Morehouse College 139th Commencement Program (2023)

“There is an air of expectancy at Morehouse. It is expected that the student who enters here will do well. It is also expected that once a man bears the insignia of a Morehouse graduate, he will do exceptionally well. We expect nothing less. May you perform so well that when a man is needed for an important job in your field, your work will be so impressive that the committee of selection will be compelled to examine your credentials. May you forever stand for something noble and high. Let no man dismiss you with a wave of the hand or shrug of the shoulder...”

President,

CHARGE TO THE GRADUATING CLASS OF ’61

Dr. Benjamin e. mays

Morehouse College (1940-1967)

2023 Commencement Program

PRESIDING: David A. Thomas, Ph.D., 12th President of Morehouse College

PRE-CEREMONIAL MUSIC

**PROCESSIONAL

CROWNING MOMENT

ENTRANCE OF THE SESQUICENTENNIAL TORCH

RINGING OF THE BELL

EVOCATION

*NATIONAL ANTHEMS

“Improvisation on Old Hundredth” arr. David F. Oliver

“War March of the Priests” from “Athalia” by Felix Mendelssohn ALL

Melvin Foster, D.M.A. Associate Professor, Associate Provost for Academic Success

Edwin C. Moses ’78 Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, 400-meter hurdles

The Rev. Hardy Spurgeon Bennings III Founder’s Representative, Pastor, Springfield Baptitst Church, Augusta, Ga.

The Rev. Dr. E. Dewey Smith Jr. ’93 Senior Pastor/Teacher, The House of Hope, Decatur, Ga.

“The Star-Spangled Banner”

Text by Francis Scott Key Music by John Stafford Smith

“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”

Text by James Weldon Johnson Music by J. Rosamond Johnson

INTRODUCTION OF THE PRESIDENT

OPENING REMARKS AND WELCOME

INTRODUCTION OF THE CHAIRMAN

GREETINGS FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

FACULTY RECOGNITIONS AND VULCAN AWARD PRESENTATION

ALUMNI RECOGNITIONS

ACADEMIC HONORS

ANTHEM

ALL

Henry M. Goodgame Jr. ’84 Vice President, External Relations and Alumni Engagement Chair, Commencement and Reunion Planning Committee

David A. Thomas, Ph.D. President, Morehouse College

President Thomas

Willie E. Woods ’85 Chairman, Morehouse College Board of Trustees President and Managing Director, ICV Partners, New York City, N.Y.

Kendrick T. Brown, Ph.D. Provost and Senior Vice President, Office of Academic Affairs

Vice President Goodgame

William Caleb Whitfield ’23, Salutatorian

Alan Timothy Cowan ’23, Co-Valedictorian

George Anthony Pratt ’23, Co-Valedictorian

Darryl Alexander Sams ’23, Co-Valedictorian

“See the Victory Before Us and Walk On!” arr. Uzee Brown Jr., D.M.A. ’72

Provost Brown

President Thomas

Morehouse College Glee Club

David E. Morrow ’80, D.M.A. Director

2023 Commencement Program

CONFERRING OF PRESIDENTIAL CITATIONS AND HONORARY DEGREES

INTRODUCTION OF SPEAKER

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

SELECTION

CONFERRING OF BACCALAUREATE DEGREES

INDUCTION INTO NATIONAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

CHORUS

PRESIDENT’S CHARGE TO THE CLASSES

*COLLEGE HYMN

BENEDICTION

SPIRITUAL

**RECESSIONAL

Ceremonial Marshal and Macebearer

Dr. John K. Haynes ’64

Chief Ceremonial Marshal

Dr. Lance Shipman Young ’95 Macebearer

Marshals of the Faculty

Dr. Adria Welcher

Dr. Nina Gilbert

Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters: William “Bill” Felton Russell presented by President Thomas and Chairman Woods accepted posthumously by his wife, Jeannine Russell

Honorary Doctor of Science: Roderic I. Pettigrew, Ph.D., M.D. ’72 presented by President Thomas and Chairman Woods

Honorary Doctor of Laws: The Honorable Wes Moore presented by President Thomas and Chairman Woods

President Thomas

The Honorable Wes Moore 63rd Governor of Maryland

“Sit Down Servant” arr. Stacey Gibbs

Morehouse College Glee Club

President Thomas Provost Brown

Uzee Brown Jr. ’72, D.M.A.

Javarro Edwards ’92

President, Morehouse College National Alumni Association President, JME Group LLC

“Prayer” from “Lohengrin” by Richard Wagner arr. George Mead

“Dear Old Morehouse” J.O.B. Moseley ’29

“Fare Ye Well” arr. Wendell P. Whalum ’52

Led by Tyonte M. Williams ’23, Tenor & M. Romon Washington II ’23, Tenor

“Pomp and Circumstance, Military March No.1” Sir Edward Elgar

Marshals of the Platform Party

Dr. Triscia Hendrickson

Dr. Robert Tanner

Dr. Aisha Meeks

Dr. Derrick M. Bryan ’04

Lead Marshals

Mr. Illya E. Davis ’89

Dr. Brian Lawrence

Marshals of the Alumni Classes

Mr. Henry Goodgame ’84

Mr. Michael Levesque ’89

Morehouse College Glee Club*

Former glee club members to join

President Thomas

ALL

The Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. Dean, Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel

Morehouse College Glee Club

David F. Oliver, D.M.A. College Organist

Marshals of the Students

Dr. Jaime Chávez

Dr. Michael Douglas ’97

Dr. Dwayne Joseph ’99

Dr. Alison D. Ligon

Dr. Yohance Murray ’96

Dr. Wallace Sharif ’96

Dr. Corey Stayton

Dr. Taura Taylor

Dr. Patrick Bernard Washington ’03

In 1867, two years after the Civil War ended, Augusta Institute was established in the basement of Silver Bluff Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga.—the oldest independent African American church in the United States. The school’s primary purpose was to prepare Black men for ministry and teaching. Today, Augusta Institute is Morehouse College, which is located on a 66-acre campus in Atlanta and enjoys an international reputation for producing leaders who have influenced national and world history.

Augusta Institute was founded by the Rev. William Jefferson White, an Augusta Baptist minister, cabinetmaker and journalist, with the encouragement of the Rev. Richard C. Coulter, a former slave from Augusta, Ga., and the Rev. Edmund Turney, organizer of the National Theological Institute for educating freedmen in Washington, D.C. The Rev. Dr. Joseph T. Robert, trained minister, physician, and the father of the author of “Robert’s Rules of Order,” was appointed the Institute’s first President by William Jefferson White.

In 1879, Augusta Institute was invited by the Rev. Frank Quarles to move to the basement of Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta, and the school changed its name to Atlanta Baptist Seminary. Later, the Seminary moved to a 4-acre lot near the site on which the Richard B. Russell Federal Building now stands in downtown Atlanta. Following Robert’s death in 1884, David Foster Estes, a professor at the Seminary, served as the institution’s first Acting President.

In 1885, when Dr. Samuel T. Graves was named the second President, the institution relocated to its current site in Atlanta’s West End community. The campus encompasses a Civil War historic site, where Union forces battled Confederate soldiers during William Tecumseh Sherman’s famous siege of Atlanta in 1864. The land was a gift of John D. Rockefeller. Atlanta Baptist Seminary became Atlanta Baptist College in 1897, during the administration of Dr. George Sale, a Canadian who served as the third and youngest President from 1890 to 1906.

A new era dawned when Acting President John Hope became the fourth President in 1906, characterized by expanded academic offerings and increased physical facilities. Hope was the College’s First African American President, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University and a pioneer in the field of education and has been recognized as the first “civil rights President” in the American Academy. He encouraged an intellectual climate comparable to that of his alma mater and openly challenged Booker T. Washington’s view that education for African Americans should emphasize vocational and agricultural

skills. Atlanta Baptist College, already a leader in preparing African Americans for teaching and the ministry, expanded its curriculum and established the tradition of educating leaders for all areas of American life. In addition to attracting a large number of talented faculty and administrators, Hope contributed much to the institution we know today.

Upon the death of the College’s founder in 1913, Atlanta Baptist College was named Morehouse College in honor of Henry L. Morehouse, the corresponding secretary of the Northern Baptist Home Mission Society. Dr. Samuel H. Archer became the fifth President of the College in 1931 and headed the institution during the Great Depression. He gave the school its colors, maroon and white, the same as those of his alma mater, Colgate University. Archer retired for health reasons in 1937. Dr. Charles D. Hubert served as the third Acting President until 1940, when Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays became the sixth President of Morehouse College.

A nationally noted educator and a mentor to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ’48, Mays is recognized as the architect of Morehouse’s international reputation for excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service. During the presidency of Mays, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Bates College and the University of Chicago, the number of faculty members grew and those holding doctoral degrees increased from two to 34 out of 65 teachers. The College earned global recognition as scholars from other countries joined the faculty, an increasing number of international students enrolled, and fellowships and scholarships for study abroad became available. Morehouse received full accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1957, and Mays’ 14-year effort to win a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at Morehouse was realized in 1968.

In 1967, Dr. Hugh Morris Gloster ’31, was selected by Dr. Mays to become the first alumnus to serve as President of the College. Under his leadership, Morehouse strengthened its Board of Trustees, conducted a successful $20-million fundraising campaign, grew the endowment from $3 million to more than $29 million and added 12 buildings to the campus, including the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. became the first Dean of the Chapel in 1979. Morehouse established a dual-degree program in engineering with the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, and Boston University. Gloster also founded the Morehouse School of Medicine, which became an independent institution, in 1981. He appointed Dr. Louis Wade Sullivan ’54, its first dean; Sullivan later became the school’s first president.

Samuel T. Graves Hall

Hugh M. Gloster ’31 and Benjamin E. Mays

In 1987, Dr. Leroy Keith Jr. ’61, was named eighth President of Morehouse. During the Keith administration, the College’s endowment increased to more than $60 million and faculty salaries and student scholarships significantly increased. Construction of the Nabrit-Mapp-McBay science building was completed. In 1994, Nima A. Warfield, a member of the graduating class that year, was named the College’s first U.S. Rhodes Scholar. The “A Candle in the Dark” Gala was founded in 1989 to raise scholarship funds.

In October 1994, Wiley Abron Perdue ’57, vice president for business affairs, was appointed the fourth Acting President of Morehouse. Under his leadership, national memorials were erected to honor Dr. Benjamin E. Mays and internationally noted theologian Dr. Howard W. Thurman ’23. Perdue launched an initiative to upgrade the College’s academic and administrative computer information systems and undertook construction of a 5,700-seat gymnasium, which served as a basketball venue for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

On June 1, 1995, Dr. Walter Eugene Massey ’58 was named the ninth President of Morehouse College. A noted physicist and university administrator, Massey called on the Morehouse community to renew its longstanding commitment to a culture of excellence. Before joining the College, Massey had held several notable positions, including dean of the college and professor of physics at Brown University, professor of physics and vice president for research at the University of Chicago, director of the National Science Foundation, and senior vice president and provost of the University of California System. Under Massey’s leadership, Morehouse expanded its dual-degree program in natural sciences with Georgia Tech, and also launched the Center for Excellence in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics with a $6.7-million Defense Department grant, and established a new African American studies program and a center for international studies named for former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young. The College was reaccredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Division of Business Administration and Economics was accredited by the American Association of Schools and Colleges of Business, making Morehouse one of only a handful of liberal arts colleges in the nation with both AASCB accreditation and a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

During Massey’s tenure, two more Rhodes Scholars were named—Chris Elders in 2002 and Oluwabusayo “Tope” Folarin in 2004. In June 2006, the College successfully completed Morehouse’s most ambitious capital campaign as of that date— raising a record $112 million, which exceeded the campaign’s goal of $105 million. The same year, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin raised $34 million to give to Morehouse College to acquire the Martin Luther King Jr. Collection. Today, Morehouse is the permanent custodian of this coveted collection, which includes more than 13,000 hand-written notes, sermons, letters, books, and other artifacts belonging to its most noted alumnus, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ’48.

