 For permission, I have a commencement convocation open. Chancellor Dixon, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, these are our honorees of the hour. Please join us in saluting them. Pastor at St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church in Elizabeth City, North Carolina will now come forward to deliver the convocation. Dear Father, officers of discipline, determination and self-sacrifice, and allow us to this day of college graduation for the special graduates near and dear to you. It has been a great gift from you that they were able to learn from experts and teachers in their chosen field that they are now prepared to give of themselves in service in the realms of business, the academic world, the arts, medicine, education, government, social action and ministry. May the skills they have developed managing their times, setting priorities, and keeping focus during exams be the foundation on which they build successful careers and lives. Our greatest prayer for them today is that they continue to be lifelong learners, recognize their need to constantly discover more about you, the source of knowledge and truth. As they deliberate over life-changing decisions about jobs, careers, homes, marriages, and family, may they seek and find your guidance. And after they have made these decisions, may they constantly seek your daily help to faithfully live out their chosen callings, feel our graduates with gratitude, humility, love. Teach them the joys of service and generosity. Keep them close to their families and open to the wisdom of their elders. Help them to learn from their mistakes and failures. Show them where to go for help when they need it. Thank you for bringing all of us to this wonderful day. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. English platform guests, faculty, staff, students, families, friends, and graduates. Good morning and welcome to Elizabeth City State University's 167th commencement convocation. At this time, I am pleased to introduce Trustee Jan King Robinson, Vice Chair of the Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees, who will extend the welcome. She will be followed with greetings from Mr. David Powers, a member of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, the honorable Betty J. Parker, Mayor of Elizabeth City, and Mr. Sean Poerner, President of the Elizabeth City State University Student Government Association. Good morning. It is a glorious day in Elizabeth City. I have the privilege of serving as the Vice Chair of Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees and on behalf of our Chair Harold Barnes and the entire board, I bring you greetings and extend a warm welcome to the parents, the families, and friends of our graduates, and of course to our Chancellor, the administrative team, the faculty and staff, and also all of our elected officials. But most importantly, today, to the illustrious members of the class of 2018, like many of you, the best pieces of life advice I have received for navigating this life have come from my amazing mama, Eugenia Barr King. She told us a long story behind each pearl that we got, and she gave them to my brothers and I throughout our life and also into adulthood. So you're not going to hear all the stories that follow them, but I'm going to give you the best advice that she gave us that she called her six pearls of wisdom. I've only been given three minutes, so here we go. Number one, this too shall pass both the highs and the lows. Number two, to thine own self be true. Number three, no fool, no fun. You don't always have to be the fool, but appreciate who brings the fun. Number four, kindness is do everyone and be of service to someone. Number five, if you can laugh at yourself, you will have a constant source of material. And lastly, number six, always remember, you are a child of God and nothing is impossible. ECSU is now and always has been a model of what is possible. I invite you to recall your first day of class here. And now you are here because you embraced and believed in what was possible for your own life as that vision grows and changes because of new opportunities that come your way. Continue to dwell in possibility. Push through the hard times as you had to to get here today. Stay encouraged and be an encouragement to someone else. May the good Lord continue to bless and keep you. Congratulations class of 2018. Good morning, everyone. Chancellor Dixon, thank you so much for the opportunity to come spend the day with you and participate in this joyous occasion. You're so lucky that Dr. Kerry Dixon has been here at this juncture in this university's history. On behalf of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, Chairman Harry Smith and UNC System President Margaret Spellings, it is my immense pleasure to bring greetings to today's graduates, their families, to this university's distinguished faculty and staff, alumni, board of trustees, and members of the platform party. And after yesterday's observers of the anniversary of America's engagement in World War II, I want to offer a special greeting and heartfelt thanks to our veterans, active duty military, and the families that support them. And to those of you who, as I understand, last night accepted commissions as second lieutenants in the United States Army, a very special congratulations and thanks. Your lives of service will help protect the freedom and ability of your colleagues to follow their aspirations and dreams. Graduates, congratulations. And I want to offer special congratulations to some of you. I am