Graduation is Chancellor Karrie Dixon's first as Eagle-in-Chief

Kwame Molden, who gave the commencement address at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) on Dec. 13, 2024, offered a three-step business plan to assist attendees in their post graduate career. Molden is co-founder and president of SPGBK (pronounced Springbreak) Watches.

He spoke on the occasion of NCCU's 144th commencement exercises, during which NCCU awarded one doctorate, five Juris Doctorates, 193 master's degrees and 466 bachelor's degrees.

Molden's first suggestion was to invest in additional education.

"I know today is graduation day and you're saying, I'm never going back to school again," he said to laughs. "But as Frederick Douglas once said, 'education is the pathway to freedom.' And that is something I believe with all my heart. Never overlook the value of increasing your knowledge on a continual basis."

In his own career, Molden spoke of spending hours a day and long nights researching the watch industry and focusing on personal development.

Second, Molden advised graduates to never forget where they come from.

"I am Fayetteville raised. But one of the biggest mistakes I made in my business was not leaning into who we are and what we represent. For at least three years, we did not emphasize our roots or community at all. Our idea at the time was to sell to people we don't know, build a following online and actually sell to groups that didn't even look like us."

"In 2016, we made a decision to lean into being from Fayetteville, lean into teachers and education and HBCUs and lean into being a proud Black-owned business, that when things started shifting in our business in a real way."

Third, always do your best. Molden recalled his mother used to tell him this when he was a little boy.

"This motivation drove me to work harder and study more just to prove her right."

His mother also took him to the library every week, celebrated his academic achievements more than athletic ones and filled his life with meaningful activities.

"On the same note, this university has given you the tools and knowledge to be successful," Molden said. "You have a responsibility to be the best you can be."

Grateful for Everything

Emily M. Dickens, chairwoman of the NCCU Board of Trustees, spoke of the changes that graduates have seen.

"Many of you began this journey during a time when the world was focused on saving lives," Dickens said. "Now you complete when our collective focus has switched to sustaining livelihoods. You leave here not just with knowledge but with the invaluable ability to learn, adapt and persevere."

That might not be easy.

"The workplace you are entering is vastly different from what existed even a few years ago. Your competition may not just be another person but also a human leveraging AI or AI itself. The human in you, empathy, creativity, and ability to connect will be what sets you apart. Prepare to navigate spaces that demand more than the degree you earned today."

She asked graduates to remember a mantra.

"Grateful for everything, entitled to nothing."

Engaged in the Community

Undergraduates at NCCU engaged in a collective 13,779 hours of community service in summer 2024 and 40,351 hours in fall 2024, valued at a total of $1,812 million.

High Achievers

Chancellor Karrie G. Dixon, Ed.D., called out the achievements of two students during commencement, her first as chancellor of NCCU.

During the graduate and professional ceremony, Dixon asked Michael Berryann to stand.

Berryann earned a master's degree in earth, environmental and geospatial sciences from NCCU. He did that after a previous career in healthcare and only a few years after earning an associate degree. Berryann discovered a passion for geospatial mapping at NCCU, where he interned with NASA and researched landslide detection using AI and drones.

Next, he will begin his doctoral program at N.C. A&T State University. He also plans to start a disaster response geospatial company and later study environmental law. Starting in January, he will return to NCCU to teach drone technology, helping students gain FAA licenses and skills for the field.

During the undergraduate ceremony, Dixon spoke about LaTonya Robertson, who as a 45-year-old single mother of four and a seasoned nurse, fulfilled her lifelong ambition of attending a historically Black university. After hearing about NCCU's partnership with Project Kitty Hawk, which supports adult learners through online programs, she enrolled in fall 2023. She managed to balance coursework with raising her children and launching two businesses. As part of the first graduating cohort assisted by Project Kitty Hawk, she plans to leverage her nursing experience into teaching certified nursing assistants and expanding her entrepreneurial ventures.

To view photos from the 144th Commencement Exercises, visit here.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.