Trent Brown graduated from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke on Saturday with more than a biology degree––much more.
Brown added three pages to his resume from UNCP experience alone. A student-athlete, Brown was a member of the football and track teams, a campus lifeguard, a well-known DJ and a videographer. In the community, he served as a volunteer fireman and a member of the local rescue squad.
“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” a smiling Brown said moments after crossing the stage inside a packed Jones Center that was standing room only. “My experience opened another chapter and gave me so many opportunities. I’m from a small town (Manning) in South Carolina, so Pembroke felt like home. UNCP has built me in so many ways.”
Brown was among 1,010 graduates from 18 states and 20 countries who earned degrees during Winter Commencement, held Friday and Saturday.
David Crabtree, veteran broadcast journalist and PBS North Carolina CEO, left graduates to ponder two words during his keynote speech––words matter.
“You matter,” Crabtree said. “Even if you may feel or think you don’t all the time––you matter. Never forget that. You are a point of light, and that light is what breaks through our darkness.
“As you embark on your journey beyond UNC Pembroke, take the lessons learned from your stories and remember there is another story just around the next corner of your life,” Crabtree said.
Perhaps no graduate traveled further than Natasha Carroll, who made the trip from Houston, Texas, to hear her name called.
Growing up in Lumberton, Dina Abumohsen witnessed five siblings earn UNCP degrees, so her college choice was a foregone conclusion.
“I grew up with this community, so it was very much like a home away from home,” Abumohsen said. “It felt more personal after I enrolled and made connections.
Like her siblings–who were all in attendance Saturday–Abumoshen excelled academically and was highly visible on campus with various organizations, including as a chancellor ambassador. She plans to take a gap year to prepare for the state dental entrance exam.
“I loved my time here! I wouldn’t change it for anything else. I made so many personal connections with my professors, including Dr. Siva Mandjiny, who guided me through every year of my undergraduate career.”
Campus police Sgt. Shawn Clark, 45, proved it’s never too late to achieve your dream. A veteran law enforcement officer from Pembroke, Clark returned after 22 years away from the classroom, overcoming the challenge of online instruction.
“It was a lot of hard work, but my family and my wife, Millicent, pushed and stood behind me. That’s what got me through it,” said Clark, the first in his family to graduate. Fellow UNCP officer Scottie Jacobs also earned his degree.
Kaylie Gore got a jump on her college career as a freshman at Columbus Career and College Academy.
“We weren’t financially in a place for me to attend four years of college, so my parents encouraged me to go to early college; that way, I could take advantage of the college credits without being in debt,” Gore said.
When the Bolton, N.C., native enrolled at UNCP in 2023, she was 11 credit hours shy of earning her degree. At 19, Gore was the youngest Winter Commencement graduate and is currently teaching middle school at a charter school in Brunswick County.
Lauren Jacobs of Rowland transitioned from the real estate business four years ago to pursue her passion for education. She worked her way from a teacher assistant to being given her own classroom, all while earning a master’s degree in teaching.
Bladenboro native Eduardo Carranza Toledo landed a job as the band teacher at Sandy Grove Middle School after earning his degree last summer. Toledo was all smiles as he posed for photos with his parents, whom he credits his success.
“I feel pure joy,” Toledo said. “This shows that anything is possible. My parents came here from Mexico in 2011 with literally nothing. But I was able to achieve goals that they never expected.”
Jimena Becerril shared a similar path. Her family immigrated from Mexico when she was 11. Becerril struggled to overcome the language barrier and never considered college as a teenager.
“I didn’t think it was possible or attainable,” Becerril said. “I barely could speak English. I didn’t think I would succeed, and I would cry at night and call my mom and say, ‘I don’t understand anything they are saying; how am I going to do it?’
Through perseverance, Becerril became the first in her family to graduate.
“My parents raised me, but UNCP is the place that shaped me into the professional woman that I am today, and I want to share that with others who may believe they cannot attend college,” Becerrill said.
After undergoing brain surgery to remove a meningioma––a slow-growing tumor––KeAnna Ramsey was told by her doctors to reconsider continuing her college career. The surgery left her with facial paralysis and total hearing loss in her right ear, but she refused to give up on her dream.
“I guess I am stubborn,” Ramsey said. “I wanted to prove that I could do it and that they were wrong. Sometimes, we forget what we can do until we face adversity. I had the choice of being complacent, but I didn’t allow anyone to tell me my destiny.”
Ramsey graduated with honors and works as a domestic violence advocate for a nonprofit in Asheville.
During his remarks during The Graduate School ceremony, longtime history professor Dr. Ryan Anderson told graduates that their graduate school experiences are more than the requirements or tasks that make up the degree.
“You’ve been on a grand camping trip here at UNCP,” Anderson said. “You’ve been filled and filled others with your enthusiasm. Now go forth with the purpose of holding true to the value you have built into yourself here and continue being bright and beautiful.”
