GREENVILLE�Pitt Community College put its seal of approval on the Class of 2009 Wednesday evening, during the school�s annual spring commencement ceremony in East Carolina University�s Minges Coliseum. Approximately 400 of the 973-member graduating class participated in the event with former PCC student Darrell Robinson serving as this year�s graduation speaker. Ten years ago, Robinson, who is now an attorney in the Washington, D.C. area, was a PCC Criminal Justice student. He had been struck by a car just six months prior and given a 50-50 chance at survival. During a four-month recovery period that included seven surgeries, Robinson said he had plenty of time to reflect on his life. He said he determined that even though he was a high school dropout, he would pursue his long-time goal of becoming a lawyer if he recovered from his accident. �I concluded that although life had dealt me an unfair hand, I had made no effort to realize any of my dreams,� Robinson told graduates. �I vowed then and there that if I lived, I would make an extensive effort to realize my dream.� So, at age 33, his right arm paralyzed by the accident, Robinson enrolled at Pitt. There, he would meet Lora Clark, who would become his instructor, advisor, mentor and friend. Robinson said Clark, who now serves as department chair of PCC�s Paralegal Technology program, fueled his desire to become a lawyer. He recorded a 3.78 grade point average at Pitt before transferring to Barton College on an academic scholarship and graduating magna cum laude with a Criminal Justice degree. �I learned from this that hard work has its rewards� Robinson said. �Moreover, when you have one small victory, it can serve as a springboard to even greater things.� Sure enough, Robinson would build on his Barton achievement by earning a juris doctorate from N.C. Central University. He passed the Maryland bar exam and landed a job with the state�s Public Defenders Office in 2006, opened his own law firm a year later, and now specializes in criminal, civil and personal injury litigation. �And what have I learned from all of this?� Robinson asked the graduating class. �Never, never, never give up. Victory is just around the corner.� Once again, Robinson was proven correct. After naming him an Outstanding Alumnus in November, PCC surprised Robinson during graduation by awarding him an associate degree in Criminal Justice. Wayne Coates, dean of PCC�s Legal Science/Public Services Division, explained that credits from several courses Robinson completed at Barton were added to the 64 credit hours he had already earned at PCC, making him an official graduate of the college. A surprised and smiling Robinson accepted his degree from PCC Trustees Chairman Gary Evans at the conclusion of this week�s graduation ceremony. Also receiving degrees from PCC on Wednesday night were a group of former Collins & Aikman and Bosch Tools employees who lost their jobs as a result of plant closings. One of those individuals, Linwood Gay, was a former Collins & Aikman employee who re-trained for a new biotechnology career at Pitt. A 57-year-old Farmville resident, Gay was distraught in 2006 after losing his long-time job at the plant in his hometown. But he said he chose to make the best of a difficult situation by pursuing the college degree he�d always wanted. Just days before graduation, Gay offered encouragement to those who find themselves in the same situation he faced three years ago. �There is hope,� he said, offering his path to success as an example of what others can do and noting that PCC can be part of the process in finding new employment. Also graduating this week was Winterville�s Lauren Starling. The 17-year-old South Central High School senior completed the first two years of a four-year teaching degree through Pitt�s concurrent enrollment program. Though she will not officially graduate from PCC until she receives her high school diploma, Starling plans to enroll at ECU this fall to pursue her dream of becoming a second-grade teacher.
05/15/2009 | 
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