Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College will hold its spring 2026 graduation ceremony at 3 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center on the campus of South Carolina State University.
This year’s speaker is Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter. Cobb-Hunter is the longest-serving representative in the South Carolina General Assembly, a post she has held since 1992. Her district includes parts of Orangeburg and Dorchester counties.
Cobb-Hunter is the social work administrator and chief executive officer of CASA/Family Systems, a private, nonprofit organization serving Bamberg, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties that provides prevention, advocacy and intervention for individuals and families affected by sexual assault, family violence, and/or child abuse and neglect. She is also a director at the ReGenesis Institute, which helps vulnerable communities access federal dollars for restructuring.
In the House, Cobb-Hunter is a member of the Ways and Means Committee – where she serves as ranking member and first vice chairwoman – and Joint Bond Review Committee. Additionally, she sits on the Community Development Advisory Committee for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, as well as boards for the Center for Women Policy Studies, Grassroots Leadership, Planned Parenthood of South Carolina, South Carolina Fair Share, South Carolina Low Income Housing Coalition and South Carolina SAFEKIDS.
A Florida native, Cobb-Hunter received a bachelor’s degree in Afro-American history from Florida A&M University and a master’s degree in American history from Florida State University. She is a former teacher and caseworker for the Orangeburg Department of Social Services.
Registration is underway for summer and fall terms at OCtech. Summer classes begin Monday, May 18. For more information and to apply, visit octech.edu or call 803.535.1234.