The event, which took place on the evening of 29 June 2023 at the UCCI campus, commemorated its graduating class of 2023. Over 200 students walked on the evening and over 250 graduated this year.

This year’s commencement ceremony also included several special awards; the first of which was named the ‘Health City Outstanding UCCI School of Nursing Alumni Award,’ kindly sponsored by valued partner Health City Cayman Islands. 

The special award was created to celebrate UCCI School of Nursing’s 10th year of offering the Bachelor of Science Nursing Programme, a flagship programme of the Cayman Islands. It was awarded to Nurse Gracian Beale.

Other awards on the evening were:

• UCCI Community Partner Award awarded to Enterprise Cayman.
• UCCI Board of Governor’s Award awarded to Zeb Yanes – Bush.
• Excellent in Institutional Service awarded to UCCI staff member Dr. Deborah Beale.
• Excellence in Programme Leadership awarded to Programme Leader for the Dual Enrolment programme, Mrs. Lorna Blackman.

James Dever was the keynote speaker at the annual commencement ceremony. James Dever is an entrepreneur who retired at 41 before returning to education at 50 to obtain the bachelor’s degree he never completed in the 1960s. In July of 2009, he completed the requirements for his Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. He brings a wealth of practical entrepreneurial experience to Florida State University, having owned, and operated many successful businesses during his 20-year entrepreneurial career. Those businesses included trucking companies, motels, restaurants, a construction company, and other assorted ventures.

The 2023 valedictorian was Cayman Brac resident Janet Eldridge who graduated from a BSc in Business Admin with a GPA of 3.89.