College of the Florida Keys holds largest commencement in 60 years

The College of the Florida Keys had to do something it had never done before: split spring commencement into two ceremonies to honor a class that topped 150 graduates. The ceremonies at the Tennessee Williams Theatre on the Key West campus marked the college’s 72nd commencement and underscored how much larger CFK’s role has become in Monroe County.

The milestone landed in a year that carried extra weight. CFK was celebrating its 60th year, the United States was marking its 250th anniversary, and the college was also closing in on a year-long anniversary observance that began during the 2025-26 academic year. CFK has served the Keys since 1965, calls itself the southernmost college in the continental United States, and says its annual impact on Monroe County is more than $44 million.

The growth is visible in the numbers. Spring 2025 commencement honored 115 graduates, including 16 Dual Enrollment students who earned Associate in Arts degrees before finishing high school. This year’s class was large enough that CFK had to stage two separate ceremonies, a sign that the college is producing more graduates at a time when the Keys need more workers in healthcare, trades, education and public service.

The program reflected that pipeline. Jessica Lane Rojas, who earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management, delivered the student address for Ceremony A. Araceli Lizette Dominguez, who earned an Associate in Science in Nursing, spoke in Ceremony B. Yesenia Bathelmy, also an Associate in Science in Nursing graduate, performed the national anthem at both ceremonies. Nursing graduates also took the Florence Nightingale Nursing Oath, and CFK says its NCLEX-RN pass rate consistently ranks well above state and national averages, feeding one of the region’s most urgent workforce needs.

CFK also highlighted Project ACCESS, its inclusive postsecondary education program for students with intellectual disabilities and autism. The program combines academics, social activities, employment experience and independent living skills, with a personalized vocational and academic curriculum that leads to a certificate of completion and, in many cases, a College Credit Certificate. Student employment after graduation is a primary goal.

The college used the ceremonies to recognize broader community support as well. Dr. Christina Belotti, a CFK alumna from the class of 2004 and a longtime Keys educator, was named 2026 Distinguished Alumnus. Timothy A. Stockwell, “Papa 2025” of the Hemingway Look-Alike Society, delivered the keynote address. The society has backed more than 300 CFK students with more than $250,000 in scholarships over nearly 27 years, and its endowment at CFK now stands at $750,000.

That workforce mission extends beyond Key West. CFK was named a Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education by the U.S. Maritime Administration in 2024, one of 32 entities nationally and the only college in Florida to receive the designation. Its Upper Keys Center in Key Largo, a 38,000-square-foot facility that opened in August 2021, doubled student capacity from the former location and supports nursing, apprenticeship, business, hospitality and other programs that keep graduates moving into Monroe County jobs.