Atlanta Christian College Holds First-Ever Winter Commencement

Atlanta Christian College awarded diplomas to its first-ever December graduates on Friday, with 58 students crossing the stage. A total of 144 students have received diplomas from Atlanta Christian this year – a new high for the 74-year-old college.

The commencement speaker was Dr. Crawford Loritts, nationally known speaker, author and radio host and senior pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Ga.

“Nothing in life happens apart from courage,” Loritts said to the graduates. “Often, the difference between success and failure comes down to courage.”

He encouraged the graduates to be courageous as they move into the next stages of their lives, reminding them, “Courage is not the absence of fear, it’s the direction of fear. If you fear God more than you fear people, you’ll always come out courageous.”The December Hathcock Award winners were also announced during the ceremony. This award, named for Judge T. O. Hathcock, ACC’s founder, is the highest honor the College awards to a graduating senior. Seniors are nominated by the administrative cabinet and selected by the faculty. Not more than five percent of the graduating class may receive the award. It is given based on the qualities of academic achievement, character and servant leadership. This year’s recipients were Robin Joiner, of Snellville, Ga., and Kara Banister, of Stockbridge, Ga.
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Georgia Tech Grads Still in Demand During Recession

The demand for Georgia Tech students remains strong despite a tough economy.

Among the disciplines that employers are most interested in are chemical engineering, industrial and systems engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science.

“Employers continue to look to Georgia Tech because of the quality of our students and reputation of the Institute,” said Ralph Mobley, director of Career Services. “During economically tough times, our students set themselves apart by the academic rigor here at Tech and the ability for many of them to obtain real-world experience before they graduate through our co-op and internship programs.”

More than 470 companies are expected to visit campus during this academic year, and every career fair planned for this semester has been full in terms of potential employers, according to Mobley.

“Although the number of companies visiting campus is down 24 percent, many students are receiving offers, but just may not receive as many as they have in the past,” said Mobley. “We’re also seeing a slight increase in the number of internships our students are getting.”

Mobley suggests that the number of internships may be up because companies are more optimistic for the long term and want to make sure they keep their talent pipelines full.

Chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, industrial engineering and management graduates all meet or exceed the national average for salaries according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers data for fall of 2008.

Despite the demand for specific majors, Georgia Tech students are not immune to facing challenges as they search for jobs in the current economic climate. Some major companies have cancelled interviews or withdrawn job offers, according to Mobley. “Those who have been successful in finding positions began their search well in advance of their graduation date,” he noted.

Although MBA student Heather Platt of Atlanta won’t graduate until May, she accepted a position with Delta Airlines last November. “I interviewed with Delta when they were on campus last fall,” she noted. “I will be working in the sourcing department where I’ll be reviewing options for suppliers, analyzing prices and negotiating contracts.”

Another MBA student, Mike Green of Atlanta, will be working for the East Coast Division of Lafarge Building Materials headquartered in Alpharetta. “Before beginning my MBA, I worked as a homebuilder,” he said. “I interned with the company last summer and two days before my internship ended, Lafarge offered me a position. I accepted.”

The total number of interviews has dipped slightly this year (by 5 percent), but remains high with more than 8,000 interviews taking place on campus.

“We need to keep in mind that interviews don’t necessarily equal job offers. Companies are becoming more selective,” said Mobley. “It is a tribute to our students because companies are seeking them out.”

Georgia Tech continues to see significant interest in its students from companies in the defense, petroleum, information technology, government and consulting industries.

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Vision, Truth and Love Should Guide the Class of 2008, says Newark Mayor Corey Booker

Morehouse’s newest graduates should strive for greatness while at the same time using their success for the common good, said Newark, N.J. mayor Corey A. Booker.

“If you don’t manifest the truth in the world through your actions, you remain on a log, in a bog without getting anything done,” he said to cheers during the 2008 Summer Commencement ceremony at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel on Saturday, July 19. “We are people who must live our authenticity through our actions…We are a participating democracy. Get off the couch, get off the sideline and get into the game.”

Sixty-one men of Morehouse became Morehouse men during the ceremony.

They had marched from Kilgore Campus Center, through the heart of campus before entering the chapel to cheers as exuberant parents, family and friends stood, yelled and clapped. One family had blinking red lights on their shirts. A group from Maryland had all dressed in white.

Once seated, the graduates were told to see the occasion not as a culmination, but as a beginning.

President Robert M. Franklin Jr. ’75 urged the graduates to continue striving to
become Renaissance men in his charge to the class.