On July 1, 2007, the Rev. Dr. Robert Michael Franklin Jr. ’75 was appointed the 10th President of Morehouse College. The former president of the Interdenominational Theological Center had previously served as presidential distinguished professor of social ethics at the Candler School of Theology and senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, both at Emory University. During his tenure, Franklin led the institution forward with his vision of the “Morehouse Renaissance,” further elevating public confidence in the College’s continuing stature as a premier institution providing a high-quality education and enhancing the intellectual and moral dimension of Morehouse’s mission and mystique. In part, he accomplished this by establishing the concept of the “Five Wells,” an ideal to cultivate men of Morehouse as “Renaissance men with social conscience and global perspective” who are well-read, well-spoken, well-traveled, well-dressed, and well-balanced. Under Franklin’s leadership, the College reaffirmed its commitment to academic rigor, underscored by re-accreditation in 2009 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In a $20-million project initiated by Massey, Franklin oversaw the completion and opening of the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center and Aretha Robinson Music Academic Building, a 75,000-square-foot facility named after the late, legendary musician. Franklin led and supported cultivation efforts—such as establishing the Renaissance Commission, a blue-ribbon group of 150 influential volunteer stakeholders—which increased the total number of new donors by 4,500. The College had generated more than $68 million in institutional funds ($33 million during the silent phase of the comprehensive capital campaign) and $60 million in restricted funds from federal sources.

After a period of transitional leadership, Dr. John Silvanus Wilson Jr. ’79, an accomplished university administrator, professor, and former executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, stepped into office as the College’s 11th President on Jan. 28, 2013. Under his leadership, the College improved student achievement across a wide range of metrics. In addition, Wilson played a pivotal role in bringing President Barack Obama

Ray Charles Performing Arts Center

The Martin Luther King Jr. Collection

Walter E. Massey ’58

Robert M. Franklin Jr. ’75

to Morehouse as the Commencement speaker in 2013, and, in 2015, hosting then Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. In 2016, Prince Abudu became the College’s first international Rhodes Scholar, making him the fourth Rhodes Scholar the College has produced.

President Wilson served the College for four years, ending his tenure on April 7, 2017. William James Taggart, a graduate of Howard and Harvard universities, assumed the role of the sixth Acting President of the College after serving as the chief operating officer at Morehouse since 2015. Tragically, just two months after his appointment, Taggart suddenly passed away on June 8, 2017. Two Acting Presidents then led the campus, including Harold Martin Jr. ’02, who left the Morehouse Board of Trustees temporarily to accept the appointment as the eighth Acting President.

In October 2017, the Morehouse Board of Trustees voted to name Dr. David A. Thomas as the 12th President of Morehouse, ushering in a new era of leadership for the College. Thomas took office on Jan. 1, 2018. A visionary leader, Thomas has 30 years of higher education experience as a professor and an administrator. He holds a doctorate in organizational behavior studies and a master’s degree in organizational behavior, both from Yale University. He also has a master’s degree in organizational psychology from Columbia University and a bachelor of administrative sciences degree from Yale College. Thomas is the former H. Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the former Dean of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. President Thomas has significantly prioritized fundraising to support campus renovations, faculty research, infrastructure improvements, and other needs. During the President’s first year in office, enrollment applications increased by more than 40 percent, and a fifth Rhodes Scholar was named—Franck Nijimbere, a computer science and mathematics major who was selected in May 2018. The prestigious honor made Morehouse the top producer of Rhodes Scholars among HBCUs.

Under Thomas’ leadership in 2018-19, Morehouse raised more than $7 million in generous donations to establish new endowed scholarships, build an outdoor study area and park for students, and support programming at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. In addition, the College received another $4 million dollars in grants to fund the expansion of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and to launch the comprehensive collegiate writing program, the Black Ink Project, a Quality Enhancement Plan initiative designed to build the critical thinking and writing skills of students across the curriculum. Morehouse Commencement also made history in higher education in 2019 when philanthropist and honorary degree recipient Robert F. Smith told graduating seniors that he would pay

off their student loans. It was the first gift of its kind, nationally, at a liberal arts college, heralding an intensification of large donations and investments in education at Morehouse to occur soon after.

Morehouse College, the only historically Black college for men, continues its legacy of delivering an exceptional educational experience that meets the intellectual, moral, and social needs of students representing more than 35 states and 17 countries. Morehouse is the nation’s top producer of Black males who continue their education and receive doctorates. The National Science Foundation also ranked Morehouse as the No. 1 producer of Black men who receive doctorates in education, life and physical sciences, math and computer sciences, psychology and social sciences, as well as humanities and the arts. Morehouse currently has more than 17,000 alumni.

On Feb. 17, 2022, Thomas launched the public phase of a $500-million fundraising campaign to drive more investment in student scholarships, faculty research and recruitment, campus construction, and the expansion of technology and innovative academic programs at Morehouse College. The “Making Men of Consequence” Campaign, formally announced during Founder’s Week, is the largest and most ambitious campaign in the history of the institution. By February 2023, more than $250 million had been raised, including gifts presented to Morehouse College since 2019, the quiet phase of the campaign.

Gifts contributed by alumni, benefactors, and friends of the College have funded renovations at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel and the Edwin C. Moses Track & Field at B.T. Harvey Stadium, among other projects. Philanthropic investment has also supported the establishment of new endowed scholarships and academic programs, such as the Black Men’s Research Institute and the Center for Broadening Participation in Computing.

Thanks to President Thomas’ visionary leadership and the College’s distinguished faculty, Morehouse continues to climb national ranking lists, achieving the status of the “No. 1 Liberal Arts College and the Most Innovative College for Men in Georgia,” as well as the “No. 1 HBCU for Core Curriculum, First-year Experiences, and Innovation and Undergraduate Teaching.” Ranked No. 29 nationally for social mobility, the College’s selective group of approximately 2,200 students each year (60 percent of whom come from families with household incomes of $40,000 or less), continue to be highly recruited by Fortune 500 companies, post-graduation—speaking directly to the

morehouse college: then and now cont’d

Barack H. Obama II

The 44th President of the United States

David A. Thomas

celeBrating 100 years

Dr. Howard Thurman,

celeBrating 75 years

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Class of 1948 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Civil Rights Leader, Minister, Humanitarian, and Author

Howard Washington Thurman Memorial

The Howard Washington Thurman Memorial obelisk on the campus of Morehouse College is a celebration of the process of enlightenment, achieved through the deliberate acquisition of knowledge, understanding, and the slow revelation of cosmic wisdom.

The monument rises in the shadow of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, marking the resting place of Thurman, a 1923 graduate and nationally respected theologian who was considered a forerunner in the religious movement of celebrating the unity of all people, and embracing a religious spirituality that was intercultural, interracial, interdenominational, and international.

During its heyday (1580-1200 B.C.), the obelisk was a sun and light symbol, embodying the transcendence immanent in God’s light. The soaring lines of the obelisk were meant to evoke this transcendence and its capstone, often coated in gold-silver alloy, reflected light that could be seen 50 miles away. Light, consciousness, and understanding were synonymous to the ancient priests of the Nile.

The obelisk remains a symbol of man’s creativity and wisdom. At Morehouse, the monument serves as a beacon for scholarly pursuits, visionary leadership, compassionate service, and a worldview that inspires positive change.

“Over the heads of her students, Morehouse holds a crown that she challenges them to grow tall enough to wear.”

Class of 1923 Educator, Minister, Theologian, Philosopher, and Author

2023 Commencement Program

Academic Heraldry

The history of traditional academic dress can be traced to the 12th century, when Oxford University was founded, and to the medieval European universities of the 14th century. Although European universities follow varied patterns in cut and color of gown and type of headdress, academic dress at American colleges and universities is fairly standardized. Since the mid 1960s, it has become popular for some in historically African American colleges and universities to wear kente cloth chevrons, panels, hoods and tam trim on presidential, faculty, and student regalia.

The traditional academic gown is usually black; the pattern varies with the degrees held. The bachelor’s gown has a simple design, with long, pointed sleeves as its distinguishing mark. The master’s gown has oblong sleeves with the rear cut square and the front featuring a cutaway arc.

AGRICULTURE: Maize

ARTS, LETTERS, HUMANITIES: White

COMMERCE, ACCOUNTANCY, BUSINESS: Drab

DENTISTRY: Lilac

ECONOMICS: Copper

EDUCATION: Light Blue

ENGINEERING: Orange

FINE ARTS, INCLUDING ARCHITECTURE: Brown

FORESTRY: Russet

JOURNALISM: Crimson

The Torch of Excellence

LAW: Purple

LIBRARY SCIENCE: Lemon

MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE: Gold

MEDICINE: Green

MUSIC: Pink

Soon after Augusta Institute was founded in 1867, the endeavor to educate Black men came under threat: The Klan promised to burn the church down if educating Black men continued there. The founders knew that even if they could not continue on in Augusta, their vision could not die. Two men from Atlanta, the Rev. Frank Quarles and James Tate of Friendship Baptist Church, went down and convinced the founders that the school could continue under their protection and watchful care.

As part of the 2017 Sesquicentennial celebrations, Morehouse College recognized the heroic efforts of those who strove to ensure the light of excellence that is Morehouse never went out. Envisioned by Keith Hollingsworth, Ph.D., a Torch of Excellence was created. The Torch was a special engineering collaboration between Morehouse College (led by Willie Rockward, Ph.D., then chair of the Department of Physics) and Georgia Tech

The most elaborate academic costume is the doctoral gown, with velvet panels down the front and three velvet bars across the sleeves. The velvet is usually black, but it may be a color designating the discipline to which the degree pertains.

The hood of the doctoral gown features velvet trimmings, the width of which designates the level of the degree. The color of the hood indicates the major field of study, and its lining identifies the institution that granted the degree. Morehouse’s doctoral gown is maroon with a maroon-and-white hood lining and white chevrons and panels.

The colors below are associated with the various academic disciplines.

NURSING: Apricot

OPTOMETRY: Seafoam Green

ORATORY: Silver Gray

PHARMACY: Olive Green

PHILOSOPHY: Dark Blue

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Sage Green

PODIATRY, CHIROPODY: Nile Green

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, INCLUDING

FOREIGN SERVICE: Peacock Blue

PUBLIC HEALTH: Salmon Pink

SCIENCE: Golden Yellow

SOCIAL SCIENCE: Cream

SOCIAL WORK: Citron

THEOLOGY: Scarlet

VETERINARY SCIENCE: Gray

(led by Katherine Fu, Ph.D., assistant professor of mechanical engineering), recognizing decades of collaboration between the two colleges in the Dual Degree Engineering Program.