the son of a North Carolina public school teacher and the husband of a North Carolina public school teacher. So those of you who have chosen to go into education and teach others, I give you my heartfelt thanks and congratulations. You have reached a great milestone and are about to venture out on a new beginning. You came here four years ago, or so. I know I was on the nine semester plan myself, from towns and cities all across North Carolina and indeed the nation. You came here with your own knowledge and your own set of beliefs to have them challenged. Sometimes your views were affirmed. Sometimes you tweaked them a little bit. Other times they were changed dramatically. But you all went through a great exercise in self-examination while receiving a first class education at an institution with 127 years of distinguished history of excellence in higher education and service to the people of our great state. Your Elizabeth City State education has prepared you well for your journey into the future. I know it will be an exciting journey. Your time here has also been a celebration, a celebration of the rich physical, cultural and intellectual diversity that Elizabeth City State offers. The joys of new friends, the rigors of your academic study, and the robust debate of ideas all contributed to your growth as a student and a well-rounded individual. No matter the path you take, I encourage you to stay connected to this wonderful university Elizabeth City State guided you and prepared you for success. I want you to always remember that and to become an ambassador for the university. I want you to return the favor by giving back to Elizabeth City State with your time, your energy, your enthusiasm, and when you're able, your treasures. The great author Mark Twain once said that the two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why. Take your experience in Elizabeth City State and go find your why. Do well and do good. Make your way, make your mark, change our world, have some fun along the way, and never ever forget that you're Viking. Congratulations thank you very much. Good morning as a proud graduate of Elizabeth City State University as a native of Elizabeth City and now as the first woman to serve as the mayor of Elizabeth City it's, thank you, Viking pride. It gives me supreme pleasure to bring greetings on behalf of my hometown, the Harbor of Hospitality. I salute this graduating class for all of your successes thus far and I commend your parents, your loved ones, and all of your die-hard supporters for instilling in you the spirit of excellence. And before I take my seat I want to share a few words of inspiration with you today. As each of you seek prosperity I hope that you understand that it is a journey and not a destination. Your different endeavors help shape your prosperous life moving from point A to point B and so on. The creator of the universe can put you in the right place at the right time. So what exactly is the recipe for being put in the right place at the right time? Please let me suggest a few things that have worked for me. Be honest, work hard, be choosy, say thank you, I love you and great job to someone every day. Let your handshake mean more than pen and paper. Love your life and what you have been given, it is not accidental. Search for your purpose and do it the best you can. Appreciate the little things in life and enjoy them. Forgive for it frees the soul. Recognize the special people who you have been blessed to know and most of all live for today. Enjoy the moment for today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. Again I welcome parents, relatives and friends to the city of Elizabeth City and I hope that you don't hesitate to come back for a visit or even to live. Thank you so much and have a super blessed day. Greetings on behalf of the Student Government Association. It is my honor to stand before you at such a momentous occasion to celebrate the completion of a journey that each and every one of us has undertaken. You are here because of your hard work and dedication to your education and your ability to overcome obstacles. Today we celebrate the end of a journey and beginning of new opportunities. So as each and every one of you move forward only ask that you keep the same focus and dedication that has brought you to this point and always, always, always remember through the process maybe may not be easy. Nothing is easy that it's worth working for. Your destiny is right around the corner and with a solid strong work ethic anything is possible. Please remember this old saying. Watch your thoughts for they become your words. Watch your words for they become your actions. Watch your actions for they become your habits. Watch your habits for they become your character. Watch your character for what becomes your destiny. Thank you and congratulations. Please join me in giving our platform speakers another round of applause. We thank them all for their continued support and advocacy of ECSU and one thing that I have to mention Governor Powers thank you so much for choosing ECSU. He is our liaison to the UNC Board of Governors and he chose us so I thank him for his continued support. At this time we will be favored by musical selection alleluia by the University Choir under the direction of Dr. Walter Swan. She would be our commencement speaker. She did not hesitate to tell me yes and for that I am truly grateful because this is a busy, busy woman and she took time out of her schedule to fly here to North Carolina from Georgia to be with us this morning because she believes in