A-B Tech graduates more than 800 students at Asheville commencement

More than 800 Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College students crossed the stage at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in downtown Asheville on Saturday, turning a crowded spring commencement into a workforce milestone for Buncombe County. The graduates earned degrees and diplomas across A-B Tech’s more than 130 career pathways, from health care to the trades and public service fields that still need trained workers.

The ceremony carried extra weight after Hurricane Helene devastated the area on Sept. 27, 2024, disrupting classes and forcing the college to keep students and employees moving through a difficult recovery. For families packed into the arena, the day marked more than a finish line. It showed students pushing through interruption and still reaching the point where they could step into jobs, apprenticeships and further training.

John Gossett, A-B Tech’s president since July 2020, said more than 100 volunteers helped move faculty, students and guests through the event. He also pointed to the emotional center of commencement, describing the sound of family members cheering when graduates’ names were called and the pride on display as students received their credentials in front of loved ones.

The scale of the class matters in Buncombe County because A-B Tech is not only a college, but part of the region’s workforce pipeline. Its strategic plan centers on the vision, “Changing Lives • Strengthening Communities,” and the college says it offers more than 130 degrees, diplomas and certificates. Saturday’s ceremony gave that mission a visible outcome, sending a large new class of technicians, caregivers and skilled workers into the local labor market.

A-B Tech also brought a little extra buzz to commencement season with an experiment headed for space. In April, the college said its winning Student Spaceflight Experiments Program project examines how lubricating oils behave in microgravity and will be tested at the International Space Station this summer. The project came from three physics students and was led by Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology student Curtis Epley. Fourteen student teams competed for the chance to send a science experiment into space, and physics student Paige Wiggins won the badge contest judged by River Arts District artist Louise Genetti.

The spring total followed other large A-B Tech ceremonies. In 2024, the college said it awarded more than 850 degrees, diplomas and certificates for the 2023-24 academic year and about 400 graduates walked at commencement. In 2025, it said it expected to award over 900 credentials and again anticipated about 400 graduates on stage. Saturday’s turnout showed that, even after Helene, A-B Tech remains one of Buncombe County’s most important public institutions, producing talent and steadiness at the same time.