Bellevue College held its 46th annual commencement ceremony on Friday, June 14, in Seattle’s KeyArena in front of the largest audience ever, conferring more than 2,600 awards to the Class of 2013.

In all, the college awarded 2,609 bachelor’s and associate degrees, certificates and diplomas to 2,481 students. Graduates from Issaquah numbered 161 and graduates from Sammamish totaled 126, the seventh-highest total of any city in the region.

“This day was all about our graduates, and we wanted them to be able to share this important milestone with as many family members and friends as possible,” said President David L. Rule, Ph.D. “Holding commencement in KeyArena allowed us to have a ceremony that was as inclusive as possible. Bellevue College has grown a lot in recent years, and we’re graduating more students every year, so it was time to move the ceremony from our campus gym to a larger venue.”

This marked the first time in BC’s history that it has staged the ceremony at an off-campus location, with an estimated 4,500 people in attendance.