573 participants out of combined 889 “prospective” fall graduates and summer graduates walking the Hilliard Center arena stage.DMC alumna and current Nurse Education major Melissa Torres will give keynote address as first student speaker in recent memory before receiving degree along with rest of Class of Fall 2025; 139 graduates of Class of Summer 2025 also walking stage.In all, the Class of Summer 2025 and Class of Fall 2025 will have earned a total of 1,092 awards combined.DMC Nurse Education major Melissa Torres will serve as commencement speaker. Torres is the first student in recent memory to deliver the keynote address.She is also a member of the Class of Fall 2025 and will join her peers to “walk the stage” to receive her Associate in Applied Science in Registered Nursing degree after addressing everyone in the arena.A Corpus Christi native who graduated from W.B. Ray High School in 1992, Torres, is recognized for her exceptional commitment to academic excellence, service and leadership as she advanced her journey in health care education. She first graduated from Del Mar College with an Associate in Applied Science in Surgical Technology degree in 2004 and began a career as a medical professional with Driscoll Children’s Hospital.For her next step after DMC’s Winter Commencement, Torres has been rehired by Driscoll Children’s Hospital, and she will begin their Cardiac Intensive Care Unit Residency Program in February.