This Torch was lit in Augusta at Springfield Baptist Church, and then carried on a symbolic run through downtown Augusta before being transported to Atlanta. There, it was relit at the site of Friendship Baptist Church and carried onto Morehouse’s campus to be part of the Commencement exercises.

The Torch now remains a part of Commencement. Every year, the Torch leads the academic procession onto the green, representing the light of knowledge that is passed on from teachers to students to future generations. As the Torch of Excellence comes to the stage, the light is extinguished. It is now the responsibility of this class to take that light of excellence out into the world.

2023 HonoraryCandidatesDegree

HONORARY DEGREE CANDIDATE

William “Bill” Felton Russell Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

Legendary basketball star William (Bill) Felton Russell was a five-time National Basketball Association (NBA) Most Valuable Player and 12-time All-Star. He was the centerpiece of the Boston Celtics basketball dynasty when the Celtics won 11 NBA championships during his 13 seasons with the team. He is one of only seven basketball players to have won an NCAA Championship, an NBA Championship, and an Olympic gold medal.

In addition to being a world-class athlete, Russell was also a human rights activist who played an active role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

He was born William Felton Russell on Feb. 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. As an 8-year-old, Russell moved with his family to California. He later attended McClymonds High School in Oakland, playing center on the high school basketball team and earning a scholarship to the University of San Francisco. Towering over other students at 6 feet, 10 inches tall, Russell developed into a defensive powerhouse and led his team to two NCAA championships. He also played on the 1956 U.S. Olympic Team in Melbourne, Australia, which captured the gold medal in men's basketball.

In 1956, the NBA's Boston Celtics drafted Russell. He honed his abilities on defense, helping the Celtics to win nine championships in his first ten seasons and winning five MVP awards. Following an NBA Championship in 1965–66, Red Auerbach retired as Celtics head coach. Russell took over as player-coach the following season, becoming the first African American coach in the league. He led Boston to a 60-21 regular-season record that year, but the Celtics failed to win the title, threatening his coaching career with the team. Nevertheless, he remained with the team, and the Celtics regained its dominance by winning two back-to-back NBA championships. Then, in Russell's third year as player-coach, Russell retired.

He had a career average of 15.1 points and 22.5 rebounds per game and amassed 21,620 career rebounds, second in NBA history only to Wilt Chamberlain's 23,924.

After leaving Celtics, Russell coached the Seattle Supersonics, leading the team into the playoffs in 1976 for the first time in team history. He later coached the Sacramento Kings, then pivoted to enjoy brief stints as a sportscaster, businessman, and author. He was awarded honorary degrees from Suffolk University and Harvard University. In 2009, the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award was renamed the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.

In 2011, President Barack Obama presented Russell with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, stating, "He endured insults and vandalism, but he kept on focusing on making the teammates whom he loved better players and made possible the success of so many who would follow."

Russell's advocacy for racial justice included attending the 1963 March on Washington, helping organize the first civil rights boycott of a basketball game, and alongside other prominent Black men, meeting with Muhammad Ali to support Ali's decision to go to prison instead of denouncing his beliefs surrounding civil rights and religious freedom. Additionally, after Medgar Evers' murder in 1963, Russell traveled to Mississippi to work with Evers' brother to open an integrated basketball camp.

Bill Russell had three children: Karen, William Jr., and Jacob. He passed away on July 31, 2022, at age 88, with his wife Jeannine at his side.

HONORARY DEGREE CANDIDATE

Roderic I. Pettigrew, Ph.D., M.D. ’72

Honorary Doctor of Science

Roderic Ivan Pettigrew, Ph.D., M.D., is the Robert A. Welch Professor of Medicine, CEO of Engineering Health (EnHealth), and inaugural dean of the School of Engineering Medicine at Texas A&M University, which offers the ENMED program in partnership with Houston Methodist where he is an adjunct professor of nanomedicine and radiology and member of the Center for RNA Therapeutics. He was the founding director of the U.S. National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) [2002-2017], building it into the signature NIH institute for emerging medical technologies. Of note, under Pettigrew's leadership, NIBIB produced more patents per appropriated dollar than any other institute or federal agency, returning $30 per each $1 invested in research or 3000% (5x the already remarkable NIH average of 600%). On the 10th anniversary of NIBIB, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution commending the institute for its leadership and impact in improving the nation's health through technological innovation.

His newest undertaking is EnHealth, the world’s first initiative to holistically integrate engineering into all the colleges of a university that are a part of the healthcare enterprise. ENMED is the first constituent initiative, creating a new school that integrates engineering into medical training to develop an innovation-minded physician, or Physicianeer, who invents solutions to healthcare problems. Of note, an invention is required of each ENMED graduate who will earn both an M.D. and a Master of Engineering Innovation in Medicine degree in only four years. In May 2023, ENMED will graduate its inaugural class as the world's first class of Physicianeers.

Pettigrew’s expertise is in health technologies emerging from the convergence of the life sciences, the physical sciences, and engineering. Earning a bachelor’s degree in physics from Morehouse College as a Merrill Scholar, he is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate in applied radiation physics (Ph.D. ’77) who finished his medical training in nuclear medicine at the University of California-San Diego (’83) and is known internationally for his pioneering work involving four-dimensional imaging of the cardiovascular system using magnetic resonance (MRI). His current work is on predictive modeling of coronary atheroma and nanomedical strategies for disease inhibition. He is an editor of the recent book, “Biomechanics of Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaque: From Model to Patient,” the first comprehensive text on this topic. Additionally, Pettigrew conceived and inspired the engineering of a groundbreaking whole-body Siemens MRI scanner with unprecedented high-performance capabilities. The first of these scanners globally will be introduced in 2023 and installed at his institution.

He has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Inventors, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences-India. Other awards include: the Pierre Galletti Award (highest honor) of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering; the Inaugural Gold Medal of the Academy of Radiology Research; the Distinguished Service Medal of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine; the Spirit of the Heart Award of the Association of Black Cardiologists; the Pritzker Distinguished Achievement Award of the Biomedical Engineering Society; the Gold Medal of the Radiological Society of North America; the Arthur M. Bueche Award of the National Academy of Engineering; the Vannevar Bush Award of the U.S. National Science Board; and the Distinguished Service Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ (IEEE) Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Pettigrew was also honored in 2023 by the Boston Globe’s STATUSList as one of the na-tion's top 46 Ultimate Leaders in Life Sciences.

Current advisory service includes: the Board of Directors for Resoundant, Inc.; the Medical Advisory Board of Hyperfine, Inc.; the Phil and Penny Knight Institute for Accelerating Scientific Impact External Advisory Board; the Stand Up to Cancer Scientific Advisory Board; the Allen Institute Scientific Advisory Board; the Society for Science Advisory Board; and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Board of Trustees.

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER & HONORARY DEGREE RECIPIENT

The Honorable Wes Moore Honorary Doctor of Laws

Wes Moore is the 63rd governor of the state of Maryland. He is Maryland’s first Black governor in the state’s 246-year history and is just the third African American elected governor in the history of the United States.

Moore was born in Takoma Park, Maryland, on Oct. 15, 1978, to Joy and Westley Moore. His life took a tragic turn when his father died of a rare but treatable virus when Moore was just 3 years old. After his father’s death, Moore’s family moved to the Bronx to live with Moore’s grandparents before returning to Maryland when Moore was 14.

The governor is a proud graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy and College, where he received an associate’s degree in 1998 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Afterward, he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in international relations and economics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.

While at Johns Hopkins, Moore interned in the office of former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke. Moore was also the first Black Rhodes Scholar in the history of Johns Hopkins University and, as a Rhodes Scholar, he earned a master’s degree in international relations from Wolfson College at Oxford.

In 2005, Moore deployed to Afghanistan as a captain with the 82nd Airborne Division, leading soldiers in combat. After returning home, Moore served as a White House Fellow, advising on issues of national security and international relations.

In 2010, Moore wrote the book “The Other Wes Moore,” a story about the fragile nature of opportunity in America, which became a New York Times best-seller. He went on to write other best-selling books that reflect on issues of race, equity, and opportunity, including his latest book “Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City,” which tells the story of Baltimore in the days following the death of Freddie Gray in 2015.

Moore built and launched a Baltimore-based business called BridgeEdU, which reinvented freshman year of college for underserved students to increase their likelihood of long-term success. BridgeEdu was acquired by the Brooklyn-based student financial success platform Edquity in 2018.

It was Moore’s commitment to taking on tough challenges that brought him to the Robin Hood Foundation, where he served for four years as CEO. During his tenure, the foundation distributed more than $600 million toward lifting families out of poverty, including those in Maryland. While the foundation is headquartered in New York City, Moore and his family never moved from their home in Baltimore. Moore has also worked in finance with Deutsche Bank in London and with Citigroup in New York.

Moore and his wife, Dawn Flythe Moore, have two children—Mia and James.

2023 Graduates

DIVISION OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND ECONOMICS

ALENDE EHIJIE ABUEDE *** Business Administration

MICHAEL DAVID ACKER III *** Business Administration

STEVEN LEWIS ADAMS II *** Economics

ANTHONY NATHANIEL AKINTONDE *** Business Administration

JULIAN AARON ALEXANDER *** Business Administration

OTIS DEUCE ALLEN II *** Business Administration

ASHLEY R. ANDREWS JR. *** Business Administration

KAMERON CUBELL BAIN * Business Administration

SAVEN TREYLON BAKER *** Business Administration

WILLIAM ANDREW BARNES *** Economics

JOHN ALEXANDER BATEY JR. * Business Administration

KELVIN L. BEASLEY *** Business Administration

ZACHARY RASHAAD BECKTON *** Business Administration

BRYCE VERNON BERRY *** Economics

CAMERON BLANEY *** Business Administration

ANTOINE BODDIE *** Business Administration

DARYL RICHARD BODRICK II *** Business Administration

LAQUAN BODY *** Business Administration

JORDAN ISIAH BOOKER *** Business Administration

ALFONSE CASSON BOWMAN II *** Business Administration

JOHNATHAN DE’ANDREW BREWER * Business Administration

GERARD JOSEPH BROWN-SHIPP *** Business Administration

MIRIC D. BYAS *** Business Administration

WHITNEY LOWMAN CAIN II *** Economics

ELIJAH NATHANIEL CAMPBELL JR. *** Business Administration

PA SANUSI CEESAY ** Business Administration

SHAWN KEITH CHILDS *** Business Administration

NICHOLAS ZION COOPER *** Business Administration

WILLIAM ARTHUR COOPER JR. *** Business Administration

ALAN TIMOTHY COWAN *** Business Administration

D’ANGELO CROSBY *** Business Administration

JOHNDELL JOSEPH CUMBERBATCH *** Economics

ERNEST L. DAVIS III *** Business Administration

JORDAN HILLIS DAVIS *** Business Administration

JORDAN TAYLOR DAVIS *** Business Administration

TIMOTHY A. DAVIS *** Business Administration

SKYYE CHRISTIAN DE CATUR *** Business Administration

SCHUYLER ANDERSON DENNIS II *** Business Administration

KYLEN DAMONE DENT *** Economics

KENEIL ANDREW DESIR *** Business Administration

SOLOMON NEHEMIAH TOBARS DOBBS *** Business Administration

AMIR HASSANI DUKE *** Economics

JAYLIN DUPREE-BROWN *** Business Administration

DERRICK MITCHELL FIELDS JR. *** Business Administration

IRVING JUSTIN FRANKLIN *** Business Administration

MAKHI T. FRANKLIN *** Business Administration

JADEN JUSTIN FRAZIER *** Business Administration

ERIC SEBASTIAN GALLARDO *** Business Administration

JONATHAN CHARLES GARDINER *** Business Administration

EDDIE LAWRENCE GAYMON III *** Business Administration

JALEN WAYNE GIRTMAN ** Business Administration

Important Note: Because printing of this document requires that lists of names be submitted to the external printing company a number of weeks prior to Commencement, the graduation list reflects only the names of those candidates who officially applied for graduation by the stipulated deadline. Therefore, it is possible that some candidates who completed all degree requirements are not listed on the program and that some candidates whose names are listed have not completed all degree requirements. The College grants degrees only to those persons who have satisfied all academic requirements and all financial obligations.

