Thirteen Yavapai College graduates will be taking their radiologic technology skills into the healthcare industry locally and beyond, having successfully completed a rigorous two-year program that also earned them an associate degree of applied science.
The newest cohort of “rad techs” were honored during a traditional pinning ceremony earlier this month at the YC Prescott campus. Ceremony attendees included YC leadership, faculty, staff, and proud family and friends.
“Graduates, you’ve mastered all the skills necessary. You are the first step in a diagnosis. You’re the eyes behind the scenes. Your images help detect fractures, tumors, pneumonia, swallowed coins, and, -- on at least one occasion – a Barbie shoe. You literally get to see it all,” said YC Dr. Lisa Rhine in her congratulatory remarks. “We celebrate not just what you’ve learned, but what you’ve become: professionals, caregivers and experts.”
Keynote speaker YC alumna and Radiology Clinical Coordinator Avery Liggett recounted her journey through YC’s radiology program and her successful quest to get a better score on the registry exam than her husband, also a YC radiology program alum. Today, Liggett said she is grateful to be sharing her passion for radiology with YC students whose paths “converge for two wonderful years.” She told graduates to “honor the title you have earned,” take pride in the profession and “find your passion in this field so that you can show up each day armored with empathy, pride and a good sense of humor.”
Student speaker Tracy Bates shared her struggles as a student old enough to be the mom of all of her classmates, and how supportive family, friends and instructors wouldn’t let her give up. “My point is I was not alone. People rallied behind me when I asked for help. That is what has gotten me here today.”
Bates asserted that everyone attending the radiology pinning ceremony is now part of that supportive community. “As you go forward, celebrate the wins, commiserate over the struggles, share your feelings good or bad, ask for help when you need it and remember that there are people here for you and that you are not alone.”
A trio of scholarship recipients in the 2025 radiology graduating class also spoke at the pinning, including Mariah Begaye, who said she planned to put her new skills to work on the Navajo Reservation where she was born and raised. “Tonight’s pinning ceremony marks more than a completion of a program. It’s the beginning of our calling – a calling to serve, to heal and to give back. For me, that means returning to my community, to the people and the place that shaped me, and doing my part to care for and uplift them.”
Following are the Radiologic Technology class of 2025 graduates:
Carley Astraus, Tracy Bates, Mariah Begaye, Hannah Delbridge, Isabel Garcia, Michael Gehmanv, Stephanie Hudzinski, Bailey Nelson, Sierra Snyder, Daniel Tisdell, Amanda Wachs, Sarah Yeager, and Danielle Zimmerle.
For information about YC’s radiologic technology program, visit yc.edu/radiology.
Yavapai College operates seven campuses and centers throughout Yavapai County and offers over 100 degrees and certificates, four baccalaureate degrees, student and community services, and cultural events and activities. To learn more about YC, visit www.yc.edu.