ECSU and our Viking family. Though Vanessa is a member of the Board of Trustees at North Carolina A&T I do truly believe she's a Viking at heart and I am grateful for that so please let's give her a hand for being here. It's a little bit about Vanessa. Vanessa Harrison is the president of AT&T North Carolina and just as of December 1st I have to make a correction to your program. She was just named president of AT&T Georgia. In her role and this just started on December 1st in her role as president of AT&T of Georgia she is responsible for the company's public policy economic development and community affairs activities in the state of Georgia and we're hoping she'll come back to North Carolina too. And her nine siblings were raised by a single mother with limited financial resources. However she did not allow life circumstances to defer her dreams. She began her telecommunications career three decades ago as a telephone operator having applied for the job almost on an impulse. She subsequently pursued a career development opportunity in the network organization where most of her co-workers were men. Promoted to management Harrison advanced through positions of increasing responsibilities in the network business and regulatory and external affairs departments. In addition to her role at AT&T responsibilities Miss Harrison also has been very active in the community charitable and educational activities. She currently serves on numerous boards and she holds a degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. Miss Harrison is married with two children and I am pleased to announce as I mentioned I know she's truly a Viking not a naggy but a Viking. I am pleased to announce that AT&T has made a $5,000 donation for scholarships here at ECSU. So please join me in welcoming our commencement speaker President Vanessa Harrison. Good morning. I'm just so happy to be here but before I get started I'm going to go off script a little bit as I often do. Can I just hear a little bit more of the prelude the pomp and circumstance just a little bit more like three seconds and it's all for you each and every one of you. Good morning. To be here to experience this incredible moment when the class of 2018 walk across this stage is truly an honor. It is all about the moment today and young lady you sitting right there with those lights around your hat. I love it. Continue to let your light shine from here on out. I love that. First let me first thank my friend my link sister in the Triangle Park chapter of the links incorporated your amazing Chancellor Dr. Kerry Dixon for having enough confidence in me to extend an invitation to share in this moment of achievement with you. Board of Governor David Powers, you are the real deal. There are 16 campuses in the UNC system. He chose you to come visit. That's the real deal. To the Board of Trustees, my good friend Mayor Yates, my good friend trustee Ken Wilkins and his lovely wife Brenda, to all of the elected officials, distinguished guests, family, friends, dedicated faculty, staff and students and most of all the 2000 graduating class of the Elizabeth City State University. Thank you and congratulations. The Vikings are very well represented here today. Also, to my sister friend Gwen Sanders who works tirelessly and very hard to ensure that business leaders across this state keep Elizabeth City State University on their radar for support and for recognition. Thank you and a special thank you. This is a very special thank you to the parents, the grandparents, the aunts, the uncles, the sisters, the brothers, the cousins, much about you as it is the graduates. We recognize that you are the village and the wind beneath their wings if you will to help inspire, encourage and in some cases shake them to make this possible. When Chancellor Dixon asked me to speak, I humbly accepted. I would have been here if it was one graduate because I am committed. I accept it because I love graduations but more importantly I am passionate about education especially with the HBCUs and helping people, young people chart their paths. Right now this is all about the moment because these precious moments, there is a sense of family and a course of an enormous feeling of accomplishment and relief but also in this moment there's the thought of leaving a lot of friendships behind and making new ones as you travel your journey of life but some of these friends will be friends for a lifetime. Chancellor Dixon, you can now proudly say this is your class of 2018 graduating at the Elizabeth City State University. Elizabeth City State University is a very unique environment. It's always striving to provide a challenging and supportive environment that prepares its students for knowledge, responsible participation and leadership. But nobody ever said that it was going to be easy. In fact, when the school was established in 1891 most people in the area thought at that time it was impossible. Read the historical information you'll see that but the professors of English then and those now continue to teach a different word than impossible. A word with an apostrophe was taught. You see they broke it down. They broke it down for you just like this. They said of instead of impossible I am P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E that is really pronounced I'm possible. I apostrophe M P-O-S-S-I-B-L-E. That's the power in the apostrophe. That's what they saw then and that's what your professors see now. They believe in you. Every one of you were created with the seed of greatness within you. So that makes all things possible