Dr. Vivian Burke
Dr. Vivian Burke, a member of Winston-Salem City Council delivered Winston-Salem State University’s Fall 2008 Commencement address on Friday Dec.19, at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The retired guidance counselor and Industrial Education Coordinator of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System, urged the more than 400 graduate and undergraduate students participating in the ceremony to be encouraged even though the country was going through tough times. She reminded them that, “this is a strong country, and people love to come to this country.”
She also reminded them about the high unemployment the plagued the nation during other critical periods in its history like the Great Depression in the 1930s. She urged to stay calm.
“You have to be in control of yourself and your destiny,” said Burke.
Among those who heard Burke’s message was 55-year-old Everett Dumas, an interdisciplinary studies/public administration major from Winston-Salem, who decided to get his degree after retiring from the military as an Army Sargeant, 1st Class. He and his wife, of 25 years, Jannifer (also retired military) were looking forward to his graduation day. She had been there for her husband every step of the way as he
Everette Dumas
worked his way toward graduation. The couple went to bed Sunday night, Dec. 7, but Jannifer did not wake up Monday morning. For Everett, who buried his wife Saturday, Dec. 13, crossing the stage to receive his degree was bittersweet with the knowledge that his greatest supporter and partner could only be there to enjoy the moment with him in spirit.
“My wife was the one who really encouraged me to go back to school,” said Dumas. “She felt education was the key to a better life and greater success. She always said our house was one of higher learning.”
Marie Jolande Massenat
For Marie Jolande Massenat, a Clinical Laboratory Science major, graduation meant experiencing a piece of her American dream. Massenat a native of Haiti, who now lives in High Point, NC, was eight years old when she first came to the United States. “I’m proud to say that I’m the first to graduate from college in my family. I’m opening doors and becoming a good role model for my nieces and nephews.”
Zena Jackson is a full-time employee of WSSU in the School of Education and Human Performance. This mother of four children completed her Business Administration degree in the School of Business and Economics. She has two teenagers and twins, one with a health issue that requires constant monitoring.
Zena Jackson
She began her quest to obtain a degree 16 years ago and has taken courses every semester- on-line and in the classroom to reach her goal. She did all of this while caring for her mother, her children and the School of Education and Human Performance.
“In the equation of life, you just have to keep working the problem until it works out. If you stick to it and don’t give up, things usually work out,” said Jackson.
Juanita Penn, who supervises WSSU’s Red Room, the faculty and staff dining facility, decided at age 57 that she wanted her degree. Not only did she go back, the Interdisciplinary Studies/Social Welfare major from Winston-Salem
Juanita Penn
graduated Magna Cum Laude. “This is a dream true,” said Penn, the mother of two adult children and grandmother of five. “This became a hidden desire of mine after talking to a lot of professors and others who encouraged me to get my degree. God made all this possible.”
