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Commencement speaker Dr. Errick Greene, superintendent of Jackson Public Schools, admonished Jackson State University graduates receiving master’s and doctoral degrees to realize their purpose and decide how their lives will be remembered.
The ceremony also recognized the 50th anniversary of the Class of 1971 with golden diplomas.
On last Friday, Greene saluted graduates for being among the 13 percent of U.S. adults to have earned advanced degrees. Even as he told them to “live your life while you’re alive,” he also advised them to “slow your roll” amid the hustle and bustle.
JSU President Thomas K. Hudson also congratulated the graduates and reserved special recognition to those “who have gone above and beyond in supporting our graduates in so many ways.” These individuals, he said, are the parents, grandparents, children, spouses, aunts, uncles, relatives and significant others.
Hudson encouraged them to enjoy the accomplishments because “it is a tremendous milestone in your life and a major step in starting and/or continuing your career.”
Adding more wisdom, keynote speaker Greene said the tiny dash separating his father’s birth and death essentially captured what his father, a city bus driver, was and forever will be to his family and friends. So, he challenged degree recipients to determine what their dash will represent. “What will people say of your life?” he asked.
“Some of you desire to make important contributions to the world,” acknowledged Greene, citing curing HIV as an example, along with promoting racial and social justice, solving infrastructure issues, combatting violent crimes and achieving world peace.
“Leave this world in a better place than where you found it. You’ve been given a gift of a higher education,” he said.
Student marshal Ariel Dickson of Johannesburg, South Africa, earned her master’s degree in accounting. “This is a big accomplishment for me because all of my family are back in South Africa. Next, I’m going to pursue my CPA license. Jackson State has been amazing. My whole life is because of Jackson State. Everything I do is in honor of my family, and Jackson State is family.”
Golden diploma recipient Diane J. Barnes is a native of Pascagoula, Mississippi. She has resided in St. Louis, Missouri, for decades. The former longtime teacher of 30 years in that Midwest state said she is one of six in one household to earn a 50th golden diploma from JSU. She said two additional family members from that one house are slated to get their 50th diplomas next year.
“We listened to ‘Jackson Fair’ (the alma mater) when we were 5 and 6 years old. My first sister got her 50th diploma 21 years ago, and she was a classmate of (former U.S. Secretary of State) Dr. Roderick Paige. They were very good friends.”
Barnes said she “absolutely loves” JSU. “I’m still sending kids there even though I’m retired from the school system. I have kids enrolled at JSU right now from St. Louis, Missouri, that I’m responsible for getting them here. I have several more to come.” She then pointed to her great-nephew, recent JSU grad Morgan Beard, who was covering the commencement story and interviewing Barnes for local news station WAPT-TV.
Mississippi state Sen. Hillman Frazier was also part of the golden class.
“This is exciting and the first time I’ve had a chance to see some of my classmates since 1971. It’s great to see how they have prospered as a result of what they learned at Jackson State,” Frazier said.
U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Javonta Roper, who commissioned last week, earned his master’s in business administration. The native of Edwards, Mississippi, has been in the military for six years, serving as a sergeant in the 210th Finance Battalion of the Mississippi Army National Guard since 2015. He was promoted from sergeant to his newest rank last week.
“Transitioning to the officer world is a great accomplishment for me,” Roper said. He’ll soon begin working as a contract specialist with the National Guard.
All things considered, commencement speaker Greene advised graduates to realize their purpose even if it changes down the road. “Live your life with purpose on purpose with intentionality. So, what if you have fears and doubts?” It’s not uncommon, he suggested. Greene said he battles the fear of failing the thousands of families he’s been appointed to serve.
“My life has purpose, and I’m pushing myself and my team to walk in the purpose each and every day.
Greene then saluted Jackson State for producing many greats as he lauded the institution’s athletes, entertainers, businessmen and businesswomen. He said “like them you’ve come to an inflection point where you can begin to write an amazing story.”
Prepare the stories you will write, Greene advised. Most importantly, identify “what will be the meaning of your dash.”
