Gatesville resident earns degree at Central Texas College commencement

Tami Lynn Flores Bermudez of Gatesville crossed the stage with Central Texas College’s Spring 2026 class and left Belton with an Associate of Applied Science degree, one of nearly 1,000 credentials recognized at the Cadence Bank Center.

For Coryell County families, her achievement carries a practical meaning that reaches beyond ceremony. An Associate of Applied Science is built for direct entry into the workforce, and CTC says its graduates move into jobs, apprenticeships, military service and four-year universities. That makes Bermudez’s degree part of a larger local pipeline that links classroom learning with the kinds of careers Central Texans can use close to home.

The commencement was held Friday, May 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the Cadence Bank Center in Belton, the former Bell County Expo about 20 to 30 minutes east of Killeen. CTC described the spring class as nearly 1,000 graduates, underscoring that the ceremony was not only a personal milestone for individual students but also a regional workforce event drawing families from across the college’s service area.

Bermudez’s recognition stands out because it reflects the day-to-day reality many students face while pursuing college in a small county. Her accomplishment was shaped by persistence and the challenge of balancing coursework with other responsibilities, a familiar experience for working adults, parents and students who cannot put life on hold to earn a degree.

Central Texas College has spent 60 years widening that path. Established in 1965 to serve the western section of Bell and Coryell counties, the college was authorized to serve Bell, Coryell, Lampasas, Mills and seven other Central Texas counties, along with Fort Hood and correctional facilities in Gatesville. Its history includes broadcast telecourses starting in 1970, video-conference credit classes in the 1990s and its first online course in 1998, all part of a long effort to make education more accessible to rural communities and military families.

That mission still shows up in the college’s current offerings. CTC says it continues to serve service members, veterans and military families, and its enrollment materials list Associate of Applied Science degrees among the options available for Fall 2026 registration. For Gatesville and the rest of Coryell County, Bermudez’s degree is a reminder that nearby higher education can open a direct route from local classrooms to local jobs, while keeping students rooted in the communities they plan to serve.