Charter Oak State College has announced John Thomas as student speaker for the College's commencement ceremony on June 2 in Welte Auditorium at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, CT.
Thomas, of Glastonbury, CT, has shown a strong commitment to Charter Oak during his time as a student, serving as a Board of Regents for Higher Education Student Advisory Committee representative as well as an alternate Student Advisory Committee representative, and has served on the Student Association Council.
"Without question, participating in the extracurricular activities enhanced my experience at COSC," said Thomas, who is the Director of Shelter Operations at Protectors of Animals in East Hartford, CT. "It afforded me the opportunity to get to know the institution, its staff and the student body in deeper, more meaningful ways. Being participative gave me a sense of ownership about COSC."
"John was a natural choice for student speaker at this year's commencement," said Linda Larkin, Charter Oak's Director of Academic Services. "As an employed adult, juggling a job, family commitments, and school, he is representative of his fellow classmates. In addition, he has served the College in an extraordinary manner both as a Student Association Council member and as our representative to the statewide Student Advisory Committee to the Board of Regents."
Thomas, who will also be inducted into the Alpha Sigma Lambda honor society at a ceremony prior to commencement, said he is thrilled and honored to have been chosen to serve as student speaker at this year's ceremony, and believes his experience as a Charter Oak student has been a very positive one. "The quality of my total experience at COSC cannot be overstated," he said. "I feel that the quality of the education I received here has been fantastic."