2011 Graduate Awards Ceremony Keynote Address
By Lawanna Dean, Class of 2011
Good evening, President Callahan, Provost Callahan, The Callahan family, Trustee Faughnan, Trustee Thompson, Administration and Faculty, Family and Friends and especially you the Graduates.
After a ten year leave-of-absence from my Alma Mater, I am pleased to stand here today having completed my BBA in Management. I want to thank Plaza College for this wonderful honor.
I have had so many unforgettable memories here at Plaza College. My journey hear at Plaza begins exactly like that a JOURNEY. A metamorphosis if you will. I have learned so much from so many people over the years from Faculty, Staff, and fellow students alike and even up to this very point, I’m still learning.
Thank you Dr. Dee, Dr. Sibblis, Dean Dolla, Dean Loffert, Prof. Howle, Ms. Chung, Ms. Malagon, Mandy, Candace, Sophia, Dean Vetrano, Ms. Calabrese. Ms. Babalis just to name a few. I thank you all, I truly thank you all.
When I first started my journey here at Plaza College in 2000, I was a young un-wed mother straight out of the homeless shelter system; I was there for a year-and-a-half. All the while, I knew my mother had loved me, but after I got pregnant I felt a sense of shame and embarrassment because my mom always thought highly of me, and I was disappointed that I let her down. So, I left and went into the shelter with my baby. My mom begged me to come home. There were times I would sit, staring from my window into the midnight sky in my little room barely big enough for my baby and me. I desperately wanted to go home, but I just couldn’t do it. “I have to find my own way now,” I told my Mom, “I put myself in this predicament”
After a long struggle of being on my own, and surviving the shelter system with its up’s and down’s, I was finally approached by my social worker and given the keys to my very first place. Then, she said to me, with such sincerity and promise in her voice.
“Lawanna, I have a once- in- a life- time opportunity for you. I want you to contact this organization that will pay for you to go to college,” she said.
So, there I was on my way to what I must say has been the best decision of my entire life:
walking through the doors of Plaza College!
With my baby girl in hand, I left that admissions office with a new perspective on life, a confidence that I never experienced before. At last, I felt I initiated the first step towards a better future.
From that day on, Plaza has become my extended family. They helped guide me and shape me into the woman you see before you tonight. Even though I completed High School, I never thought about going to college. I had so many distractions, but I finally found a focus, and that focus became Plaza College.
One of my biggest memories at Plaza was in 2001 when Prof. Carlton Moore taught Business Organization. He said “Whenever you have a problem, don’t think of it as a problem but perhaps a project. Think of it as something you need to work on.” And from that day on, I have never forgotten that advice.
Right after my graduation I landed a terrific job working with the Vice-President of a large organization in the city. That accomplishment was the direct result of my attending Plaza College. My Associate’s degree opened up so many doors back then, and I owe it all to Plaza for preparing me for those roles.
Eleven years later, I walked back into those very same doors at Plaza, and it felt like I had reunited with family. Don’t get me wrong. I did try to complete my degree online, but it just didn’t feel right. Nothing was like Plaza College, so as soon as I had the opportunity, I came back. I did! And now I have completed my BBA, and I’m not stopping!
If you take anything from what I’m saying to you tonight, remember this: “Don’t regret any of the obstacles you had to go through to get where you are right now at this very moment. “THIS-IS-YOUR-MOMENT-FOR-LIFE!”
When I think back to those nights I spent in the homeless shelter, I remember looking out at the midnight sky, searching, searching for answers, searching for hope. But NOW I feel I am ready to explore those skies, ready to go to new heights with what I have learned here at Plaza.
I can proudly say to you today that I am thankful, so very thankful. I would not have traded my journey for anything.
Today, my daughter, Jasmine is thirteen-years-old and I have gotten married to a wonderful person, Dwayne Sr. with whom I have two more children, Dwayne Jr. and Jordan. I would like to thank them for allowing mommy to finish her degree.
It doesn’t matter where you begin; it’s where you end that matters! No matter what your obstacles are, you can always overcome them with persistence, dedication and hard work. The best is yet to come; God speed!
Congratulations to the Plaza College Class of 2011!