Nearly 500 students participated in the graduation for Truckee Meadows Community College late Friday afternoon.

The commencement ceremony will started at 4:30 p.m. inside Lawlor Events Center. 

TMCC says it will award 1,428 degrees and certificates to 1,120 students for the 2018-2019 academic year. That includes five Bachelor’s degrees and 1,281 Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of General Studies, and Associate of Applied Science degrees. TMCC will also award more than 140 certificates of achievement. 

The youngest graduate is 17 and has earned an Associate of Science. The oldest gradate is 72, and will receive two Associate of Arts degree.

Ahtziry Vasquez has been named Regents’ Scholar for the 2018-2019 academic year. Vasquez is this year’s Student Government Association President.

The first Nevada Promise Scholarship recipient graduated as well. The Nevada Promise Scholarship is a financial aid program meant to help high school seniors with tuition and registration fees.

The Nevada Promise Scholarship aims to make a college education more accessible and affordable by providing last-dollar financial aid to Nevada students attending one of the state’s four community colleges: College of Southern Nevada, Great Basin College, Truckee Meadows Community College, or Western Nevada College. The scholarship helps eligible students pay for up to three years of tuition and mandatory fees at CSN.

To apply for the scholarship you at TMCC you can visit http://www.tmcc.edu/nevada-promise-scholarship/.

(Truckee Meadows Community College contributed to this story.)