student
Life
136 TH COMMENCEMENT
Resiliency of Fall 2020 Graduates Noted at 136th Commencement Exercises Eagle pride was on full display during the 136th Commencement Exercises, despite the shifting of the traditional in-person celebrations to a virtual ceremony on Dec. 5.
A
50,817.37 18 I NCCU NOW I SUMMER 2021
PPROXIMATELY 642 GRADUATES earned degrees, with 434 receiving their bachelor’s, 202 earning master’s, five earning Juris Doctor degrees from the School of Law, and one completing the Ph.D. in integrated biosciences. The fall graduating class endured a number of unusual circumstances during their final college months, including a viral pandemic, a social justice movement spurred by the killing of unarmed African Americans, and a historic U.S. presidential election where a record-breaking 161 million Americans cast ballots. Chancellor Johnson O. Akinleye highlighted the resiliency of the fall graduates in his address, noting that “collectively, [they] are a group of scholars who are determined, adaptive, disciplined and focused.” University of North Carolina Board of Governors member Pearl Burris-Floyd also praised the graduates, stating that “[their] efforts are enthusiastically acknowledged and appreciated by all of the System leaders.” Akinleye gave special recognition to doctoral recipient Ariel Williams and COVID-19 frontline hero George Price, who earned an undergraduate degree. Williams, a Greensboro, N.C., native, focused her dissertation on lipid and glucose dysregulation in African Americans with Type 2 Diabetes
SERVICE HOURS UNDERGRADUATES CONTRIBUTED TO THE COMMUNITY
---------------------------------
Valued at $1.38 million Photos by Chioke Brown '12, Vernon Samuel '14
