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Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) held its 151st commencement ceremony on May 19 at Bojangles Coliseum.
Valerie Kinloch, JCSU’s 15th president, said that for the first time in its history, the university had three alumni women sign the degrees for the class of 2024. Georgia Senator Rev.
Raphael Warnock gave the keynote address at the ceremony and reminded students that they could be “anything” they wanted to be.
“This is an exciting time,” Kinloch said.
COVID challenges
Saeed Dupree, the valedictorian of JCSU’s class of 2024, began classes online in 2020 due to the pandemic, which he said was difficult.
“We had to do things alone,” Dupree said.
JCSU’s class of 2024 salutatorian, John Josiah, traveled to Charlotte from Ogbomoso, Nigeria, to attend the HBCU to study biology.
“Starting in the midst of COVID was very challenging,” Josiah said. “I had to find a place to stay; I had to learn away from home — which was my first time.”
Despite the challenges, both Josiah and Dupree graduated with 4.0 GPAs.
Glimpses of the graduates
Cierra Carter, another graduate of JCSU’s class of 2024 and a first-generation college graduate, told QCity Metro she attended the HBCU to study social work.
She transferred from Tennessee State University to JCSU in the summer of 2022.
“I took a leap of faith and decided that I was going to go to where I knew I should be,” Carter said. “Since I’ve been [at JCSU], I’ve just been given so many opportunities.”
Carter plans to pursue a master’s in social work at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Dupree, who majored in biology and chemistry, is a Charlotte native. He said JCSU was the only university that offered him a scholarship.
“Johnson C. Smith took a chance on me,” Dupree said. “They allowed me to impact the community I was raised in.”
Dupree has accepted a full-time role at JCSU to help facilitate a summer program with a former professor. In the future, he said, he would like to become a medical doctor in the Charlotte area.
Josiah, who also received scholarships, told QCity Metro that he chose the university because of its small, close-knit campus.
“I really wanted a place that I could know most people, and it could feel like home,” Josiah said.
Josiah said he was drawn to Charlotte for its fast-growing pace and new opportunities.
“I love Charlotte,” Josiah said. “Charlotte has given us the support we needed.”
Josiah said he plans to attend Columbia University to get his master’s in applied analytics. His long-term goal is to go into the healthcare sector and work to help reduce disparities in underserved populations.
Dupree said he wouldn’t be who he is today without attending an HBCU. Learning the school’s history was inspiring and helped him feel included.
Advice for future students
“Don’t be afraid to ask someone for help,” Carter said when asked what advice she would give to incoming college students.
She said that finding a mentor and a network of people to help with the stresses of college is important for a successful experience in school.
She also noted the importance of self-care.
“I’m big on self-care,” Carter said. “Take that time to focus on yourself and what’s important so you can do what you can for yourself and others as well.”
Josiah said incoming first-year students should “focus on the now.”
“It’s easy to be overwhelmed with college and all the opportunities being thrown in your way,” Josiah said. “[But] it’s very important to live in the moment and try as much as possible to take every day at it is.”
As for rising seniors, Josiah said to “trust God and trust the process.”
“Keep pushing toward that goal,” Dupree told QCity Metro. “It will come to fruition.”
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