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Savannah State Reanimates Spring Graduation

Several Student-Athletes Graduate With Honors

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah State student-athletes were handed a raw deal in March, but several were granted a chance to celebrate this December after a year full of hardships.  
 
The One Hundred Ninety-Sixth Savannah State Commencement was to be held in May of this year, following tradition, but the campus closed in March due to the pandemic and the graduates who were set to walk didn't get the chance.
 
Savannah State revived the ceremony on Dec. 12 at Theodore A. Wright Stadium, giving those spring graduates an opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments.
 
Among the spring 2020 class were a number of student-athletes—many of whom graduated with honors.
 
Leading the student-athlete class was volleyball player Jamese Scott, who earned her bachelor's degree in business management, graduating with the highest honor possible, Summa Cum Laude.
 
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Volleyball player Jamese Scott during the 2020 spring graduation on Dec. 12, 2020. [Photo by Litus Marshall]

 
Golfer Monique Veal earned her degree in sociology graduating Magna Cum Laude. Baseball's DeMorris Gresham earned his degree in criminal justice with Cum Laude honors. Teammate Benjamin Botham also graduated with Cum Laude honors, earning his degree in history.
 
Football's Monroe Thornton, III earned the prestigious President's Second Mile Award as well as his bachelor's degree in English. The Second Mile award was established in 2001 to bring significant honor and recognition to a graduating senior who has gone the extra mile to exemplify stellar, meritorious character and values leadership and community service.
 
From the football program, Rashad Saxon (Accounting), Paris Baker (Business Management), Tracy Gaston (Biology), Ronnie Johnson (Business Marketing), Anthony Hunt (Master of Public Administration) all earned their degrees.
 
Miya Hall from the volleyball program earned her bachelor's in criminal justice, while baseball's Caleb Hill earned his degree in business Marketing. Ariona Hagood from the softball program graduated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

This was the second graduation for Savannah State this fall. The fall semester graduation took place in November.
 
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Baseball player DeMorris Gresham during the spring 2020 graduation on Dec. 12, 2020. [Photo by Litus Marshall]

 
Savannah State University is the oldest public historically black college or university in the state of Georgia and the oldest institution of higher learning in the city of Savannah.
 
The school was established in 1890 as a result of the Second Morrill Land Grant Act, which mandated that southern and border states develop land-grant colleges for black citizens. The college awarded its first degree in 1898 to Richard R. Wright, Jr., the son of the founding president.
 
Savannah State played its first football game on Thanksgiving Day in 1902, opening over a hundred year history of intercollegiate athletics marked by championships at every level, professional athletes scattered among its numerous alumni, and continued success in its current programs.
 
The university continues to build upon the rich legacy of academic and athletic excellence and community engagement that has defined it for the last 130 years.
 
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Savannah State Interim President Kimberly Ballard-Washington speaks during the spring 2020 graduation on Dec. 12, 2020. [Photo by Litus Marshall]

 
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