With the end of the fall term, another group of graduates has completed their educational goals amidst unprecedented conditions. On Friday, December 9, UNC Greensboro faculty, students, and their families gathered at the Greensboro Coliseum to celebrate 1,486 baccalaureate graduates, award 370 master’s degrees, and acknowledge 110 doctoral degrees that were granted in a hooding ceremony the previous day. Themes of resiliency and community spirit resounded throughout the ceremony.
Student speaker Terrance Pearson, from the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, addressed his class with relatable stories of navigating life and higher education during a global pandemic. He underscored how this group’s education under COVID restrictions imparted particular strengths of versatility, resilience and attention to detail in his fellow graduates. “When the going got tough, we got tough right on back,” Pearson stated with pride. “Today we stand as tall as a tree and rooted in our new strengths.”
Student government association president Hazael Mengesha also spoke to the strengths of this class when he said, “You’ve been tested and challenged only to create diamonds under the pressure that you have faced.”
Chancellor Gilliam echoed themes of perseverance and applauded the can-do attitude of the graduates, which included these special Spartans:
- 51 percent were first generation college students
- 63 percent received some form of financial aid
- 80 percent worked while pursuing their education
“Spartans are resilient,” he said. “Spartans persevere. Spartans aren’t afraid of hard work. And Spartans earn what they achieve!”
Chancellor Gilliam welcomed the class into alumni status. “You’ll never know where this degree will take you!” He encouraged graduates to stay connected to fellow alumni and appreciate the community that UNCG has given them. “Take with you our pride in your achievement, and our unwavering belief in you and the difference you’ll make wherever you go.”
Resiliency and community spirit are Spartan traits that recent graduates hold in common with this term’s honorary posthumous doctoral recipient, Lorenzo “Logie” Meachum. The beloved UNCG alumnus and faculty member used his education and talents to give back to his community as a storyteller, blues musician, and community leader. His life’s work to educate through performance, music, and the arts affirms UNC Greensboro’s mission to “make a difference in the lives of students and the communities it serves.”
Congratulations to the graduates as they turn their tassels and step out into the world to live out their own missions. May the strengths they gained as Spartans serve them well.
Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications.
Photography & Video by Sean Norona and Grant Gilliard, University Communications.
