Mississippi College Leaders Salute the New Graduates

MC nursing graduate Andraya Roberts, 22, is joined by her brother, Nathaniel, and parents, Norma Jo and Ken Roberts, following commencement.

Traveling more than 4,000 miles to see Andraya Roberts graduate at Mississippi College was well worth it for her family.

Moments after MC’s School of Nursing’s commencement at Swor Auditorium, Roberts family members from Honolulu, Hawaii snapped plenty of photos and exchanged hugs.

Andraya’s parents, Ken and Norma Jo Roberts, and her brother, Nathaniel Roberts, were overjoyed as the MC grad’s nursing dream finally came true on December 16^th.

“I liked praying with the patients,” Andraya Roberts said Friday when she spoke of her favorite MC student nursing experiences. Soon, she will start working full-time as a nurse at the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital. It’s part of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

While far from her surfing days in Hawaii (even during the Christmas holidays), Roberts, 22, is anxious to begin her nursing career in the Magnolia State.

Nursing classmates are equally thrilled to join the healthcare profession after four years of non-stop studying and valuable experiences at clinical rotations.

“I’m super excited,” said MC nursing graduate Rebekah Stout, 23, of Hernando. The 2012 DeSoto Central High graduate will work in labor and delivery at a Merit Hospital in Mississippi.

Another member of the Class of 2016, Arionna Johnson, 25, of Crystal Springs says she will miss her School of Nursing professors and friends on the Clinton campus.

“I liked the Christian part of it. The MC School of Nursing is family-oriented,” Johnson said. Instructors at America’s second oldest Baptist college “all know you by name,” she said. The 2009 Crystal Springs High graduate goes to work as a nurse at Baptist Hospital in Jackson.

Job prospects look bright for new nursing graduates around the nation as they enter a workforce with growing demands for America’s healthcare services. MC School of Nursing Kimberly Sharp served as the guest speaker as President Lee Royce and other school leaders looked on.

Mississippi College’s December commencement for undergraduates was held Friday afternoon at the A.E. Wood Coliseum. Ceremonies were set for 7 p.m. for the 190-year-old university’s Graduate School and Law School at the same 3,500-seat basketball arena.

MC’s 2015-16 Distinguished Professor of the Year, Teresa Floyd served as guest speaker at two commencements. The Corinth native retired in May 2016 after teaching mathematics for more than three decades at Mississippi College.