Kaine points to NSU graduates’ ability to enact change

NORFOLK

After Norfolk State University students were awarded their degrees Saturday, they moved outside to greet loved ones and pose for photos.

But for graduate Lamont Hansboro Jr., the ceremony's end signaled it was time to say goodbye to his "brothers."

The men of the Pi Gamma Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. - Hansboro included - chanted and performed step moves in unison. A cheering crowd formed around them as they shouted, "Heyyyy, Omega!"

When it was over, Hansboro took off his graduation gown and reflected on his two years with the fraternity.

"I'm a little sad, but it's time to move on," the 22-year-old marketing major said. "I had fun here. I made a lot of friends."

More than 750 Norfolk State students graduated Saturday during a roughly three-hour ceremony in Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall.

Keynote speaker Gov. Timothy M. Kaine urged them to listen to the advice of his mother: "She used to say, 'If you want to be right, be a pessimist. If you want to do right, be an optimist.' "

And, despite the war and sour economy, there's plenty to be optimistic about, Kaine said. Young people, for example, are volunteering their time to help others and showing up in bigger numbers for this year's presidential primaries.

"You have the ability to make positive change - in your family, in your neighborhood, in your state," Kaine told the graduates.

Afterward, Theodore Durham walked along the lawn outside Echols Hall, high-fiving the occasional fellow graduate and doling out several "congratulations."

The 57-year-old worked in the corporate sector for 16 years, then tried the insurance business and retail. None of those jobs seemed to satisfy him.

Friends and family scoffed when Durham told them he was going back to school. He conquered sickness and a few other bumps in the road to earn his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Norfolk State in 2004.

Not one to settle, Durham enrolled in two master's programs - one for music education and the other for urban education - at the university. He earned the latter degree Saturday.

Durham figures he'll work toward finishing his other degree, maybe start on a doctorate.

Eventually, he'd like to work as a counselor in Norfolk State's admissions or financial aid office.

Saturday, though, was dedicated to celebrating what he had accomplished so far.

"It's a feeling that you can't explain," Durham said. "But one thing you can say is you crossed the finish line."

Hattie Brown Garrow, (757) 222-5562, hattie.brown@pilotonline.com