Lyneisha Lewis
Florida A&M University’s fall commencement will take place start at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10. The live event will take place in the Lawson Center.
Some students who were supposed to graduate with their class in 2019, 2020, or even 2018, are graduating in 2021.They are finally able to walk across the stage despite challenges that delayed them graduating.
Zataria Ray, a graduating chemistry pre-dental student, faced obstacles that delayed her graduating in spring 2020. Due to an overlooked class that was a requirement for the completion of her courses, it prevented her from graduating with her class.
“I was upset, I was a little depressed that I wasn’t able to graduate with my friends,” Ray said.
Not knowing any of the class of 2021 students, Ray wasn’t able to use graduating with her friends as a support system.
“Being used to studying with people who have moved on and graduated from FAMU is really saddening, but I’m getting it done now,” Ray said.
Making sure all of her classes were a requirement and going toward the completion of her time at FAMU, she signed up for graduation and now will be walking across that stage.
Gabrielle Mack, a senior transfer health science scholar, began at Tallahassee Community College. Before transferring to FAMU, Mack was set in stone to graduate with her degree in pre-nursing. Trusting her adviser to pick her classes for her, she was led astray. The adviser was using curriculum for the wrong major. This caused Mack to get pushed back a semester.
Reaching out to the dean of Nursing and talking to some nursing students at FAMU, she decided to transfer schools.
“This experience made me more aware, it made me more accountable. This motivated me to keep going and do more with my education,” Mack said.
Since Mack transferred she made all her schedules and just ran them by her adviser for final advice. “With me doing so I was able to graduate with my associates in general health science in spring, and will be graduating this fall with my bachelor’s,” Mack said.
No one can take your education away from you no matter how young or how old you are, or how early or how late you graduate. Once you complete your journey, that is all that matters.