Despite the dreary weather, the atmosphere inside the Baby Dome this past Saturday was as bright as the future of PVAMU’s class of 2019.
Eight hundred and forty-one promising new graduates received their diplomas during the Spring Commencement ceremony.
A surprise came during the event when the president instructed the graduates to look under their seats, revealing that eight lucky winners had been gifted $1000 by an anonymous donor.
Much like the chairs with prize-winning card attached, graduates of Prairie View A&M University are ready to make a positive impact on the world.
Designing a New Path Forward
Ebony Ohen, a design graduate, spoke about how her plans transformed throughout her career at PVAMU. She initially attended the school at her mother’s request, and started out in pre-med. However, she soon found that the field didn’t align with her true ambitions, and switched to design instead.
“I guess I can say fate chose Prairie View for me, because even my mom’s reason wasn’t why I stayed,” she said of her decision.
Such fate, combined with Ohen’s dedication to her craft and several excellent mentors, has allowed her to design the perfect path forward.
Graduating with a solid foundation that combines the creative skills needed to succeed with the business knowledge required to stand out, there’s no doubt that Ohen is headed for professional success.
Engineering a Chance to Play
Zachary Hamilton may not have heard about Prairie View A&M University prior to applying, but after his time here, the school has definitely heard about him.
Balancing the rigorous schedule required to continue his athletic career with the challenging coursework for his mechanical engineering degree wasn’t easy, but Hamilton made it work through a combination of dedication, resilience and taking his mother’s advice.
“My mom always taught me: you must work before you play, and basketball was my play,” Hamilton said, after explaining how he had started as a walk-on and worked his way up to team captain.
His hard work has paid off brilliantly, allowing him to graduate with an offer for a project engineering position in Houston.
Growing a Legacy
Nia Scott is the 16th person in her family to attend PVAMU, and is proud to carry on such a strong legacy.
But the list of family members with the same alma mater isn’t the only thing she’s helping grow: this agriculture major also has big plans for the knowledge she’s gained through classes and research during her undergraduate career.
“I majored in agriculture because I wanted to solve issues of food security within my community, back home in Kansas City,” explains Scott.
Her summer plans include a consulting analyst position with Accenture
This semester’s commencement ceremony highlighted the successes of these exceptional students, along with graduates from the school of architecture, the Colleges of Business, Education, Nursing, and Juvenile Justice and Psychology.
Due to weather the event was held inside the William “Billy” J. Nicks, Sr. Building, and was simultaneously live-streamed to alternate viewing sites across campus. Friends and family showed up in droves in person and online to support the new graduates.
Follow PVAMU at @pvamu to see more updates on student and alum successes, and join us in congratulating the class of 2019.