for you. Your parents, your aunts, your uncles, grandparents, professors, staff, the chancellor and all of your hard work has nurtured that seed so that you can stand bowling, square your shoulders and say loud and proud I'm I apostrophe M possible. You should never let another person's opinion of you determine how far you will go. I surely didn't. Your journey from the beginning always had endless possibilities. All you have to do is to take that first step. Trust how good you are and believe how good you are. Your graduation is symbolic of a measuring stick. It allows you to look back at how far you've come in four or more years. Five, six, it don't matter. Get the paper. Get the paper. And now this is your commencement. Commencement means a new beginning, a new horizon, and now you have a solid foundation. So all you have to do is to keep moving forward to your next level of success. When the fearless and relentless Harriet Tubman was successfully leading slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad, she always recited these urgent words to them. Listen carefully. If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If they're shouting after you, keep going. Don't ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of success, young people, keep going. So class of 2018, if you want to lead others so that they will be empowered to have a better life, keep going. While always reflecting, I'm possible. My friends, I want to tell you a story. I'm going to tell you a story about a young girl who came from a family of 10 brothers and sisters, raised by a single mother. Neighbors often wondered how this mother was going to take care of these kids, but all these children and what would they grow up to be? The odds were certainly against them. You see, during that time and even now, people have the misconception that children raised in a single parent home are considered at risk. While teenage pregnancy, drugs, high school dropout, was the only thing that the neighbors could see or even imagine for these children, it was quite the contrary. By the grace of God, this mom was a God-fearing and praying mother, and she believed that her kids were only at risk of doing great things. So while people talked, this mom was busy praying, working two jobs, and nurturing that seed of greatness that each one of her children was born with like you. It's a birthright. While others believe it was impossible, she was reminding her children daily to believe I'm possible. The children always saw their mother as their role model, even in spirit now, even though she only had an eighth grade education. They observed their mother working hard, being humble, being kind, and giving them guidance, the knowledge and the wisdom to meet life's challenges head on. Their mother would say, you will be educated, and you will carry yourself with dignity and with honor, with respect, and represent our family with the highest degree of integrity. But hearing those words didn't always conquer the self-doubt or the challenges that the children would sometimes have. They didn't always believe that I'm possible. They would occasionally lose that apostrophe and only see the impossible. That's when the mother would go in on the children and really get deep, stop, turn off the negative noise in your head. Remove any naysayers from your circle. Now if you conquer the enemy within, the enemy outside can't do you any harm. Remember contrary to what many thought when this school was founded, you were taught I'm possible. So you can't let the what-is fool you. You have to believe. You see that young girl was me. Unbeknownst to me, the plan for my journey was to take me from low-income housing projects to the president of AT&T North Carolina, keep going to the president of Georgia with over 15,000 employees. That's what my journey was because that's how my seed was nurtured. In a startling moment with clarity, I realized I'm possible, not impossible, and nothing is impossible for me or you. So fast forward today. The real value of your education is not all about what you learned, but equally important about how you apply those lessons to your real life. You must enlarge your vision, stretch your goals, decide what excites you in life. You have to step out there and have faith in yourself. When friends doubt your dreams, tell them I'm possible. When no callbacks for interviews occur, I'm possible. When you get that first job rejection, I'm possible. When your friends get into graduate school of their choice and you don't, I'm possible. When the one that you think you are so in love with you tells you that it is lust and not love, tell them I'm possible and also tell them your loss. Like Beyonce said, always be graceful because the best revenge is in your paper and it's coming and I can attest to that. And don't let the dream killers kill your dream. Your dreams don't have to be deferred until some other time or until something gets better or to somebody, somebody wants to give you an opportunity. Create your own opportunity if you have to. The time to dream young people is right now. Give life to your dreams by adding that apostrophe to the impossible so that you can say I'm possible. There is power in that apostrophe. Work hard, stay the course. I can also attest to hard work, sweat, and determination pays off. I was your age when I set out on a mission to succeed. I wasn't sure what it would be. One time I did want to be the mayor, I thought. Mayor Yates. Why did I want to be the mayor because I thought I could tell everybody in the city what to do? But I learned