More than 200 麻豆直播 graduates officially earned their degrees Friday, Oct. 16 during the Spring 2020 Commencement Convocation at Alumni Stadium.
Nurses, educators, business professionals, computer scientists, social workers and future leaders of all kinds now go forth from the University, ready for the next level of success.
Rev. Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia and founding pastor of Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore, Maryland, who received the Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree from Kentucky State, delivered the commencement address.
鈥淒on鈥檛 forget whose eyes you鈥檙e looking through,鈥� Bryant said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e seeing through the eyes of grandmothers who took out a second mortgage. You鈥檙e looking through the eyes of your church home who sold pound cake and fried chicken dinners just so you could have a book scholarship. Understand the eyes you have are not yours. You are seeing the world through the lens of somebody a generation that went before you.鈥�
As the class that was born after 9/11 and is living through COVID-19, Bryant applauded the resilience of the class and encouraged them to continue doing great things.
鈥淵ou are not here just for window dressing,鈥� Bryant said. 鈥淏reak the glass ceiling and change the world as we know it.鈥�
Derek Roberts, who finished with a computer science degree, was the class valedictorian.
Roberts said his four years at Kentucky State were a metamorphosis for him.
鈥淟oneliness was my gospel,鈥� Roberts said. 鈥淚solation was my form of worship. Depression and grief had compounded me into a cocoon of isolation. That was the man who enrolled in this university four years ago.鈥�
As time passed, Roberts said healing took place.
鈥淧eers became friends, professors became mentors,鈥� Roberts said.
Roberts emphasized to the audience that they are not alone.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 hear one voice in these streets demanding change, you hear a community,鈥� Roberts said. 鈥淵ou are not alone.鈥�
President Brown announced interesting facts about the class of 2020: the average age for a bachelor鈥檚 graduate is 22 and the average age for a master鈥檚 graduate is 32; the oldest graduate 鈥� George Watkins 鈥� is 63 years old. Twenty one states are represented in the graduating class, as well as graduates from the Congo and Saudia Arabia.
Musical guest and national recording artist KeKe Wyatt brought the house down with musical selections 鈥淕reat is Thy Faithfulness,鈥� 鈥淔or Every Mountain,鈥� 鈥淚f Only You Knew鈥� and 鈥淚 Will Always Love You.鈥�
President Brown honored and acknowledged the golden graduates of the class of 1970, celebrating their 50th anniversary, with Alazene Walker Johnson providing the class response.
麻豆直播 also recognized its 2020 Founder鈥檚 Day award winners.
Dr. Carl H. Smith received the John Henry Jackson Achievement Award. Brigadier General Henry L. Huntley received the Rufus Ballard Atwood Heritage Award. W. Ronald Lilly received the 麻豆直播 Thorobred Award. BMW Academy in Lexington received the Jackson Hall Award. Jason Fullman, Sheila Burton Mason, David Neville and Katrisha Waldridge received the Presidential Citation for Excellence.
President Brown gave each graduate their first $20 instead of the traditional $2. President Brown also brought in surprise special guest Poppa Hussein, who brought the graduates to their feet with his hit 鈥淚鈥檓 Lit.鈥