More Than 200 Graduate From Georgia Gwinnett College

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — More than 200 students graduated from Georgia Gwinnett College during summer commencement ceremonies on Tuesday.

The graduates, who all received bachelor's degrees at the Infinite Energy Center Arena, marked the college's largest summer graduating class to date.

One of those graduates was Janie Durham. Born the daughter of a West Virginia coal miner and a stay-at-home mother, Durham, who graduated with a degree in psychology, once thought college wouldn't be possible for her.

"I never actually thought I would be a college graduate," she said. "This college gave me a chance. I started GGC with a low GPA, but today I’m graduating with honors and this fall I will begin working on my master’s degree at UGA."

During her graduate reflections speech, Durham expressed feelings of helplessness growing up believing
that the adults in her life didn’t think she would amount to much. After barely graduating from high
school, she went on to get a job and start, the drop out of, college. Eventually, she enrolled at GGC with the encouragement of her husband and brother.

"The Grizzly community – its students, faculty and staff – became my family. We may have different backgrounds, cultures and national origins, but the way we embrace each other is nothing short of surreal,” she said.

The keynote address was delivered by state Senate President Pro Tempore David Shafer. First elected to the
Georgia State Senate in 2002, he represents portions of Gwinnett and Fulton counties in the legislature.

"Georgia Gwinnett taught you how to thrive in every circumstance. A liberal arts education teaches you
how to think, how to learn, how to see things as a whole, how to collaborate and how to work with
others," said Shafer. "The degree you earned today is rightly a source of pride but it is not the end of your
story. Learning is a lifelong occupation."

Photo courtesy Georgia Gwinnett College