Hazim Hardeman, a kid from North Philly, a Rhodes Scholar and a Community College of Philadelphia alumnus, had a message for the city as he spoke at the College’s 52nd Commencement at The Liacouras Center on May 5: "Many of you are the first in your family to attend college, others of you are the first to graduate. And there’s a particular lure about being a first, the stroke of the ego, the feeling that you’ve been able to accomplish something that others before you couldn’t," Hazim, the College's Commencement speaker, told the students, families and friends of the Class of 2018. "But we should never mistake our being first, for being the first that were worthy," he cautioned. "Because if we’re being honest, it is through the paths that others before us have traveled, that ours have been made easier to traverse.” Listening from the front row were six high school students from MaST Community Charter School who were about to graduate from college before they finished high school. Also in the Class of 2018 were six employees from the College, 54 veterans and 26 international students representing 16 countries. There were a total of 1,885 candidates for degrees and certificates this year. Congratulations to the Class of 2018!