to the United States in 2020, Joan McLeod-Philbee earned her G.E.D. and enrolled at WKCTC in Fall 2022 to pursue an associate degree in business administration. "I always wanted to attend college or university when I was younger," McLeod-Philbee said. "But that dream felt out of reach as I focused on raising my children and making ends meet with very limited resources." Despite financial hardships, her desire for higher education never faded.

McLeod-Philbee added, "I was so excited because finally I was about to realize my dreams." She has excelled academically at WKCTC, earning a spot on the Fall 2024 President's Honor List, being named a KCTCS Scholar for Spring 2025, and being selected as a student commencement speaker. In addition to her studies, she works full-time as a Family Support Specialist at the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. She plans to continue her education at Murray State University, majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Social Work.

"Providing physical and emotional support to others is my way of giving back to society," McLeod Philbee reflected. "Empathy and care are my greatest strengths, and I believe my true calling is to serve others. This journey has truly humbled me."

Samyuth Pinnegar's path to a degree is equally remarkable. Born in Cambodia and raised in an orphanage, Pinnegar was adopted by a family in Paducah. Overcoming numerous personal and family challenges, Pinnegar found his calling after a health scare led him to pursue nursing. "After undergoing emergency surgery at UK's Albert B. Chandler Hospital, I was so inspired by the care I received that I promised my family I'd return to school to pursue nursing," Pinnegar said.

Pinnegar enrolled at WKCTC, completed his prerequisites, and was accepted into the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program. "Community became a big part of my success," Pinnegar said. "My instructors and classmates invested in me, and I felt it was my responsibility to give that back." Pinnegar will graduate with an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing and has accepted a position at Albert B. Chandler Hospital in Lexington, where he will join the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. "If you'd asked me five years ago, I never would've predicted this," he said. "Thanks to my peers, my instructors, and the unwavering support of my family, I've found my calling. I'm ready to give back in a big way-and I can't wait to show UK Healthcare what WKCTC students are made of."

WKCTC's 2025 commencement ceremony will be a ticketed event. Each graduate will receive four tickets for their guests. The ceremony will not be open to the general public, but the event will be livestreamed on the college's official YouTube channel.

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