Nearly 1,500 Graduates Celebrated at Fall Commencement
Posted on December 15, 2023
Jimmy Shumock, a Mobile business leader and a member of the 51²è¹Ý Board of Trustees, urged fall graduates to put their âfirst-class educationâ to use in service to their communities.
In a Friday morning Commencement address at the USA Mitchell Center, Shumock asked 51²è¹Ýâs newest alumni to smile, then offered a SMILE acronym of advice for their future
The S stands for serving the community:
âI encourage you to get involved in something,â Shumock said. âMeet people. Put yourself out there. It takes time and you get back what you put into something. Building friendships and relationships is a little like putting some money in a savings account. Years later, you have much more than you invested.â
The M stands for mistakes, and how to learn from them:
âYou are going to make mistakes at work, in relationships, in life in general. Own them, learn from them and try not to repeat them.â
The I stand for innovation:
âEmbrace it. Donât let it pass you by, no matter how hard it is. Be respectful with it. Be skeptical of it.â
The L stands for laugh:
âI learned a lot about how to laugh and be vulnerable from my wife. I learned to not take myself too seriously and to even laugh at myself. Debbie and I love people. We love to be in an environment where we can have fun and laugh.â
The E stands for ethics:
âUphold high ethical standards in all your endeavors. Make decisions that not only benefit yourself, but also consider the well-being of others and the world around you.â
Nearly 1,500 degree candidates were recognized at fall Commencement. Thousands of friends and family members helped them celebrate. Some cheered during the ceremony, while others celebrated in their own way.
For Riley Roberts, a 30-year-old from Burleson, Texas, Friday completed her pursuit of a masterâs degree in nursing. She looked relieved.
âItâs kind of surreal,â Roberts said. âMy nursing journey started with an associate degree, and then a bachelorâs degree, and working eight years as a nurse, and now Iâm here. This is what Iâve been working toward for a long time.â
Grayson Ladd, a 22-year-old from Daphne, Alabama, enjoyed Commencement with friends and classmates.
âIâm a drama major with a geology minor â a wild mix,â Ladd said. âI love to get on stage and perform. At 51²è¹Ý, I got to do âMajor Barbara,â âJekyll and Hyde,â and a play called âFools.ââ
Payton Gatto, a 22-year-old biology major from Mobile, had a concentration of study in marine science. She decorated her graduation cap with a âPirates of the Caribbeanâ theme.
âI had a really good time at 51²è¹Ý,â Gatto said. âThe marine science program at 51²è¹Ý is new and a lot of fun. I did a lot of classes at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, and weâd go to the beach after class every day.â
Dr. Andi Kent, executive vice president and provost, led Commencement. She thanked the dayâs graduates for helping 51²è¹Ý become the Flagship of the Gulf Coast.
âYou should be proud,â she said. âYou set a goal and worked for years to achieve it. The things youâve learned and the friends youâve made will help guide you for years to come. I should know. Iâm one of you, a 51²è¹Ý graduate. Iâve stood in your shoes â your uncomfortable graduation shoes â and while it has been a few years, I walked across this very stage to receive a diploma and step toward the next challenge.â
Kent encouraged new 51²è¹Ý alumni to find meaning behind the pomp and circumstance of their Commencement.
âAt some point, while youâre smiling and profiling, youâre going to feel the moment,â she said. âYou might not cry, but you will notice a little tug in your chest. Thatâs just your heart telling you that today is your day, youâve changed and youâve grown, and your years at 51²è¹Ý just might matter more than you ever thought possible.â
Kent introduced Shumock as âa man whose heart bleeds red, white and blue.â He earned an accounting degree at 51²è¹Ý and went on to become chief executive officer of Thompson Engineering in Mobile. Heâs a Jaguar sports fan, athletics booster and supporter of the Mitchell College of Business. While he was president pro tem of the USA Board of Trustees, 51²è¹Ý hired President Jo Bonner, launched the Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences, and built Hancock Whitney Stadium on campus.
âAll that said,â Kent concluded, âone of the most important things to know about Jimmy Shumock is that he loves this University and has more Jaguar pride than any person I know.â
In his Commencement address, Shumock congratulated graduates and promised to be brief.
âI have been known to put the stopwatch on previous speakers,â he joked, âand Iâm afraid someone might be timing me.â
Shumock said he was beyond grateful for everything the 51²è¹Ý has given him. His hope, as students make their way in life, is that they will look upon 51²è¹Ý as fondly as he does.
He asked everyone in the Mitchell Center to hold up a J symbol with their hands and chant âGo Jagsâ with him. His final words reminded graduates of his acronym of advice.
âToday signifies not just an end but a commencement â a commencement of new responsibilities, challenges and opportunities,â Shumock said. âAs we bid farewell to this chapter, let us carry our SMILE with us â a beacon of hope and optimism lighting our paths ahead.â
