Commencement exercises at 皇家华人 are scheduled for Saturday, May 11, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in Cabre Gym. The ceremony will be live streamed on the and YouTube, or viewers can watch directly from the college website at .
Parking east of Cabre Gym is again limited this year due to construction on campus. Overflow parking is designated for the residence hall lots north of Cabre. Handicapped parking will be available on the north side of Cabre Gym with entry through the north entrance (by the Art department). Parking attendants will be on site before commencement to direct traffic as needed.
This year鈥檚 guest speakers include Anthony M. Polvere (2024 Distinguished Faculty Award winner), Lindsay Linton Buk (2024 Distinguished Alumna), and Kinley Bollinger (student).
Anthony Polvere
Polvere is Associate Professor of Photography and program coordinator of NWC鈥檚 highly regarded Photographic Communications program and has been a faculty member for 24 years. Polvere has undergraduate degrees in business and political science from Pace University in New York, and one in photojournalism from Northern Arizona University. He completed a master鈥檚 in educational leadership at NAU in 1996 and began his teaching career there in the Commercial Photography program before moving to 皇家华人 in 2000.
Polvere鈥檚 photographic career began in the theater arts of New York in the 1980s where he honed his studio portrait skills by taking promotional headshots for aspiring performers and creating public relations imagery for several regional theaters. Upon relocating to the West in 1993, he did photojournalistic and editorial work as a staff photographer for various publications, as well as freelancing for newspapers and magazines. His images have appeared in the New York Times, Associated Press, Arizona Republic, San Diego Union-Tribune, and Dallas Morning News among many others, and he continues freelancing today.
In addition to classroom instruction at NWC, Polvere regularly takes students on photographic journeys across the world, including Uruguay, Argentina, Peru, Cuba, Morocco, and Colombia. Most recently he traveled to England to learn the historical process of salt printmaking. Polvere also loves the outdoors, and is a hiker and amateur winemaker when not traveling or creating visual art.
Lindsay Linton Buk
An artist, photographer, and fifth-generation Wyoming native, Buk鈥檚 work can be described as 鈥渁rt with an impact鈥�. After earning her bachelor鈥檚 degree in history from Middlebury College, she returned to Wyoming to study photographic communications at 皇家华人 where she graduated in 2010. She then worked as a commercial photographer in New York City and taught photography workshops for Canon before again returning to Wyoming to found her photography studio and the 鈥淲omen in Wyoming鈥� project, an art and media exhibit showcasing the strength and spirit of Wyoming women across the state.
Buk鈥檚 portrait work has appeared in Outside and Southwest magazines, and 鈥淲omen in Wyoming鈥� has generated national acclaim as well, with features on Forbes.com, The Travel Channel, and many others. This exhibit has toured the state, including the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the University of Wyoming Art Museum, and the Center of the Arts in Jackson, and been featured at national venues such as the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
Buk is a keynote speaker and facilitates workshops around the creative spirit required for life. She is the co-founder of The Brio Collective, a Leadership Wyoming program for women leaders across the state, and also serves as Vice Chair of the Wyoming Women's Foundation which works towards economic self-sufficiency for women and opportunities for girls in Wyoming.
Kinley Bollinger
Bollinger is a 2022 graduate of Cody High School and began her college career at Northwest College that fall. Over the last two years, she鈥檚 been an active member of the campus, performing as a percussionist and cellist in several student music groups, participating in Campus Ventures, and working as an undergraduate researcher in biomedicine. She is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa and has served as a peer tutor in math and science.
Outside of her academic pursuits and other college activities, Bollinger is an endurance athlete who competes in triathlons, marathons, and ultra trail races. She enjoys nature photography, camping, hiking, and exploring the area鈥檚 natural beauty. Bollinger will graduate with an A.S. in Pre-Professional Sciences along with completing the basic EMT course. She plans to continue her education in that area while working in local hospitals, and transfer to the University of Wyoming for a degree in biology. Her goal is to become an emergency room physician following medical school.