PEMBROKE, N.C., May 9 -- The University of North Carolina at Pembroke issued the following news release:
The 517 graduates who crossed the stage Friday night at UNC Pembroke did not arrive
there by chance.
They came from hospital floors, classrooms, military service, leadership offices and
communities where earning a graduate degree means more than adding another line to
a resume. For many, the walk across the stage was a promise kept. A second chance
taken seriously. A next step toward serving someone else.
That spirit carried through UNCP's William Howard Dean Graduate School commencement
ceremony on May 8, where family members, faculty, staff and friends gathered to celebrate
students who pushed through long workdays, personal loss, a...