“Four or more years ago you made a promise, gentlemen,” he said. “Now it’s up to you to make good on that promise…Know that the world will be watching. Always remember you are not average men. You are Morehouse men.”

The audience then heard from Booker, Newark’s mayor since 2006 and a former college football star at Stanford University, a Rhodes Scholar and a Yale Law School graduate. The New Jersey native once moved into a housing project to fight for tenants’ rights and better living conditions and went on a hunger strike in front of another development to protest drug dealing.

He said spiritual lessons in vision, truth and love for his community is what led him to a life as an activist and politician.

“I have been fortunate that there have been so many messengers who have come to me to help me in this value-based, character-based, continuous education in my life,” Booker said.

He said the vision each person had of themselves is stronger than the way the world will ever look at them; the graduates should be advocates of their own truths and that their love should be so deep that generations after them benefit.

“I challenge you now to set your sights high, unleash your truths and to love flagrantly and with abandon,” Booker said.

Booker and new Johnson C. Smith University President Ronald L. Carter ’71 were presented presidential citations in honor of their work.

Ellis Barney Freeman, a retired civil service examiner, was inducted into the Morehouse College National Alumni Association as an associate member of the class of 1933. Freeman entered Morehouse in 1929 but was forced to leave school in 1931 to help support his family during the Great Depression.

By Add Seymour Jr.

Georgia Students Receive Degrees at Xavier University of Louisiana

A total of thirty-two Georgia students received degrees during Xavier University of Louisiana’s 81st annual commencement ceremony, which was held Saturday (May 10) at the Kiefer Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.

Broadcaster, author, advocate and philanthropist Tavis Smiley delivered the keynote address at the Commencement ceremony. Archbishop Alfred Hughes gave the invocation and benediction.

Seven students with perfect 4.0 grade point averages headed this year’s group of 38 summa cum laude graduates, including Fahamina Ahmed of Metairie, LA (Pharm.D), Jaime Crawley of Houston, TX (Pharm.D), Breyanna Grays of Grand Blanc, MI (BS in biology/premed), Heba Hossenally of Jefferson, LA (PharmD), Erica Stevens of Mobile, AL (BS, biology/premed), Katura Thomas of Allentown, PA (Pharm.D) and Thao-Nguyen Tran of Marrero, LA (BA in Spanish and BS in biology/premed).

A list of all Georgia students earning degrees (listed by city and degree) follows:

Alpharetta, GA: Bachelor of Science:
Dominique N Lynch

Atlanta, GA: Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science:
Brandon Lusane Dawkins, magna cum laude

Bachelor of Arts:
Christina Nicole Ellington

Bachelor of Science:
Heather Ashley Brightharp
Chari Renee Gary, summa cum laude
Mornisha C Terrell
Brandon J E Williams, cum laude

College Park, GA: Doctor of Pharmacy
Kareema Denise Sullivan

Decatur, GA: Bachelor of Science:
Alishia Shanae Bankhead
Ayeshia Tranae Bankhead
Carol Coleman
Raymond Harrison IV
Brittani A Leach-Beale

Doctor of Pharmacy
Kwame Kenyatta Haven

East Point , GA: Bachelor of Science:
Tiereny C Bell

Ellenwood, GA: Bachelor of Science:
Terry Gene Richardson II , cum laude

Fairburn , GA: Bachelor of Science:
Juton Renee' Winston

Fayetteville, GA: Bachelor of Arts:
Jena M Perriatt

Bachelor of Science:
Lindsey N Holloman, magna cum laude
Tiffany M Norris

Doctor of Pharmacy:
Crystal Monique Calloway, summa cum laude

Hephzibah, GA: Bachelor of Science:
Victoria Ann Ngozi Anyanwu

Hinesville, GA: Bachelor of Science:
Garrett Douglas Anderson, summa cum laude

Lithonia, GA: Bachelor of Science:
Elijah Fennell III
Shannon Patrice Franklin

Lizella, GA: Doctor of Pharmacy:
Kelly Yarnell Moran

Marietta, GA: Bachelor of Science:
Jewel Emefa Constance

Powder Springs, GA: Bachelor of Science:
Christian Oscar Davillier

Riverdale, GA: Bachelor of Science:
Ashley Tee Ellerbe, magna cum laude

Stone Mountain, GA: Bachelor of Science:
Renita Annette Clark

Tyrone, GA: Doctor of Pharmacy
Samuel L Young II, cum laude

Union City, GA: Bachelor of Science:
Erica Lisa Cagan