May 11—Indiana State University’s Spring 2024 Commencement on Saturday brought tears of joy and sadness, cheers of celebration and words of inspiration.
A total of 1,547 Sycamores graduated during three commencement ceremonies at the Hulman Center.
During the morning graduate ceremony, 69 doctorates, 17 education specialists and 296 master’s degrees were conferred, according to ISU. At noon and 3 p.m., 1,165 students completed their bachelor’s degrees.
The most moving moment of the midday ceremony came when Zina Morgan took the stage and accepted a posthumous diploma on behalf of her daughter, Zinyetta. The diploma was awarded by ISU President Deborah Curtis.
Zinyetta Morgan, 24, died April 16 in a traffic accident. As a senior, she would have graduated on Saturday. The students gave a standing ovation to Zina Morgan, who held a photo of her daughter.
The student speaker at the noon graduation, Julio Rosales, is a first-generation college student whose immigrant parents inspired his passion for law, politics and immigration.
He described some of the “unconventional moments in history” that shaped the students, including 9/11, the time many of them were born. It was a time when the world “transitioned into a new phase of fear.”
Then, when they were going to college, “the pandemic hit us in the face and changed our world once again”.
Rosales told the graduates to remember that they are role models who can influence others in meaningful ways.
Furthermore, “we are the generation that is bold and eager to change the future. And with our abundance of identities, we are without a doubt the generation that will make a difference,” said Rosales.
The alumnus speaker was Rondrell Moore, WTHI-TV news anchor, who graduated from ISU in 2008.
Moore told the graduates that while they will undoubtedly encounter some failure and disappointment in their lives, they should use these experiences to become stronger and to fuel their path to success.
He spoke of the setbacks and disappointments he encountered, which he likened to fertilizer (“it stank”), “but the man yielded a harvest of motivation.”
When he graduated from ISU in 2008, he was devastated when he wasn’t chosen to give a commencement speech. He worked hard on it, practiced it, and even became obsessed with it. (He initially jokingly referred to this student as Fawndrell Gloor).
“So imagine my surprise 16 years later when the same school asked me to give the commencement speech,” he told the audience.
“Failure, disappointment and sometimes even bitterness don’t have to be the end of your story,” he said.
Moore also talked about his professional journey, which didn’t go straight from college to night anchor. “It involved years of 12-hour shifts, wages that approached poverty levels, encounters with adversity and intense racism,” he said.
He was told that “this area is ‘not ready’ for a black anchor. Mind you, this was 2008, not 1908,” Moore said.
But he chose not to listen to the naysayers, he said. “No one could change God’s will for me.” He had the ability to make this happen, based on his actions.
In 2016, “These same voices that said I couldn’t be an anchor in this area because of my race…were congratulating me on becoming the first black evening anchor in this television market,” Moore said.
He told the graduates that their paths to greatness may not be perfect, “but I am confident that you will do amazing things.”
Just before the ceremony, Noah Bolt gathered in front of the Hulman Center with his family for photos and videos. He graduated with a major in sports management and minors in coaching and exercise science.
Completing graduation “feels great…I’m in the next stage of life where now I just need to figure out what’s next,” he said. One day he would like to become athletic director.
The immediate next step is postgraduate studies and a master’s degree in business administration. He is also a pitcher in the ISU track and field program and has one year of eligibility remaining.
Bolt’s mother shed tears of joy. “I’m so proud. He’s five years old. It’s so beautiful to watch your kids grow up and become adults…Being a student-athlete is like having a full-time job while you go to school,” she said. .
Also celebrating Saturday was Kimmie Collins of Terre Haute, who attended the previous graduation ceremony and received her master’s degree in communications. She was the speaker at the graduate ceremony.
“It’s amazing to graduate. Indiana State has been a part of my life for a long time and I love Indiana State and its people so much. It’s kind of weird to say goodbye,” she said.
The commencement speech was “kind of my last love letter to ISU,” Collins said. “I will always be a Sycamore and I am so grateful for all the experiences I have had. I am so proud of everyone who will graduate this weekend.”
She will be part of the social media team for the Scripps National Spelling Bee later this month. “It’s really fun,” she said.
Other future plans are “in the works,” she said. She plans to stay in Terre Haute.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or by email at sue.loughlin@tribstar.com. Follow Sue on X at @TribStarSue.