later that that was not going to happen. But I wasn't I wasn't quite sure exactly what I wanted to do to succeed, but I was on that mission to succeed. But I envisioned that it would be something that would afford me the opportunity to give back to my mom, my family and my community and the universities as I travel the states. That was and still is very important to me. That's why I'm here today. And I encourage each one of you that are walking across this stage today make it important to you. Give back as an alum and tell your friends and their friends to do the same. That's how the legacy of this university lives forever. So Elizabeth City class of 2018, I know I've talked about a lot in this short period of time, but I can only hope that I have added to the motivation and the inspiration that this wonderful university has instilled in you and that you are feeling right now. Please know that I am extremely proud of what you have already accomplished. And I look forward to hearing your great story when you add the apostrophe to what seemed impossible for you. So now I'm going to leave you with some words from Nelson Mandela. It always seems impossible until it's done. After climbing a great hill, only one only finds that there are many more hills decline. And sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You are that generation. When you leave here today, let your greatness blossom. Thank you and I am honored to be a part of you. Then Harrison, we are just thrilled that message that you provided our graduates will go a long way. And I know graduates, as you walk across this stage this morning, I want you to say with the apostrophe, I'm possible because you are a Viking and all things are possible. So don't forget that when you come up on this stage and President Harrison, thank you. Thank you for your story. Thank you for your encouraging words. And at this time on behalf of Elizabeth City State University, we would like to present you with a token to show that we appreciate you and that we want you to always be a part of the Viking family. So each year we have representation from our stakeholders joining us as we congratulate and celebrate our students. I would like to acknowledge persons joining us today. Please stand so that we may applaud you. Representatives from the UNC Board of Governors, I know we have, as you already met, Governor David Powers. Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees, please stand. ECSU Trustee Emeriti, please stand. ECSU Foundation Board, and I know we have Chair Dr. Jeanette Evans, please stand. And Board members, the National Alumni Association Officers and Directors, please stand. ECSU Professors that are joining us, Emeriti, please stand. ECSU Retirees Association, please stand. I would like to acknowledge the presence of Representative Bob Steinberg and other representatives from local, state, and national government, please stand. And thank you for your support of ECSU Representative Steinberg. You've always been there for us. Thank you. Also, representatives from branches of military, please stand. Commander Judge, thank you for your continued support. Thank you for being here. I would like for Ms. Brenda Wilkins, White of Trustee, Kenneth Wilkins to please stand. Mrs. Shelva Banks, White of Reverend Ricky Banks and daughter, Lucretia Banks, please stand. And last but not least, members of the Triangle Park Chapter of the Lynx Incorporated, please stand. And thank you for joining us in support of ECSU and President Harrison. Colonel Anthony, please come to the podium to deliver the oath of office for our newest RLTC officers. Please raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, state your full name, having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States in the grade of second lieutenant, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duty of the office upon which I'm about to enter. So help me God. Congratulations. I'm in candidates for graduate degrees. Chancellor Dixon, it is my privilege to report to you that the candidates here assembled have qualified in all aspects for their degrees by successfully completing the curricula offered by the graduate program in education, school administration, and biology at Elizabeth City State University. Would the candidates for the Masters of Education, Masters of School Administration, and Masters of Science and Biology please stand and remain standing. Chancellor Dixon, it is with pleasure that I present to you these candidates who have completed all of the requirements for graduation. They have been certified by the registrar and have received an affirmative vote by the faculty to be awarded the Master's Degrees in Education, School Administration, and Biology. I now recommend them to you for the conferral of their degrees. By virtue of the authority vested in me by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors and the Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees, I do hereby confer upon you the degree for which you have qualified with all the honors, privileges, and responsibilities thereon to appertaining. We will also present a special medallion to our graduates who have successfully completed their Master's Degree. Would the candidates for the Master of Education, Master of School Administration, and Master of Science and Biology please proceed to the stage to receive your degrees. Tondra Stevens Hedgepeth, DeeDee Powell Beverly, Lisa Dale Sawyer, Joyira Johnson Brothers. Congratulations, please be seated. Baccalaureate degrees will now be conferred. Chancellor Dixon, it is my