DIVISION OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND ECONOMICS

JORDAN KEVONTAE GRANT *** Business Administration

EVAN XANDER GRAY *** Economics

ROBERT LOUIS GREGORY III *** Business Administration

TYSHANN GRIER *** Business Administration

KEITH ERIC GRIFFIN JR. ** Business Administration

JOSHUA DAVID CHRISTIAN HAIGLER *** Business Administration

MYLES MALIK HALL *** Business Administration

PHALEN HAMPTON ** Business Administration

ROBERT KENNETH HARRELL *** Business Administration

JOVANIE C. HARRIS *** Business Administration

MILES J. HARRISON *** Business Administration

AYENDE JULIAN HEGWOOD *** Business Administration

JONATHAN E. HENLEY JR. *** Business Administration

TAHJ HENRY-JACKSON *** Business Administration

KEVIN M. HOLCOMB JR. *** Business Administration

DONALD WESLEY HOLMES JR. *** Business Administration

JARED RASHAD HOLT *** Economics

RANDY JOSHUA HOWARD II *** Economics

BRYAN HUDSON ** Business Administration

ANTHONY JAMES HUNTER *** Business Administration

MARK ALAN JACKSON JR. *** Business Administration

BRANDON JAMES *** Business Administration

SAEVION CYDANYUL JEFFERSON *** Business Administration

LAWRENCE RAMON JETER III *** Business Administration

KIVINIE DEON JOHNSON JR. *** Business Administration

CALVIN D. JONES ** Business Administration

ROBERT MICHAEL JORDAN *** Business Administration

IAN PIERRE JOSEPH *** Business Administration

BADÃ ROBERT JOYCE JR. *** Business Administration

DAVID JAMES LASTER IV ** Business Administration

MILES LYDELL LEATHERS *** Business Administration

WINSTON LEWIS *** Business Administration

BARRINGTON COLE LINCOLN *** Economics

TIM LIVINGSTON JR. *** Business Administration

MICHAEL LEROY LOMAX JR. *** Business Administration

JACY TARIQ LOWERY *** Business Administration

Candidates for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

DADRIAN JAMAAL LYMAN *** Business Administration

ROBERT MALCOLM JR. *** Business Administration

EDWARD MASHIA *** Business Administration

EJIOFO ARINZE MBANEFO *** Business Administration

ASHER CROSS MCGEE *** Business Administration

KEYSHAWN DEUCE MCMILLER *** Business Administration

EDWARD L. MCMILLIAN III *** Business Administration

JOHN WALTER MCNEILL III *** Business Administration Political Science

KAREEM GERARD MICHEL ** Economics

DONALD W. MOORE III *** Business Administration

PRINCE MOORE *** Business Administration

JABARI O. MORRIS ** Business Administration

TARIQ MALCOLM MURPHY *** Business Administration

MARK CHRISTIAN NICHOLS *** Economics

WILLIE R. NORFUL III *** Business Administration

CHIDERA JUSTIN ONWUKAEME *** Business Administration

WINSTON DELANO O’STRICKER III *** Business Administration

DION NEIL PAGE JR. *** Business Administration

DIVISION OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND ECONOMICS

EDDIE MALIK PAGE *** Business Administration

JUSTIN ANDRUW PETERKIN *** Economics

XYON ARMOUN PFEIL *** Business Administration

KHALIL DAMISO PICKERING * Economics

SHIDEAR NATHANIEL POULSON-MARTIN *** Economics

KEVIN MATTHEW POWELL *** Business Administration

DAVID SINCLAIRE PRUITT ** Business Administration

JOSEPH ELIJAH RAMIREZ *** Business Administration

JAYLEN REYNOLDS *** Business Administration

TROY ROBERTS III *** Business Administration

SPENCER EDWARD ROBINSON III *** Economics

ERIC ANDRE ROBINSON II * Business Administration

ERIC ALEXANDER RUSSELL JR. *** Business Administration

FERNANDO S.DELAMORA ** Business Administration

THADDEUS LEONARD SABIN *** Business Administration

GOLLIE ROBERT SAPPINGTON III ** Business Administration

ZACHARY SEAN SEARS-LOUDER *** Business Administration

TORRENCE MICHAEL SELLERS *** Business Administration Theater and Performance

AARON VALENTINO SHELBY *** Business Administration

COLTON STEVEN DOUGLAS SHERBURNE *** Economics

GREGORY SKINNER *** Business Administration

ANTONIO DOMINIQUE SMITH *** Business Administration

BRIAN C. SMITH *** Business Administration

JOEL TIMOTHY SMITH *** Business Administration

RYAN ISHMAEL SMITH *** Business Administration

KAMARI SMITH ** Business Administration

ZACHARIAH CHRISTOPHER SMITH *** Business Administration

JIMMY M. STANCIL II ** Economics

ANDREW KEVIN STEWART *** Business Administration

ELIJAH KEVIN STEWART *** Business Administration

WINSTON STEWART *** Business Administration

JOSHUA ROMELL STRICKLAND *** Economics

COLE JEFFREY STRUDWICK *** Business Administration

SPENCER JOSE SUTTON *** Business Administration

Candidates for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

TAHAJ ZAIRE TANKSLEY-BARRETT *** Business Administration

TREY ISAIAH TAYLOR *** Business Administration

TATE CONRAD TOOLE ** Business Administration

XAVIER JEREMIAH TRAPP *** Business Administration

HERBERT BRYANT WALKER JR. *** Business Administration Spanish

RAMESSES MADIBA WALKER *** Business Administration

TYRIN LA’ MAR WALLACE ** Business Administration

BRENTON NORMAN WALTERS *** Business Administration

BLAKE ALEXANDER WARD *** Business Administration

TYLER MICAH WASHINGTON *** Business Administration

MICHAEL ANTHONY WATTS *** Business Administration

THANE ALEXANDER WHARTON *** Business Administration

BRYCE WILLIAMS *** Business Administration

EVAN J. WILLIAMS *** Business Administration

JADEN BRYCE WILSON *** Business Administration

OLUFEMI YESSOUFOU *** Business Administration

PETER JAMES YOUNG III *** Business Administration

DIVISION OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS

NOAH A. ABRAMS *** Computer Science

CAMERON JARRETT ADAMS *** Psychology

SAEED AHMED *** Biology

RALPH T. ANDERSON JR. *** Biology

ANTHONY JAY ARNOLD *** General Science

ALTON LAFAYETTE ATKINS *** General Science

AHKEL BAILEY *** Computer Science

PEARSON THOMAS BAILEY *** Biology

JEFFERSON JUNIOR BASSY *** Computer Science

DORIAN DERAE BLACK *** Biology

ROLAND BLAND *** Psychology

DARIAN AMARI BOGIE *** Biology

JORDAN ISAIAH BONAPARTE *** Software Engineering

RONALD TAYLOR BRADLEY ** Physics

PARKER DURRAH BROADNAX *** Computer Science

SHANE GREGORY BROOKS-FLETCHER *** Software Engineering

ARTHUR LEWIS BROWN III *** Software Engineering

KOLLIN RYAN BROWN *** Software Engineering

KYLE JEFFREY BROWN *** Computer Science

BISHR TYREEK HASAN BURNS *** Biology

DONOVAN JACAREE BUSH *** Psychology

SIDRICK B. CAMERON II *** Biology

TERRENCE ANTHONY CARTER *** Biology

WILLIAM EMERSON CHRISTIAN *** Psychology

AHMAD BAYAN CHURBAJI ** Biology

BRANDON COLEMAN *** Psychology

GRANT WILLIAM COMMODORE *** Computer Science

JORDAN ROBERT CONEY *** Physics

DAVID LEELLIS CRAWFORD ** Biology

JOHN DINNALL *** Biology

RODNEY WAYNE DORSEY JR. *** Computer Science

JALEN KENNETH DOZIER *** Biology

DEMETRIUS CORNELL DUMAS *** Software Engineering

JORDAN NICHOLAS-CAMERON EARLS * Computer Science

DON LOUIS EDWARDS JR. *** Mathematics

CHRISTOPHER ELIBERT *** Computer Science

Candidates for the Degrees of Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts

JAY CEE ELLIS JR. *** General Science

KORY EVANS FLEMING ** Biology

TERRENCE ALEXANDER FOSQUE *** Chemistry

ALONZO ARSENE FREDERIC *** Biology

SEAN WINSTON MATTHEW FRIDAY * Chemistry

CHRISTOPHER ALAN GAINES *** Computer Science

TYRIN SHAMAR GAMBLE *** Biology

JERRELL KHALIL-RAY GARY II ** Computer Science

BASIL GHALI *** Psychology

CHANCE MYLES GLADNEY *** Biology

SERGIO M. GOODWIN *** Applied Physics

BRANDON LUKE HALL *** General Science

JALON THOMAS HARRIS *** Psychology

DENNIS LEE HARRISON IV *** General Science

JUSTIN JACOB HARRISON *** Biology

ZAVIER ELIAS HARRIS-SMART *** Computer Science

ZAVION ELIJAH HARRIS-SMART *** Computer Science

CEDRIC D’ANTE HEATH II *** Biology

DIVISION OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS

JOSHUA A. HENRY *** Psychology

DONALD PHILIP HILL II *** Chemistry

TYLER TERRELL HOUSTON *** Applied Physics

TYLER EMANUEL HUNTER ** Mathematics

TERRELL-JUDE ILECHIE *** Software Engineering

BENJAMIN JACKSON IRMITER *** Psychology

CHARLES LAMONT JACKSON JR. *** Psychology

MATTHEW WILLIAM JACKSON *** Computer Science

BRYSON JAMES *** Chemistry

TYLER SLOAN DEBERRY JAY *** Psychology

ANDRE JONES *** General Science

BRANDON KORDAE JONES ** Computer Science

TROY ANTHONY JONES ** Biology

KOBE AMIR LAWSON-CHAVANU *** Mathematics

DIVINE UCHECHUKWU LINUS *** Mathematics

ZACHARE ALEXANDER LOFTON *** Computer Science

KHADIM MIKAEL MBACKE *** Physics

ADONUS DEVORSHAE MCCREA *** Biology

TRE`VON L MCKAY *** Computer Science

MALIK KHALIL MCRAE *** Biology

DAMON KEITH MILLER JR. *** General Science

JOHN LLOYD ALBERT MILTON ** Applied Physics

SALIH RAFIQ MUHAMMAD ** Chemistry

SYDNEY EMERSON MURRAY ** Biology

BENJAMIN NELSON *** Applied Physics

CHAZZ EVERETT NEWMAN ** Psychology

JADEN CHRISTOPHER NOBLES ** Computer Science

KEYSHAWN NASSIR NUNELY *** Applied Physics

FABIAN SOMAWINA NWADUBA NICKNAME *** Software Engineering

COLE ALAN PARHAM *** Psychology

MICHAEL PARRISH *** General Science

DARIEN ALEXANDER PITTMAN *** Computer Science

QUINN JEVARD POWELL *** Physics

Candidates for the Degrees of Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts

