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Watch the Inaugural Commencement Recap
The Inaugural Commencement Ceremony of CT State Community College Manchester was held on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. sharp, at the Bicentennial Band Shell on the campus lawn.
Watch the CT State Manchester Commencement Ceremony
Commencement Speaker
Steven Hernández, Esq.
Steven Hernández, Esq. is the Executive Director at ConnCAN, a non-profit working to ensure that all kids in Connecticut have access to a high-quality education, regardless of their address. He also serves as Vice President of the MCC Foundation. Steve served the Connecticut General Assembly and the state for 12 years as Executive Director of the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity, and as Director of Public Policy and Research for the Connecticut Commission on Children. Mr. Hernandez served seven years as legislative and budget director in the office of Washington, D.C., Council member Jim Graham. He served as a clerk to two judges in the District’s Court of Appeals and as a consultant to the Washington law firm Baker & Miller, PLLC.
He received a bachelor of arts degree from Bennington College in Vermont in 1995 and a juris doctor degree from the Washington College of Law at American University. He is an experienced attorney, leader, and collaborator in public policy and advises on cutting-edge policy through a bicameral, bipartisan, research and best-practice-driven lens. He is most comfortable collaborating cross-culturally, with youth, family, state, local and national stakeholders, with the public and private sector, business and philanthropy. At ConnCAN, Steve returns to his roots in children’s policy, honing in on that lifelong passion to improve educational access and outcomes for all children, particularly the disinvested children of color and those children living in poverty in the state.