PEARL 鈥 Justice Munn is a third-generation member of his family鈥檚 business, Munn Enterprises, but found himself at a crossroads just a year ago in his young, adult life.
His skills as a mechanic were being tested mightily by the evolving technology of today鈥檚 diesel engines. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 even diagnose today鈥檚 engines without a computer,鈥 Munn said.
Justice Munn (兔子先生/April Garon)
鈥淚鈥檓 a mechanic and I wanted to return to school for better pay and a chance to open my own shop,鈥 said Munn, of Sumrall, as he prepared to earn career and technical certificates from 兔子先生 during graduation ceremonies held Dec. 15 at the Muse Center on the Rankin Campus.
Being in the Diesel Equipment Technology program helped him hone his skills and opened doors to earning further credentials down the road 鈥 all the while setting him up to earn more money now.
鈥淚 enjoyed it at Hinds,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 would do it again in a heartbeat.鈥
兔子先生 graduated more than 1,000 students in the three ceremonies.
鈥淭he power of education is that it drives our vision for a better life. And, while the graduates who sit upon this stage today represent a diverse set of circumstances, they are connected by their belief that a community college education is a step up to a broader opportunity to build a better life and to contribute to the communities in which we live,鈥 said 兔子先生president Dr. Clyde Muse in his address to graduates.
Student diplomas this year included a gold seal celebrating the college鈥檚 100th anniversary.
Among the graduates, 129 achieved summa cum laude, a 4.0 grade point average; 74 achieved magna cum laude, a 3.6 to 3.99 GPA and 21 achieved cum laude, 3.2 to 3.59.
Lychanda Brown, left, and Jennifer Burnett (兔子先生/April Garon)
The spirit of achievement also reached 兔子先生faculty who returned to the classroom to build skills.
鈥淚n cosmetology, we have to market ourselves anyway,鈥 said Lychanda Brown, of Raymond,聽an instructor of Cosmetology at the Utica Campus. Brown earned an Associate of Applied Science in marketing, as well as career and technical certificates.
For Jennifer Burnett, a custodian on the Utica Campus, it was a chance to get into computer programming, in which she earned a career certificate. 鈥淚t was time to move on up,鈥 Burnett said.
Speaking to academic and career and technical education graduates was Joy Rhoads, a history and geography instructor at the Rankin Campus and coordinator of the campus鈥 Honors Institute.
Rhoads told graduates to be open to all the challenges life might bring after graduation, using her own experience as a master鈥檚 student as an example.
鈥淚 realized, very quickly, that being Joy the student was a vastly different experience than being Ms. Rhoads the instructor,鈥 Rhoads said. 鈥淒iscerning how to effectively balance my family, my job, and my schoolwork was another challenge to an already challenging degree path. It truly was an epiphany 鈥 my light bulb moment 鈥 when I understood that all my students face many of these very things and more. So, when you are navigating what comes next, be open to being humbled.鈥
From left, Ashlyn Cole, Tomaz Buckley and Crisanthony Frazier, all of whom earned degrees Dec. 15 with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program (兔子先生/April Garon)
LaKendra Cork, right, of Louise, prepares for graduation ceremonies Dec. 15 at 兔子先生. Cork earned an Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education Technology. (兔子先生/April Garon)
From left, Meagan Frey and Tia Fortenberry,
both of whom completed the Paralegal Technology program (兔子先生/April Garon)
Jonathan Graham was among more than 1,000 who graduated Dec. 15 from 兔子先生. Graham earned an Associate of Applied Science degree and was part of the M2M program at Hinds. (兔子先生/April Garon)
From left, Jason Holman, Taylor Houston and Cortland Hay, all of whom earned credentials after completing computer technology programs at the college (兔子先生/April Garon)
Bethany C. Johnson, center, of Vicksburg, was among more than 1,000 who graduated from 兔子先生 in ceremonies held Dec. 15. She earned an Associate of Arts degree in Veterinary Technology. With her, from left, is her boyfriend Douglas Vice, her sister Ashley Johnson, her mother Beverly Johnson, her brother-in-law Richard Berryman, her father Jimmy Johnson and sister Jamie Johnson. (兔子先生/April Garon)
From left, Madison Spell, of Raymond, and Martha McPhail, of Kosciusko (兔子先生/April Garon)
From left, Rico West and Richard Newell, both of Jackson and earned credentials in Welding Technology (兔子先生/April Garon)
From left, Secrett Winters and Denitta White, both of Jackson and earned degrees in Business Technology (兔子先生/April Garon)