JORDAN ISAIAH RAY *** Biology

JAYLEN WILLIAM REID *** Biology

JAVIER FERGUSON RODRIGUEZ *** Biology

BRYANT EVAN ROSEBERRY *** Biology

KOBY ALEXANDER SAMPLE *** Biology

DARRYL ALEXANDER SAMS *** Biology

TRAVIS MATTHEW SHERMAN *** Software Engineering

DESMUND MALIK SINGLETON *** Biology

JALEN STEFFEN SMITH *** Psychology

MICHAEL B. SPURLOCK DAVIS ** Software Engineering

TORRE OSHAY STOKES *** Psychology

JUSTIN ROS STONEWORK *** Biology

MICHAEL STUART *** General Science

SHELTON SUTTON II *** Computer Science

JOSHUA M. TATE-ROBERTS *** Biology

AMARI JABRIL THOMAS *** Biology

DIVISION OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS

JEREAL ANDRE THOMAS *** Software Engineering

JOSIAH LEE THOMPSON *** Biology

CHASE ALEXANDER TOOMER *** Biology

XAVIER WINSTON TOUSSAINT *** Psychology

MYLES LANE TRACY * Biology

NICHOLAS CRESCENCIO VIGIL *** Biology

JOSEPH DEMETRIUS WALKER *** Biology

DAMICO J. WATERS *** Biology

JALEEL ADEYEMI WATSON-WILLIAMS *** Computer Science

ISAIAH ELIJAH WHITE *** Psychology

JALEN ALEXANDER WHITE *** Psychology

JOSHUA NATHANIAL WHITE *** Biology

Candidates for the Degrees of Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts

WILLIAM CALEB WHITFIELD *** Biology

Spanish

NICHOLAS STEPHEN WILBORN * Psychology

MICHAEL-ANTHONY WILLIAMS *** Psychology

JUSTIN EARL WYNN *** Software Engineering

DIVISION OF HUMANITIES, SOCIAL SCIENCES, MEDIA AND ARTS

LARRY ALDRIDGE III ** Sociology

MIKAL ALI *** English

ZACHARY AMARI ARRINDELL *** Communication Studies

CARLTON ALEXANDER BATES *** Communication Studies

NAIEM J. BATTLE *** Sociology

ETHAN JARON BILLUPS *** Political Science

JAYLEN AHMAD BONEY *** Political Science

CHARLES BOUILLE *** Sociology

SHAWN A. BROOKS-FLETCHER *** Sociology

JALEN MICHAEL BROWN *** Journalism in Sports, Culture and Social Justice

MISTER BURGESS *** Communication Studies

DOUGLAS OWEN BURNETT III *** Political Science

ALEXANDER KALAM-REGINALD BYRD *** Political Science

JORDAN THOMAS TYLER BYRD *** Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies

DEON ANDRE CAIN JR. *** Art

KERON LAMONT CAMPBELL *** Political Science

MICHAEL A. CANNON ** History

DWAYNE EVERETTE CARSON JR. *** Africana Studies

LAWRENCE JOHN CARTER JR. *** Philosophy

MARKUS JAHMAL CARTER *** Political Science

Journalism in Sports, Culture and Social Justice

CARUTH WRIGHT *** Sociology

ADAM FRANKLIN CHEESE *** Communication Studies

DAKARI TOUSSAINT CHENAULT *** Political Science

WILLIAM LACY CLAY III *** English

MARQUISE’ DONALD COLLINS *** Political Science

HASANI EMMANUEL COMER *** Communication Studies

MICHAEL LOVE CORLETTE *** Philosophy

ISSAIHA J’UAN CUNNINGHAM *** Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies

JALEN K. CURRY *** Political Science

JOHN CURRY *** Philosophy

SHEMAR CHRISTIAN CUYLER *** International Studies

DAVID JOSEPH DANIELS *** Political Science

ELIJAH KHALIL DAVIS *** Theater and Performance

ELIJAH J’OVAN GIPSON-DAVIS *** Religion

KYREE JAMIR DAVIS-TOWNES *** Philosophy

CHRISTOPHER MILAN DOOMES *** Journalism in Sports, Culture and Social Justice

NATHAN KENRED DORSETT *** Political Science

CRUZ-MALIK JUDGE DUHART *** English

MYLES DUNGERY *** Theater and Performance

Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies

TYUS OMAR DURANT II *** Art

CLIFTON BRIAN DUTTON *** Communication Studies Journalism in Sports, Culture and Social Justice

KENNEDY IRVIN WOMACK EDGERTON *** Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies

JALEN ISAIAH ELLIS *** Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies

EDWIN JAMES ENGLETON ** History

JASON ADALE FARMER II *** Communication Studies

DAVID FLOWERS III *** Sociology

JE’VION R.L. FLUELLEN *** English

ELLIOT MEHKI FREEMAN *** Communication Studies

JORDAN EDWARD FULLER ***

Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies

Candidates for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

DIVISION OF HUMANITIES, SOCIAL SCIENCES, MEDIA AND ARTS

RYAN A. GIBBS *** Political Science

CHRISTOPHER JOHN GREENE *** Communication Studies

MILES SPENCER GRIFFIN *** Political Science

CHANCE HALL *** Sociology

MATTHEW ALEXANDER HARRELL *** Political Science

ANDY EDWARD HARRIS JR. *** Communication Studies Journalism in Sports, Culture and Social Justice

CORNELL KESHAUN HARRIS *** English

LINCOLN AMARIUS HAYES ** Sociology

REED ELIJAH HEARD *** Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies

MICHAEL PORTER HEISKELL JR. * Sociology

ZACHARY DREW HENEDEN *** Political Science

MICHAEL C.B. HENRY *** Political Science

JEREMIAH AUSTEN HICKEY *** Music

WALKER SCOTT HILL *** Political Science

TRISTAN HITCHENS-BROOKIN *** Political Science Spanish

RONEY HOWARD II *** Political Science

JUSTIN JALEEL HUNTER *** Political Science

CHRISTOPHER DONTE’ JACKSON ** Chinese Studies

EDMOND O’SHEA JACKSON *** Political Science

KAMARI JAMIL JACKSON *** Sociology

KHEPHRA K. JACKSON *** English

JOSHUA ALEXANDER JACQUES ** Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies

AMIR R. JOHNSON *** Political Science

BARRETT EUGENE JOHNSON *** Philosophy

MILES HASANI JOHNSON *** Communication Studies

SHAWN L. JOHNSON JR. *** Communication Studies Journalism in Sports, Culture and Social Justice

LARRY DAVON JONES * Communication Studies

DALVIN JAKIA JORDAN *** Political Science

MARQUICE GLEN KEEL *** Sociology

MARKAL AMARI KELLY *** International Studies

LUIE ALBERT KIMBROW IV *** Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies

IMMANUEL LAIDLAW *** Communication Studies

JULIAN A. LARRIEU *** Sociology

ZYMIERE WAYNE LITTLEJOHN *** Communication Studies

Candidates for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

JORDAN T. LOMAN *** Political Science

CALEB B. MARTIN *** Theater and Performance

GARRETT MASON III *** Communication Studies

SULAIMAN MUNTAKIM MAUSI JR.*** Theater and Performance

HENRY CHARLES MCCANTS V *** Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies

CHRISTIAN EMMANUEL MCCAULEY *** Political Science

XAVIER MILES MCKENZIE *** Communication Studies

ISAAC JOHN MCKINNEY *** Communication Studies

MICHAEL E. MEADOWS *** Religion

JORDAN KEON MILLS *** Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies

TRENAJ SUPREME PAPA MONGO *** Political Science

KESHAWN DEMARCUS MORGAN *** Theater and Performance

ELIJAH MOSS *** Theater and Performance

YASIR ALI MUHAMMAD *** Journalism in Sports, Culture and Social Justice

BENJAMIN NELSON *** Applied Physics

EDWARD NELSON *** Africana Studies

EDWARD NELSON *** Africana Studies

DIVISION OF HUMANITIES, SOCIAL SCIENCES, MEDIA AND ARTS

EVYNN L. NESBITT *** English

JALEN NORTON *** Music

KEYSHAWN NASSIR NUNELY *** Applied Physics

PRESTON MACKINLEY PAIGE *** Communication Studies

KEANDRE JAMALL PIPPENS *** Philosophy

GEORGE ANTHONY PRATT *** History Religion

ERICK L. PULLIAN JR. *** Chinese Studies

LAZARO ALBERTO QUINTANILLA *** Political Science

JUSTICE REMAR *** Theater and Performance

JEFFREY LEON RIDDLE II *** English

JIANNI RIDLEY *** Philosophy

JASON JAMES ROBERSON *** Sociology Communication Studies

SPENCER ROBERTSON *** Chinese Studies

TORRI MICHAEL KHALID RODNEY *** Sociology

LEO LOVELL SAUNDERS *** Chinese Studies

STEPH MAL SCOTT *** Sociology

DANTEZ JAMEYON SIMPSON *** Communication Studies Journalism in Sports, Culture and Social Justice

KE’VON DON SINGLETON *** Africana Studies

JADEN SMILEY *** Chinese Studies

KAWIKA LAMONT SMITH ** Sociology

ISAAC IAN SMITH *** History

ISAIAH EMMANUEL SMITH *** Sociology

KAMERON MARTELL SMITH *** Political Science

NOLAN R. SMITH ROBINSON *** Sociology

CALEB MAXWELL STRICKLAND *** Sociology

MALIK L. STRONG *** International Studies

DAVID WILLIAM STUBBS *** Communication Studies

JALEN ISAIAH SUEING *** Art

CHRISTIAN SHIMAR TAYLOR *** Communication Studies

BRYIN LAVELLE THOMAS *** Philosophy

HARRY CHRISTOPHER TODD *** Communication Studies

KEANDRE JARELL TURNER *** Sociology

JUSTIN WAYNE UPSHAW *** Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies

RICARDO VEGA JR. *** Chinese Studies Sociology

Candidates for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

MALACHI JAMES WALDEN * Political Science

BRANDON WALKER *** Sociology

WILLIS WELTON WALKER IV *** Sociology

ALEXANDER MILES KEITH WALTON *** Philosophy

M. ROMON WASHINGTON II *** Music

MARTIN WASHINGTON JR. *** Political Science

MATTHEW EPHRAIM WATKINS *** Drama

ALPHOUNCE THOMAS WILLIAMS III *** Music

JUSTICE W WILLIAMS *** Political Science

TYONTE MALIK WILLIAMS *** Theater and Performance

KAELON ALEXANDER WILLIS *** Sociology

DURELL T. WILLIS *** Sociology

ISAIAH AHMAND WILSON *** Sociology

CEDRIC LORENZO WINSTON JR. *** Political Science

CAMERON TOD WITHERSPOON *** Africana Studies

NACALAN SHERROD WOODS * Sociology

ARI BRENDAN WRIGHT-THOMPSON *** Political Science

DIVISION OF PROFESSIONAL AND CONTINUING STUDIES

JOSEPH GBADE ADEROJU *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

TAUREAN ALLEN BEVILLE *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

FARUQ ALI CISSE *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

BRANDON RODRIQUE DALAMBERT *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