privilege to report to you that the candidates here assembled have qualified in all respects for their degrees by successfully completing curricula offered by the academic departments at Elizabeth City State University. They have been recommended by their department chairs, approved by the Honors Council, were appropriate, certified by the registrar, and have received an affirmative vote of the faculty to be awarded the degrees, the Bachelor of Science in Education, the Bachelor of Science, the Bachelor of Arts, and the Bachelor of Social Work. At this time, I am pleased to begin the conferment of undergraduate degrees by presenting the Bear of the Mace. Chancellor Dixon, it is my pleasure, most distinct indeed, to inform you that the official Bear of the Mace is William Ryan Caldwell Nelson. Will the Bear of the Mace, William Ryan Caldwell Nelson, please come forward for the conferment of your degree. Chancellor Dixon, I am pleased to present the Bear of the Mace, William Ryan Caldwell Nelson. Bear of the Mace, William Ryan Caldwell Nelson, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors and the Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees, I do hereby confer upon you the degree for which you have qualified with all honors, privileges, and responsibilities thereon to appertaining. Trustee Lynn Bunch of the ECSU Board of Trustees will now hood you. Congratulations again, we are so proud of you, William. Chancellor Dixon, before we proceed with the conferment of degrees, I am honored to have the opportunity to recognize those seniors who are graduating with highest honors, summa cum laude, having achieved by their diligence a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 to 4.0. Will the graduates graduating summa cum laude please stand and remain standing. Those seniors who are graduating with high honors, magna cum laude, with a grade point average between 3.6 to 3.79, please stand and remain standing. Will those seniors graduating cum laude with a grade point average of 3.25 to 3.59, please stand and remain standing. Bring me in congratulating these students on their accomplishments. You may be seated. Now I wish to recognize seniors who have completed four years in the university's honors program, many of whom were just standing. Will those students who have completed four years in the honors program please stand so that you may also be congratulated on your accomplishment. Please to acknowledge all of the summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude graduates and graduates of the university honors program, I commend you for having achieved the excellence required by a highly rigorous curriculum. I encourage you to continue to excel and thank you for your commitment and all that you do and all that you have done and accomplished at ECSU. Chancellor Dixon, I am pleased now to present candidates for their respective degrees. Chancellor Dixon on the recommendation of their department chairs, certification by the registrar and by an affirmative vote of the faculty, it is my pleasure to present the candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Education, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work. Will you please stand. Two of the authority vested in me by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors and the Elizabeth City State University Board of Trustees, I do hereby confer upon you the degrees for which you have qualified with all the honors, privileges and responsibilities there onto appertaining. Please to present the candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Education, candidates for the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work, please be seated. Will candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Education please come forward to receive your degree. Congratulations, please be seated. Will the candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree please stand. Please to present candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree, candidates please come forward to receive your degrees. Benesha, Benesha. Or to receive your degree. Walter Burnett, Bernesha Colbert, Kanisha Jackson, Christopher Liverman, Bracey Martin Jr., Tiffany Nicholson, Richardson, Robin Walden. For the Bachelor of Social Work degree please stand. Please to present the candidates for the Bachelor of Social Work degree, please come forward to receive your degree. Shakira, Ruffin, Padija Owens, Amy Stokes. Congratulations, please be seated. This concludes the conferral of degrees upon the candidates comprising the fall graduating class of 2018. Now would all of the baccalaureate graduates please stand. The attainment of your degree by turning your tassel from right to left. Congratulations again to the class of 2018. You may be seated. 