College honors record number of African-American graduates

The number of African-American students who graduated from Pellissippi State May 4 was the highest in at least 14 years, and the College honored the students at a reception April 12.

At least 50 students in the class of 2007 are African-American. That’s up from the 36 recognized at last year’s reception, according to Gayle Wood, who coordinates services for African-American students. It’s also the most African-American graduates in the reception’s 14-year history.

“This is an awesome group of young people, many of whom I’ve had the pleasure of assisting,” Wood said.

Mike North, interim associate vice president of Student Affairs, presented the following outstanding graduates with the African-American Excellence Award:

Dannisha Davis, Mackel Gharib, Mercedes Ain Jones, Kyla Nichole King, Demarcus Littlejohn, Joseph A. Mayfield, Gay Othniel Miller, LaTrice C. Morris, Ami Pauline Ndiaye, Ernestine Sloan and Whitney Leigh Smith.

King, Mayfield and Ndiaye also were recognized for being members of the academic honor society Phi Theta Kappa.

“More than anything else,” Wood said, “these students have learned to juggle many roles and have been measured as successful.”

In honor of the milestone, President Allen Edwards presented each of the graduates with a special kente-cloth stole, which the students then wore at commencement.

"Inside Pellissippi" is a bi-monthly electronic publication produced by the Marketing and Communications Office for the faculty and staff of Pellissippi State Technical Community College, 10915 Hardin Valley Road, P.O. Box 22990, Knoxville, Tennessee 37933-0990. All suggestions and comments should be sent to Julia Wood (jwood@pstcc.edu).

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