JELANI AMEER DAVIS *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

KENNETH LAMAR DONE JR. *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

DAVID MICHAEL DRIGGERS JR. *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

JOSEPH EFFIONG *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

MARQUES KEIWAN GIBSON JR. *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

HERMAN CLARK GORE III *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

JOSHUA DONNELL GRIFFIN JR. *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

RODNEY CHRISTOPHER GROSS JR. *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

JUSTIN N. HAYES *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

CAMERON AMMAR HUDSON-SCOTT *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

BRANDON LEE JOSEPH *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

KEVIN LONG *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

MILES AHMAD LOUISON *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

XAVIER AARON MABRY *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

ADDISON NORWOOD *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

DARIUS JAMAL ISRAEL RAGLAND *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

Candidates for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

JALEN AMARI RIDGES *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

ADAM ISAAC LUIS SAVAGE SCHILLER *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

BOBBY-LORNE SHEPHERD JR. ** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

WILLIAM PRICE STEVENS *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

JAMISON SWEARINGTON *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

JAMAL THOMAS *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

DELANCEY ROCHELLE TOLLIVER JR. ** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

JAYLIN G. TYNES *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

BLAKE FELTON WAGNER *** Kinesiology - Sports Studies & Physical Education

Academic Honors 2023 Co -Valedictorian

Alan Timothy Cowan

AGE: 21

MAJOR: B.A. Business Administration – Finance

HOMETOWN: Brooklyn, New York

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE AFFILIATIONS:

Student Government Association – Senator-At-Large, Sophomore Class Senator; Admissions Student Ambassador; National Society of Collegiate Scholars; Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society; Black Venture Capital Consortium

THE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE PROGRAM MOST INTEGRAL TO YOUR SUCCESS AND WHY:

I founded The Black Odyssey Society in 2022 with the mission of bridging the heavily wedged gap between chess and the Black community. Through an eight-week chess curriculum taught by master-level coaches and instructors, we develop critical thinking skills in students that are applicable throughout one’s life. It is a “full circle” feeling to work in a field where I’m investing in founders’ ideas every day, while also operating a passion project of my own.

WHY YOU CHOSE MOREHOUSE:

I chose Morehouse to gain a better understanding of myself as an individual, while living and learning in a brotherhood that was most conducive to my growth as a Black man.

AWARDS RECEIVED:

Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar; Scholars of Finance

INTERNSHIPS:

General Catalyst; Marcy Ventures; BVC Capital; Bank of America

PLANS AFTER GRADUATION:

I will be moving to San Francisco to work in late-stage investing at Mastry Capital.

Academic Honors

2023 Co -Valedictorian

George Anthony Pratt

AGE: 22

MAJOR: B.A. History and Religion (Double Major)

HOMETOWN: Jacksonville, Florida

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE AFFILIATIONS:

Morehouse College Glee Club – Tenor I and Historian; Student Government Association – Senator At-Large, Senate Pro Temp, and Policy and Compliance Officer; Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Assistants Program; Howard Thurman Honors Program Journal Editor; New Student Orientation “Welcome to the House” Pillar Speaker; “A Candle in the Dark” Gala Student Presenter; HouseCorps Founding Executive Director; Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society; The Phi Beta Kappa Society

THE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE PROGRAM MOST INTEGRAL TO YOUR SUCCESS AND WHY:

The Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Assistants Program provided me with a space to further refine my intellectual inquiries and curiosities by creating an enriching learning environment beyond the classroom. Also, working under the tutelage of Dean Lawrence Carter has proved transformational. His moral and sociologically ethical mentorship has allowed me to imagine a reality in where I can dream of a new world for the betterment of society.

WHY YOU CHOSE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE:

I chose Morehouse College because I desired to become a part of an intellectual and communal legacy of collegeeducated men dedicated to living lives of leadership and service in both their professional and personal pursuits. I discerned that Morehouse would provide me the necessary space and time to further develop as a leader and scholar, preparing me with the tools to succeed as a successful and socially responsible individual.

AWARDS RECEIVED:

Marshall Scholarship, Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, Dec. 12, 2023; Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship, Morehouse College, Nov. 17, 2022; Luard Morse Scholarship, English-Speaking Union, 2021-22; Abraham Joshua Heschel Covenant Fellowship, Morehouse College, 2021; Quarterman-Keller Social Justice Scholarship, Spelman College Social Justice Program, Reparations Project, 2020-present; Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, UNCF/ Mellon Programs, 2020-present; Social Justice and Leadership Innovation Award, Andrew Young Center for Global Leadership, Morehouse College, 2020; Otis Moss Oratorical Contest Winner, Morehouse College, 2020

INTERNSHIPS:

HBCU Black Digital Humanities Pathway Project; Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers; Pride Network Transformational Leadership Initiative; UNCF Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Summer Institute

PLANS AFTER GRADUATION:

I will be moving to the United Kingdom to attend the University of Oxford as a Marshall Scholar with the goals of completing both a Master of Philosophy in Theology (Christian Ethics) degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Theology and Religion.

Academic Honors

2023 Co -Valedictorian

Darryl Alexander Sams

AGE: 21

MAJOR: B.A. Biology with Sociology minor

HOMETOWN: St. Louis, Missouri

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE AFFILIATIONS:

The Phi Beta Kappa Society; Health Careers Society – President; LYTEhouse (Lifting Youth Through Enrichment) –Community Service Chair; New Student Orientation Leader; Morehouse School of Medicine Undergraduate Health Sciences Academy Member; National Society of Leadership and Success Member; HBCU STEM Undergraduate Success (US) Center Virtual Program for Educating Emerging Researchers (PEER) Participant

THE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE PROGRAM MOST INTEGRAL TO YOUR SUCCESS AND WHY:

The “Welcome to the House” presentation during New Student Orientation was the most integral piece to my success at Morehouse. I genuinely felt the importance, seriousness, and task of working to become a man of Morehouse. As I sat in that red seat in King Chapel, the Morehouse Men within “Welcome to the House” made me cognizant of my worth and destined greatness in a world that has made it difficult to see that. After being reintroduced to my potential, I knew that every step I made at Morehouse needed to be intentional. As a result, I carried this demeanor into the classroom, and during office hours, summer internships, mentorship experiences, post-graduate interviews, and everything else to date. It is that mindset, harnessed during “Welcome to the House,” that has led me to the position that I am in today as Co-Valedictorian. I charge all men of Morehouse to order their steps intentionally while on campus, and for all soon-to-be Morehouse Men to cherish everything she’s afforded us and gift it back to the world.

WHY YOU CHOSE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE:

When choosing where I wanted to spend my undergraduate tenure, I knew that I’d be coming into Morehouse as a multigenerational legacy, and I’d have the benefit of being at a place where I didn’t experience isolation or imposter syndrome. However, through my campus visits and homecoming tailgate experiences, I came to realize that Morehouse would provide a surfeit of lessons that would positively alter my demeanor as a Black man. Many students at Morehouse were the “smart Black kids” at their high schools. It was at Morehouse where I realized that I needed more than school intelligence to stand out and be productive in society – especially as an African American. By choosing Morehouse, I was challenged to become a fully engaged student, in and outside of the classroom, which ultimately empowered me to apply my intellect to extracurricular experiences and become a change agent for a more equitable society.

AWARDS RECEIVED:

Morehouse College 2023 Co-Valedictorian; Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students 2021 Presentation Award Recipient; Morehouse College Dean’s List 2019-2023

INTERNSHIPS:

Penn Access Summer Scholars Program; American Heart Association HBCU Scholar; Meharry Cancer Summer Undergraduate Research Program; Columbia University Summer Health Professions Education Program

PLANS AFTER GRADUATION:

I am moving to Philadelphia to be a research specialist in the Gill Lab at the University of Pennsylvania for one year, focusing on cancer immunotherapy. In the fall of 2024, I will be attending the Perelman of School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania to pursue my doctorate in medicine with the future goals of becoming a gastroenterologist, a hospital’s medical director, and trustee of a hospital’s board.

Academic Honors 2023 Salutatorian

William Caleb Whitfield

AGE: 21

MAJOR: B.S. Biology with a Spanish minor

HOMETOWN: Dickinson, Texas

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE AFFILIATIONS:

The Phi Beta Kappa Society; Residential Advisor; Alpha Delta Epsilon Pre-Health Professional National Honor Society (Morehouse College Liaison); Morehouse Biology Club (Vice President); MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers) U-STAR (Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research ) Scholar; VTSI (Vivian Thomas Scholars Initiative) Scholar; Office of Health Professions Health Careers Society Member; Phi Delta Epsilon International Medical Fraternity, Georgia Chapter Member; Undergraduate Health Sciences Academy at Morehouse School of Medicine

THE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE PROGRAM MOST INTEGRAL TO YOUR SUCCESS AND WHY:

I credit my experience as a research scholar in the MARC U-STAR program with funding and exposing me to research opportunities, while also providing professional and career development guidance. The program allowed me to broaden my horizons without major financial obstacles, which fueled my interest and passion for research that I do now.

WHY YOU CHOSE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE:

This question has never had a simple answer for me because, in all honesty, God chose Morehouse for me. I believed that coming out of high school, God would send me to where He knew I needed to be. When application season was coming to an end, it was only Morehouse that believed in me by funding my education with a generous academic scholarship. However, after coming for myself and experiencing New Student Orientation, I knew that Morehouse was a place where I could be molded and expanded into the man that God intends for me to be. In hindsight, I can confidently say that Morehouse did just that for me.

AWARDS RECEIVED:

ARCS Atlanta (Advancing Research Careers in Science) Award

INTERNSHIPS:

Research Intern at Chan Zuckerberg BioHub Stanford Medical School Research Lab

PLANS AFTER GRADUATION:

Baylor College of Medicine’s Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) to prepare for a top medical scientist training program (M.D.-Ph.D.) to specialize in cardiovascular surgery, medicine, and cardiological research related to therapeutics and the human gut microbiome.

Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing

Lift ev’ry voice and sing, till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of liberty. Let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies; Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us; Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us; Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on till victory is won.

Dear Old Morehouse

Dear old Morehouse, dear old Morehouse, We have pledged our lives to thee; And we’ll ever, yea forever, Give ourselves in loyalty.

