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Jones County Junior College held its 90th annual commencement ceremony May 5, with its largest class ever to graduate, a total of 677 students participating in one of two ceremonies throughout the day.
JCJC President Dr. Jesse Smith pointed out to the graduates and audience special attributes of this year’s class, including 10 SkillsUSA winners, seven regional winners, the number one baseball team in the nation, the number one softball team in the nation, and the number one nursing program in the state.
“This class is truly remarkable,” he said.
Another first this year was the introduction of military honor cords.
“I learned of other colleges honoring their veterans with military honor cords, and I thought this would be a great opportunity for Jones to honor our veterans and service members, as well,” said Crystel Hinton, Veterans Affairs School Certifying official. “… The May 2017 class is the first graduating class that veterans and service members will receive military honor cords. They have done so much for our country, and I am excited that Jones is highlighting their commitment and sacrifice with these cords.”
Now any veteran or service member attending Jones may obtain a cord for graduation ceremonies. The 200 red, white and blue cords, selected to honor all branches of service, were purchased by funds provided to the institution from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Veteran Madison DeLoach of Ellisville was one of the students wearing the military honor cord during graduation.
After attending South Jones High School, DeLoach served in the Marines from 2008-2013, touring in Afghanistan for eight months, where he dropped troops off in hostile territory and restocked ammunitions. While serving as a tailgunner there, he lost seven of his friends in a helicopter crash.
“There was a lot of getting shot at, a lot of dangerous environments. A lot of people had similar stories to tell, I imagine,” said the 27-year-old former Corporal.
After his time with the Marines, he enrolled at JCJC in 2014, finished in the summer of 2016 and came back to Jones today to participate in graduation ceremonies.
“I think it’s really good to have the honor cords,” said DeLoach. “There are more people here than students realize that are veterans and I believe it’s a very good thing that Jones is doing. I think Jones goes above and beyond for veterans. I felt teachers treated me with respect, and I really had a good time at Jones.”
Graduation keynote speaker, Sidney L. “Sid” Salter, the chief communications officer and director of the office of public affairs at Mississippi State University, told the students about time, perseverance and focus, and how those attributes contribute to a lifetime of success and fulfillment.
Salter told the students of interesting achievements made in his years of journalism, including interviewing presidents, covering murder trials and elections, and having excerpts published in the nation’s largest newspapers.
“Focused effort is not enough,” Salter explained. “For every success that I’ve been fortunate to enjoy, every achievement, there have been abject failures, bitter disappointments, wrenching heartaches and embarrassing mistakes. Such was life for me, so will life be for most of you.”
He challenged the graduates to recognize what is most valuable in their lives with a quote from Jerry Zucker, a Hollywood producer: “’It doesn’t matter that your dream came true if you spent your whole life sleeping.’ Wake up!” Salter explained when he was younger that he sacrificed time with his family as he attempted to get ahead in his career, but those missed times can’t be retrieved.
He also quoted Carl Sandburg several times: “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.”
He asked students, based on how they live in the coming decades, what would their obituary state.
“What mark will you make on the world?” asked Salter. “Whose lives will you change or save or influence? You have youth and time on your side. You have intelligence and ability. You have Carl Sandburg’s words to remind you. May you spend the coin of your life wisely.”
DeLoach said, “(In Salter’s speech) time stood out for me. I’ve lost a lot of friends. You should live every day like it’s your last.”
DeLoach plans to receive a dual degree from MSU in business and electrical engineering. Before he heads to Starkville, he plans to take advantage of half-price summer tuition at Jones to take some of his required advanced math courses.
Summer classes begin May 30, and summer tuition is $60 per credit hour. To find out more, visit www.jcjc.edu or call 601-477-4257.
Some locals that graduated were Cade Cockrell, Tori Funchess, Tyler Windham, Leigh Lawrence, and Tyler Slater.
