By Ashley McLeod, Staff Writer
Dec 9, 2014, 12:59
CHESTERFIELD — The newest class at Virginia State University walked across the stage on Saturday, December 6, receiving their hard-earned degrees and entering a new world.
“This may be a commencement, but this is also the beginning of a new chapter in your lives,” said Student Government Association President Hyisheem Calier.
The Charles Daniel Gymnasium on VSU’s campus was packed with family members, students and friends, all there to celebrate the hard work and determination of those sitting in caps and gowns.
“Being here today demonstrates a strength that will serve you well going forward,” said Harry Black, rector of the Virginia State Board of Visitors.
While the commencement ceremony included hundreds of students finishing their bachelor’s degree program, it also included four students who received their doctoral degrees, and many receiving their master’s degrees.
The highest form of recognition by VSU was given to Dr. Randal Pinkett, the keynote speaker at the fall commencement ceremony. The honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree is presented to individuals who have worked to make outstanding contributions to society.
Pinkett is the first and only African American to receive the Rhodes scholarship at Rutgers University and was the winner of NBC’s reality show, the Apprentice.
During his speech to the new graduates, Pinkett reflected on Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken.”
“Your experience at VSU, like a road, has taken you places that few people have been before, or have taken you places that nobody has ever been before,” Pinkett said.
Pinkett emphasized that no two paths in life are alike, that everyone will have a different path for their future, and that it is each individual’s responsibility to create their own path for the future.
“What do you do when there is no road? The answer, I heard, is you make the road. The road is made as one walks,” Pinkett said.
The commencement ceremony also included ROTC commissioning for three graduates.