True forever, true forever

To old Morehouse may we be; So to bind each son the other Into ties more brotherly.

Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Make us steadfast, honest, true To old Morehouse and her ideals And in all things that we do.

J.O.B. Moseley ’29

Academic Honors

co-valedictorian

Alan Timothy Cowan

co-valedictorian

George Anthony Pratt

salutatorian

William Caleb Whitfield

summa cum laude

co-valedictorian

Darryl Alexander Sams

The following members of the graduating class, having each earned a cumulative grade-point average of 3.81 or higher for the entire college course of study, are granted their degrees with Highest Honors (summa cum laude). These graduates are wearing gold honor tassels and cords.

Grant William Commodore

Jordan Robert Coney

Alan Timothy Cowan

John Curry

Brandon Rodrique Dalambert

Cruz-Malik Judge Duhart

Kennedy Irvin Womack Edgerton

Jalen Isaiah Ellis

Je’Vion R.L. Fluellen

Eric Sebastian Gallardo

Basil Ghali

Zavion Elijah Harris-Smart

Michael C.B. Henry

Jeremiah Austen Hickey

Tristan Hitchens-Brookin

Jared Rashad Holt

Brandon Kordae Jones

Kobe Amir Lawson-Chavanu

Edward Mashia

Henry Charles McCants V

Malik Khalil McRae

Kareem Gerard Michel

John Lloyd Albert Milton

Trenaj Supreme Papa Mongo

magna cum laude

Sydney Emerson Murray

Mark Christian Nichols

George Anthony Pratt

Joseph Elijah Ramirez

Eric Alexander Russell Jr.

Koby Alexander Sample

Darryl Alexander Sams

Justin Wayne Upshaw

Herbert Bryant Walker Jr.

Alexander Miles Keith Walton

Thane Alexander Wharton

William Caleb Whitfield

The following members of the graduating class, having each earned a cumulative grade-point average of 3.51 to 3.80 for the entire college course of study, are granted their degrees with High Honors (magna cum laude). These graduates are wearing gold honor tassels and cords.

Steven Lewis Adams II

Joseph Gbade Aderoju

Saven Treylon Baker

Naiem J. Battle

Taurean Allen Beville

Jaylen Ahmad Boney

Shawn A. Brooks-Fletcher

Douglas Owen Burnett III

Elijah Nathaniel Campbell Jr.

Michael A. Cannon

Lawrence John Carter Jr.

Adam Franklin Cheese

William Lacy Clay III

Marquise’ Donald Collins

Jordan Taylor Davis

Myles Dungery

Jordan Edward Fuller

Tyrin Shamar Gamble

Sergio M. Goodwin

Herman Clark Gore III

Evan Xander Gray

Robert Louis Gregory III

Tyshann Grier

Miles Spencer Griffin

Rodney Christopher Gross Jr.

Robert Kenneth Harrell

Andy Edward Harris Jr.

Cornell Keshaun Harris

Dennis Lee Harrison IV

Justin Jacob Harrison

Zavier Elias Harris-Smart

Justin N. Hayes

Tahj Henry-Jackson

Tyler Terrell Houston

Bryan Hudson

Anthony James Hunter

Tyler Emanuel Hunter

Miles Hasani Johnson

Badã Robert Joyce Jr.

Michael LeRoy Lomax Jr.

Kevin Long

Robert Malcolm Jr.

Khadim Mikael Mbacke

Keshawn Demarcus Morgan

Elijah Moss

Willie R. Norful III

Michael Parrish

Xyon Armoun Pfeil

Darien Alexander Pittman

David Sinclaire Pruitt

Darius Jamal Israel Ragland

Jaylen Reynolds

Jeffrey Leon Riddle II

Jason James Roberson

Torri Michael Khalid Rodney

Dantez Jameyon Simpson

Joel Timothy Smith

Kamari Smith

Michael B. Spurlock Davis

Justin Ros Stonework

Caleb Maxwell Strickland

Cole Jeffrey Strudwick

Joshua M. Tate-Roberts

Jamal Thomas

Amari Jabril Thomas

Xavier Winston Toussaint

Ricardo Vega Jr.

Blake Alexander Ward

Tyler Micah Washington

Jaleel Adeyemi Watson-Williams

Jalen Alexander White

Isaiah Ahmand Wilson

Academic Honors

cum laude

The following members of the graduating class, having each earned a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 to 3.5 for the entire college course of study, are granted their degrees with Honors (cum laude). These graduates are wearing gold honor tassels and cords.

Alende Ehijie Abuede

Michael David Acker III

Anthony Nathaniel Akintonde

Julian Aaron Alexander

Pearson Thomas Bailey

Dorian Derae Black

Cameron Blaney

Charles Bouille

Arthur Lewis Brown III

Jalen Michael Brown

Gerard Joseph Brown-Shipp

Terrence Anthony Carter

Dakari Toussaint Chenault

Ahmad Bayan Churbaji

Johndell Joseph Cumberbatch

Elijah J’ovan Gipson-Davis

Jordan Hillis Davis

Timothy A. Davis

Solomon Nehemiah Tobars Dobbs

Amir Hassani Duke

Clifton Brian Dutton

Don Louis Edwards Jr.

Kory Evans Fleming

David Flowers III

Irving Justin Franklin

Elliot Mehki Freeman

Ryan A. Gibbs

Chance Myles Gladney

Chance Hall

Jalon Thomas Harris

Jonathan E. Henley Jr.

Kevin M. Holcomb Jr.

Benjamin Jackson Irmiter

Brandon James

Lawrence Ramon Jeter III

Barrett Eugene Johnson

Andre Jones

Calvin D. Jones

Divine Uchechukwu Linus

Zymiere Wayne Littlejohn

Garrett Mason III

Sulaiman Muntakim Mausi Jr.

Isaac John McKinney

Edward L. McMillian III

John Walter McNeill III

Prince Moore

Addison Norwood

Keyshawn Nassir Nunely

Justin Andruw Peterkin

KeAndre Jamall Pippens

Erick L. Pullian Jr.

Jaylen William Reid

Gollie Robert Sappington III

Leo Lovell Saunders

Torrence Michael Sellers

Travis Matthew Sherman

Kawika Lamont Smith

Zachariah Christopher Smith

Jimmy M. Stancil II

Andrew Kevin Stewart

Elijah Kevin Stewart

Tahaj Zaire Tanksley-Barrett

Bryin Lavelle Thomas

Tate Conrad Toole

Chase Alexander Toomer

Myles Lane Tracy

Nicholas Crescencio Vigil

Blake Felton Wagner

Ramesses Madiba Walker

Joseph Demetrius Walker

Tyrin La' Mar Wallace

M. Romon Washington II

Martin Washington Jr.

Damico J. Waters

Justin Earl Wynn

Peter James Young III

Prizes and Awards*

the phi Beta kappa society*

The following members of the class of 2023 have been elected to the Delta of Georgia Chapter of The Phi Beta Kappa Society.

Taurean A. Beville

Douglas O Burnett

William Clay

Grant W. Commodore

Jordan R. Coney

John Curry

Jabez F. Dailey

Cruz-Malik J. Duhart

Kennedy W. Edgerton

Jalen I. Ellis

Je’Vion R. Fluellen

Jordan E. Fuller

Evan X. Gray

Rodney C. Gross

Andy E. Harris

Zavier E. Harris-Smart

Zavion E. Harris-Smart

Justin J. Harrison

Justin Hayes

Michael C. Henry

Jeremiah A. Hickey

Tristan E. Hitchens-Brookins

Jared R. Holt

Tyler E. Hunter

Beta gamma sigma honor society

Kobe A. Lawson-Chavanu

Kevin Long

Henry C. McCants

Kareem G. Michel

Trenaj S. Mongo

Keshawn Morgan

Elijah W. Moss

Sydney E. Murray

Mark C. Nichols

Darien Pittman

George A. Pratt

Jeffrey L. Riddle

Darryl A. Sams

Clarence D. Stephens

Joshua Tate-Roberts

Justin U. Upshaw

Ricardo Vega

Alexander M. K. Walton

Jaleel A. Watson-Williams

Jalen A. White

William Whitfield

Beta Gamma Sigma, founded in 1913, is the international honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in a business program accredited by AACSB International.

Ronald Barnes

Alan T. Cowan

Eric Gallardo

Tahj Henry-Jackson

Howard Jones

Badã R. Joyce Jr.

omicron Delta epsilon honor society

Precious Martin

Jaylen Reynolds

Eric A. Russell Jr.

Josiah Smith

Thane A. Wharton

Omicron Delta Epsilon is one of the world’s largest academic honor societies. The objectives of Omicron Delta Epsilon are: recognition of scholastic attainment and the honoring of outstanding achievements in economics; the establishment of closer ties between students and faculty in economics within colleges and universities, and among colleges and universities; the publication of its official journal, The American Economist; and sponsoring panels at professional meetings, as well as the ODE Graduate Research and Undergraduate Research Award competitions.

Aylon Gipson

Jondell Cumberbatch

Mark C. Nichols

Jared R. Holt

Evan Gray

Steven Adams

Aseda A. Adebamgbe

Andre C. Brown

Arthur L. Brown

Jordan Q. Byrd

Marquise’ D. Collins

Grant W. Commodore

John Curry

Patrick B. Davis

Solomon C. Dobbs

TaQuarus R. Eberhart

Don L. Edwards

Chad E. Franklin

Evan X. Gray

Robert L. Gregory

Cornell K. Harris

Walker Hill

Tristan E. Hitchens-Brookins

Jared R. Holt

Randy J. Howard

Saevion Jefferson

Luie A. Kimbrow

Marcellus Kirkland

Miles L. Leathers

Robert Malcolm

Henry C. McCants

Malik A. McRae

Leonard C. McReynolds

Daniel M. Mintz

Trenaj S. Mongo

Elijah W. Moss

Sydney E. Murray

Anthony N. Ogbesor

Evan R. Owens

Micah Owensby

Xyon Pfeil

Malik Poole

Daylun E. Powe-Salters

George A. Pratt

Valarian D. Randle

Jordan I. Ray

Jaden D. Smiley

Ethan A. Strader

Caleb M. Strickland

Alexander B. Taylor

Xavier W. Toussaint

Malcolm I. Tucker

Herbert B. Walker

Ramesses M. Walker

Jaleel A. Watson-Williams

Cedric Winston

Mason I. Zeigler

Michael A. Henry

Joel T. Smith

Alexander M. Walton

the howarD thurman honors program

*At the time of printing, the following graduates have been confirmed as inductees to The Phi Beta Kappa Society.

*The names of some of our award-winners were not available at the time of this Commencement program deadline. For more information, please consult the appropriate academic division.

Prizes and Awards*

alpha epsilon Delta (aeD) national health pre-professional honor society

Drake Jones

Prince Parker

Joel Walker

William Whitfield

the claes noBel gooD earth anD

sustainaBility awarD

Alexander B. Taylor

the Barry golDwater scholar

Malik K. McRae

cheryl g. franklin health professions scholars

Sydney E. Murray

Darryl A. Sams

corella anD

Bertram f. Bonner scholars

Jordan I. Booker

Alfonse C. Bowman II

Tre’Juan R. Byrd†

Kylen D. Dent

Demetrius C. Dumas

Makhi T. Franklin

Tyrin S. Gamble

Cedric D. Heath II

Shawn L. Johnson Jr.

