Snead College - Special graduation for ball teams

“It’s my opinion that commencement ceremonies are the most important thing that we do on our campus,” said Snead State President Dr. Joe Whitmore. “Today just marks the next step in your life’s journey. It’s a point that marks the end of your academic time at Snead State, but I point out every year at commencement that the word ‘commencement’ doesn’t mean ‘end.’ When you commence something, you begin. You start. So, today marks a beginning, not an end. And the next step after this one is going to be different for all of you.

“Remember that when God is taking you somewhere in your life, and your destiny, you want to go from A-Z. It’s rarely going to be in a straight line – A, B, C, D, E, F G … through Z. You’re going to start at A, go to Q, back to C, over to M … God’s going to bounce you around in life.

“So, why is it that, en route to your divine purpose – that meaning you’ve got in life – why is it do you get bounced around? Sometimes good, sometimes bad; sometimes it’s ugly. The reason is so that it can develop your character. God wants to make you a better person, and he’s not going to do that without a test, without a block – something that he allows to happen, or he creates a circumstance that you can develop as a person and develop your character.

“Don’t worry about life’s detours. Don’t worry about a road block. Don’t worry about any kind of misdirection. Because God’s got a plan to get you specifically where he wants you to go.”

“We’re very proud of what you’ve accomplished here, not only on the athletic field but also in the classroom, and we want to encourage you to continue to strive to achieve all of your educational and personal goals in the future,” said Vann Scott, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer.

Graduates included:

SOFTBALL

• Janiah Lenae Anderson, of Athens, Alabama, Associate in Science, Chemical Engineering, summa cum laude

• Rylee Brooke Bartlett, of Gardendale, Alabama, Associate in Science, General Education, summa cum laude

• Reagan Leigh Cornelius, of Springville, Alabama, Associate in Applied Science, Applied Business

• Adelyn Ellis, of Boaz, Alabama, Associate in Science, General Education

• Ashlyn McKenzie Hallman, of Coaling, Alabama, Associate in Science, Elementary Education

• Julia Faith Hurley, of Southside, Alabama, Associate in Science, Pre-Nursing, magna cum laude

• Katherine “Katie” Johnson, of Cottondale, Alabama, Associate in Science, Animal Sciences

• Zoe Lee Payne, of Oneonta, Alabama, Associate in Science, General Education

• Kaci Nicole Sharp, of Athens, Alabama, Associate in Science, General Education

BASEBALL

• Joshua Eli Bartle, of Cullman, Alabama, Associate in Science, General Education

• Brody Bradshaw (Team Manager), of Arab, Alabama, Associate in Science, Agri-Business

• Mason Edward Cooper, of Jefferson, Georgia, Associate in Science, Business, magna cum laude

• Cason Paul Firth, of LaGrange, Georgia, Associate in Science, Business

• Carter James Frederick, of Chelsea, Alabama, Associate in Science, General Education

• Brooks Hardie, of Bremen, Georgia, Associate in Science, General Education

• Revy “Trey” Higgins, III, of Oxford, Alabama, Associate in Science, General Education, cum laude

• Brock Hill, of Chelsea, Alabama, Associate in Science, General Education

• Noah Riley Lam, of Huntsville, Alabama, Associate in Science, Computer Science, summa cum laude

• Evan Steckmesser, of Madison, Alabama, Associate in Science, Computer Science, cum laude

• William Hardy Tarpley, of Pinson, Alabama, Associate in Science, Social Studies Education, cum laude

• Coby Dyllan Wilkerson, of Monroe, Georgia, Associate in Science, General Education

• Nicholas Cody Williams, of Rockmart, Georgia, Associate in Science, General Education, summa cum laude

Carter Frederick was also presented the Civitan Award, which is given annually to the “Best All-Around Student” of the graduating class of Snead State Community College.

“That’s not just of our baseball graduates, but that’s out of over 200 students that will be participating in our ceremonies Thursday night,” said Jason Cannon, Vice President for Student Services. “To be eligible for the award, a student must have attended Snead State for at least three semesters and maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. In addition, the student should have participated in extracurricular and community activities. The student is elected by a vote of the faculty from a list of eligible students who are participating in commencement ceremonies this week.”

Snead State Community College is scheduled to host its full Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 4, beginning at 6 p.m. inside Emmett Plunkett-Lurleen B. Wallace Gymnasium.