They made it through completing tests, papers, and dissertations, juggling family and work obligations, and even living through a worldwide pandemic. And on Saturday, June 11, more than 300 Saint Leo University students achieved a dream and received their degrees in a ceremony at the Johnny Mercer Theatre in the Savannah Civic Center.
Students from Saint Leo University’s Savannah Education Center as well as those who studied through the university’s Center for Online Learning and at other education center locations, received doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degrees during the morning commencement.
Welcoming the students was Shadel Hamilton, senior associate vice president of Saint Leo WorldWide, while Dr. Susan Kinsella, dean of the College of Education and Social Services, introduced the student-speaker and presented the candidates for graduation. Dr. Edward Dadez, provost, addressed the students and conferred their degrees.
Giving the student farewell to the Class of 2022 was Emilee C. Cannon, who studied through Saint Leo’s Lake City Education Center in Florida and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in education. Pursuing her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher, Cannon said, “I am not ‘pushing it’ when saying ‘lifelong.’ Picture this: a little girl in her bedroom, dressed her best, including her mom’s high heel wedges, teaching a homemade curriculum to a class of various-sized baby dolls and two little human brothers. Yep, that’s me. Surrounded by a family of educators, I never thought of becoming anything else. I remained determined to pursue this dream of teaching, even though I was told by many individuals to ‘use my knowledge for a better paying job with less work and more appreciation.’”
But when she would step foot into a classroom to volunteer and work with children, Cannon said, “my heart would feel at home.”
Now a fifth-grade teacher, Cannon of Live Oak, FL, said she knows her educational path was the correct one for her. “Graduates, I say all of this to tell you that I am proud of you for pursuing your dreams and becoming successful in doing so,” Cannon said. “You have tirelessly worked toward and earned a personal goal of achievement. What you’ve accomplished for yourself will influence the many lives that you cross paths with throughout your future endeavors. Your strength and perseverance do not stop now; they continue for many years as you apply what you’ve learned to make a positive impact on our world.”
In addition to Cannon, 28 students receiving their degrees at the Savannah ceremony earned degrees in education, from doctoral degrees to education specialist degrees, to master’s and bachelor’s degrees. Cannon was joined by eight other bachelor’s in education recipients who studied at Saint Leo University’s Lake City Education Center in Lake City, FL, in traveling to Savannah for the commencement celebration.
The more than 300 graduates at the June 11 commencement earned degrees from Saint Leo programs ranging from criminal justice to theology, from business administration to human services, and more.
Welcoming the graduates as members of the Saint Leo University Alumni Association was Marlo Phillips, who earned her associate degree in 2019 and her bachelor’s degree in human services in 2021. Phillips is a case manager at the Union Mission, which provides services for the homeless.
“May Saint Leo always be within your heart,” Phillips told the new graduates.
Original source can be found here.
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