2018 graduates, on behalf of the entire university community, I extend sincere congratulations to each of you for achieving this milestone in your lives. At this time I would also like to recognize our honor marshals. Honor marshals are the highest ranking students academically from the freshman, sophomore, and junior classes. These students were invited to participate today as honor marshals. Will the honor marshals please stand to be recognized? You may be seated. Also at this time I would like to recognize and thank the ECSU Commencement Committee and applaud the ECSU Symphonic Wind Ensemble under the direction of Ms. Juliet Borkins and the ECSU Choir under the direction of Dr. Walter Swan for helping to make this day a memorable occasion. I welcome to the podium Ms. Morgan Watkins, president of the senior class to deliver farewell remarks. Class of 2018 and for some of us this has felt like a lifetime. I'm leaving these hallowed halls with the greatest honor of being a graduate of Elizabeth City State University. We now become one of the many proud members of ECSU alumni and we are adding to the fuel that keeps this place going. Today we bring to a glorious conclusion the many long nights, seemingly endless classes and never-ending papers with never-ending deadlines. But if my fellow graduates share my sentiment about the college experience then you will say it has been a great journey but it is a journey that must come to an end and with this stage of our lives behind us we move on. It took me a long time to figure out what I was going to say to the class of 2018. The more I thought about it the harder the task seemed to become and then I came across this quote, someone's going to have a great life it might as well be you. Believe it embrace it and then remember. Listen learn and give back. Graduates enjoy life. We have pushed and pushed for the state to come and it is finally here. Enjoy your day. Mark this day off of your list of accomplishments and do the next big thing. Chancellor Rapper once said, highest form of respect that we can pay to the people before us. The people who sacrifice everything to make sure that we could be here today is to be better than them. Many of us will strive to be artists, lawyers, business owners politicians and so much more. We are a class with a lot of potential and a lot of talent. As you pursue these goals there will be moments of fear, moments when you will walk right up to the edge and think what am I doing? Just think about all the things that your heroes have accomplished. Perhaps the answer will be I don't know if I want to go on should I continue. But with that moment also remember that you cannot stop. You must continue and you must forge ahead. Living up to your heroes is amazing but it is not good enough. It is not good enough. Just making it to graduation day cannot be the end of your goals. The difference between good and great is going beyond both good and great. So I say let us push forward and surpass even the greatness of those who have come before us and have been the beacons of our light in our lives. So to pay homage to their struggles and their inspiration, let us not be afraid. We must step up, go out and get it done. And remember to always be humble to the people who helped you get here. A big shout out to my family, my sister, my mother and father. Thank you. Thank you. We did it. It's over. It is my pleasure to bring to the podium Mr. Clarence Goss, member of the National Alumni Association Board of Directors who will administer the oath of allegiance to the university in Mr. Abdul Rashid's absence. Mr. Goss? Thank you. Thank you. Chancellor Dixon, a platform guest, family and friends and to our graduates and say congratulations. I came to give you the oath of allegiance. Before I say this though, take these words into heart. It's not more than just words you're going to repeat. Elizabeth City has now become a huge part of you and we still need you. So if you all will rise and if you will turn to page 16, it's at the back of the room. And just repeat after me. I hereby solemnly pledge unbroken allegiance to my alma mater in appreciation for opportunities for development afforded me as a student at Elizabeth City State University. I pledge active membership in the National Alumni Association wherever I may be. Through association with my fellow alumni, I shall forever do my best to uphold the ideals and traditions of my alma mater. I pledge as a person to exemplify high ideals by rendering positive and dignified service to the community, state, nation and world. Thus living to bring honor and respect to my alma mater. So with all that being said, let's sum it up in three ways. Viking pride. Viking pride. Viking pride. Now let's go forth and do work. What an exciting, exciting occasion and I am so thankful to be a part of this graduating class this day. To the fall 2018 graduates as you go forth, remember that you continue to be ambassadors of Elizabeth City State University. I encourage you to tell our story now your story and in that story never forget the apostrophe as President Harrison said, I'm possible. Share your Viking experience with someone so that they will be inspired to sit where you now sit at the threshold of great opportunities. You will be successful and I urge you to make a difference. Remember the lessons you learned both in and out the classroom. We are so proud of you and will always be here for you. Viking pride. Viking pride. Viking pride. Go forth and do great things as you represent ECSU. Congratulations. Please stand for the singing of the alma mater. To the conclusion of this ceremony, we ask that everyone remain seated until our graduates in faculty exit. Chancellor Dixon, with your permission, I declare our 167th commencement convocation closed. Let us receive the benediction from Reverend Banks. As you go forth put into practice the accumulative knowledge you have received. Go forth with your feet firmly planted on the solid ground plowed by your family, friends and teachers of your heritage and society. Go to heights quite beyond your present capabilities as you follow the lead of God who gives faith, wisdom, understanding and blessings. Go knowing that what you have received today is yours and nothing can separate you from the great source of knowledge and wisdom the master teacher. Go in peace. Grace and peace be unto you.