Henry C. McCants

Donald W. Moore III

Jamal Thomas

Rohan Walker Jr.

covenant fellows

Abraham Joshua Heschel Fellow George A. Pratt

Herietta Szold Fellow

Joseph D. Walker

Yitzhak Rabin Fellow

Alexander M. K. Walton

Martin Luther King Jr. Fellow Tyler M. Washington

Division of Business aDministration anD economics (Be)

business administration

James A. Hefner

Outstanding Student Award

Joel T. Smith

Outstanding Senior in Finance

Precious Martin

Outstanding Senior in Accounting

Edward Mashia

Outstanding Senior in Management

Tahj Henry-Jackson

Outstanding Senior in Marketing

Herbert B. Walker

economics

E.B. Williams

Outstanding Student Award

Alan T. Cowan

Outstanding Senior in Economics:

Jared R. Holt

Division of humanities, social sciences, meDia anD arts (hssma)

africana studies and history

Departmental Honors

George A. Pratt

cinema, television, and emerging media studies

Top-Ranking Senior

Henry C. McCants

emma anD joe aDams scholars program

Jordan T. Loman

Elijah N. Campbell Jr.

Joshua D. Griffin Jr.

Jefferson J. Bassy

Tahj Henry-Jackson

thomas r. pickering foreign affairs

graD uate fellowship

Michael A. Henry

Markal A. Kelly

fulBright u.s. stuDent stuDy research awarD

Markal A. Kelly

hugh m. anD yvonne gloster premeDical scholar

Sydney E. Murray

marshall scholarship

George A. Pratt

martin luther king jr. scholar

George A. Pratt

Departmental Honors

Henry C. McCants

Justin W. Upshaw

communication studies

Lambda Pi Eta National Communication Honor Society

– Alpha Zeta Zeta Chapter

Adam F. Cheese

Joshua D. C. Haigler

Andy E. Harris Jr.

Miles H. Johnson

Shawn L. Johnson Jr.

Zymiere W. Littlejohn

Isaac J. McKinney

Jason J. Roberson

Dantez J. Simpson

Top-Ranking Seniors

Jason J. Roberson

Dantez J. Simpson

oprah winfrey scholars

Shane Gregory Brooks-Fletcher

Shawn A. Brooks-Fletcher

Douglas O. Burnett III

Terrence A. Carter

Brando R. Dalambert

Markal A. Kelly

Luie A. Kimbrow IV

Miles L. Leathers

Divine U. Linus

Robert Malcolm Jr.

KeAndre J. Pippens

Torri M. K. Rodney

Colton S. D. Sherburne

Nicholas C. Vigil

Jaleel A. Watson-Williams

ups community service scholars

Donald W. Moore III

Marquise’ D. Collins

Zachariah Smith

uncf mellon mays fellows

George A. Pratt

Caleb M. Strickland

english

Top-Ranking Senior

Je’Vion R. Fluellen

Departmental Honors

William L. Clay

Cruz-Malik J. Duhart

Je’Vion R. Fluellen

Cornell K. Harris

international studies

Top-Ranking Senior

Markal A. Kelly

music

Pi Kappa Lamba

Music Honor Society

Jeremiah A. Hickey

M. Romon Washington II

Departmental Honors

Jeremiah A. Hickey

Prizes and Awards*

philosophy

Top-Ranking Senior

John Curry

Departmental Honors

Alexander M. K. Walton

John Curry

political science

Robert Brisbane Award –

Top-Ranking Senior

Trenaj S. P. Mongo

Departmental Honors

Trenaj S. P. Mongo

Tristan Hitchens-Brookin

Miles S. Griffin

religion

Top-Ranking Senior

George A. Pratt

Departmental Honors

George A. Pratt

Lawrence J. Carter Jr.

sociology

Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology

Honor Society

Naiem J. Battle

Shawn A. Brooks-Fletcher

Trenaj S. P. Mongo

Torri M. K. Rodney

Caleb M. Strickland

Isaiah A. Wilson

Top-Ranking Senior

Naiem J. Battle

Shawn A. Brooks-Fletcher

Departmental Honors

Jason J. Roberson

Torri M. K. Rodney

Caleb M. Strickland

Ricardo Vega Jr.

Isaiah A. Wilson

theatre and performance

Top-Ranking Senior

Keshawn D. Morgan

Departmental Honors

Elijah W. Moss

Division of science, technology, engineering, anD mathematics (stem)

biology

Top-Ranking Senior

Darryl A. Sams

chemistry

Departmental Honors

Donald Hill

computer science

Top-Ranking Senior

Zavion E. Harris-Smart

Departmental Honors

Zavion E. Harris-Smart

mathematics

Harriet J. Walton

Outstanding Student Award

Kobe A Lawson-Chavanu

Departmental Honors

Don L. Edwards Jr.

Tyler E. Hunter

Kobe A. Lawson-Chavanu

Divine U. Linus

software engineering –

general science

Top-Ranking Senior

Justin E. Wynn

Departmental Honors

Justin E. Wynn

psychology

Departmental Honors

Basil Ghali

Joshua A. Henry

Jalen A. White

Division of professional anD continuing stuDies (pcs)

kinesiology, sports studies, and physical education

Departmental Honors

Joseph G. Aderoju

Taurean A. Beville

Brandon R. Dalambert

Herman C. Gore

Rodney C. Gross

Justin N. Hayes

Kevin Long

Addison Norwood

Darius J. I. Ragland

Jamal Thomas

Blake F. Wagner

Prizes and Awards

2023 VULCAN TEACHING AWARD WINNER

Dr. Lance Shipman Young ’95

Associate Professor of Chemistry, Division of Science Technology and Mathematics

Director, The Howard Thurman Honors Program

Established in 1991, the Vulcan Materials Company Award for Excellence in Teaching, sponsored by the Vulcan Materials Company, is presented to a deserving Morehouse College faculty member each academic year. The award recognizes an outstanding faculty member who demonstrates strong academic skills in the classroom and provides leadership and support in other areas of campus life. These faculty members are recognized for assisting the institution in nurturing an academic climate that fosters teaching, and for providing leadership to enhance the campus community.

Past Morehouse College Recipients:

Dr. Melvin Rahming

Department of English

Dr. James Richardson

Department of English

Dr. Keith Hollingsworth

Department of Business Administration

Dr. Hamid Taqi

Department of Political Science

Dr. Emmanuel Onifade

Department of Business Administration

Dr. David Morrow

Department of Music

Dr. Lawrence Blumer

Department of Biology

Dr. Cynthia Hewitt

Department of Sociology

Dr. Gloria da Cunha

Department of Modern Foreign Languages

Dr. Marcellus Barksdale

Department of History

Dr. Uzee Brown Jr.

Department of Music

Dr. John Handy

Department of Economics

Dr. David Cooke

Department of Biology

Dr. Ida R. Mukenge

Department of Sociology

Dr. Dolores Stephens

Department of English

Dr. Tobe Johnson

Department of Political Science

Dr. Miesha Williams

Department of Economics

Dr. Ethell Vereen

Department of Biology

Dr. Muhsinah Morris

Department of Chemistry

Dr. Nathan Nobis

Department of Philosphy and Religion

2023 STEERING COMMITTEE

Henry Goodgame Jr. ’84 Chair, Commencement and Reunion Committee Vice President, Office of External Relations and Alumni Engagement

Candace Bazemore Director Digital Strategy and Transformation Marketing and Communications

Joana Blankson

Degree Works and Graduation Analyst

Office of Records and Registration

Kevin R. Booker ’90 Vice President of Student Services and Dean of the College Office of Student Services

Kendrick Brown Provost and Senior Vice President, Office of Academic Affairs

Marie L. Brown Registrar Office of Records and Registration

Kimberly M. Brown Executive Assistant to Dean, Chapel Office Manager & Director of Chapel Arts Ministries Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel

Michelle Burwell Director for Student Financial Services Office of Business and Finance

Lawrence E. Carter Sr. Dean, Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Chair, Founder’s Day Worship Service

Gary C. Clark

Multimedia Coordinator

Office of External Relations and Alumni Engagement

Leah Creque, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of English Associate Provost for Pedagogy and Assessment

Oratorical Contest Co-Chair

Michael Davenport Director of Transportation MDMC Transportation Services

D. Aileen Dodd

Associate Vice President of Advancement Communications Office of Institutional Advancement

Illya E. Davi ’89 Director of Freshmen & Seniors’ Academic Success, Dean of the Senior Class Professor of Philosophy

Kennard Garrett ’02 Director of Multimedia Services Director of Operations Ray CharlesPerforming Arts Center/Filming

Warren Greene Event Support Services Office of External Relations and Alumni Engagement

Renee Grier-Calhoun Executive Administrative Assistant Protocol Facilitator

Jasmine Gurley Director of Brand, Media, & Communications Office of Strategic Communications

Kenneth Harris III ’13 Administrative Assistant Event Support Services Office of External Relations and Alumni Engagement

Katina Henderson Hawkins Director of Parent Engagement, Partnerships and Event Sponsorships Office of External Relations

Enrico Hunter General Manager Operations Aramark at Morehouse

Ibiyomi Jegede Freelance Graphic Designer IJ Creative Designs LLC

Mel Foster, D.M.A. Associate Provost for Acadaemic Success Office of Academic Affairs

Deborah Lawson Board Logistics Coordinator Office of General Council

Adrienne Lance Lucas Reunion Implementation Partner Lance Lucas and Associates

Brock Mayers ’99 AVP Student Services Cake Cutting Services Office of Student Development

Phillip McCollum Photographer McCollum Photography Inc

Sidney Miller Media Relations Manager Office of Strategic Communications

Charles Prescott ’07 Chief of Police Campus Police & Security

Rayven Reeves Program Coordinator Event Support Services

Paula Resley Chief Brand Officer and Vice President, Office of Strategic Communications, Marketing, and Admissions

Haskell Ruff Associate Vice President/Controller Office of Business and Finance

Stacey Sauls Deputy Chief of Police Campus Police & Security

Peggy J. Shaw Public Relations Wren Cottage Writing & Editing

James Smartt Founder’s Day Concert Production Director Event Support Services Office of External Relations

Thelbert J. Snowden Chief of Staff to the President Office of the President

Philmon Thomas Associate Vice President Purchasing and Procurement Office of Business and Finance

Michael Turner Associate Dean of Students and Ombudsperson

Terry F. Walker ’89 Convocation Coordinator Director of Chapel Relations Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel

Phillip Wallace Associate Athletic Director for Operations Athletics

Nakia Washington Senior Executive Assistant Office of the President

Klara S. Wesley Executive Assistant Honoree Logistics Administrator Office of External Relations and Alumni Engagement

Brittany Wilkins Coordinator, Davison House

Carlton Winfrey Assistant Manager of Parking Operations Parking Office

Sandra Yates Senior Director Advancement Operations Donor Relations Office of Institutional Advancement

Tracie Young

Senior Financial Analyst Office of VP for Business & Finance