Alcorn celebrates honor students at Honors Convocation

When Interim Provost and Executive Vice President to Academic Affairs Donzell Lee took the podium at the honors convocation, he compared his excitement for academic excellence to his enthusiasm at an Alcorn sporting event.

“I get so excited when I see the achievements of our students. I get just as excited as I get on a Saturday afternoon at an Alcorn football game,” said Lee.

Alcorn State University honored 127 president’s scholars and 324 dean scholars at its 70th Biannual Honors Convocation Thursday in the Oakland Memorial Chapel.

Cynthia R. Mabry-King gave wise words of wisdom as keynote speaker for the occasion.

Mabry-King serves as a member of the Law School Admission Council’s Board of Trustees and chairs its Diversity Committee. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Family Law and Children and the Law Sections of the American Association of Law Schools.

Mabry-King emphasized the importance of speaking to a higher power and how vital prayer can be to earning an education.

“You all should understand the power of prayer,” said Mabry-King. “Always know that someone is praying for you to be successful.

Mabry-King stressed the importance of students spending their time perfecting their craft.

“Don’t waste your time. This is the perfect opportunity to build the foundation to your dreams. Your teachers want to teach you to visualize and then achieve your goals. Once you reach those goals, make new goals and go even further.”

Mabry-King told the audience that their time wouldn’t always be good. Despite the bad times, she encouraged the students to keep working toward their goal.

“Always be persistent. There’s going to be heartaches and setbacks, but you must persist. Always strive for excellence.”

Alcorn President Alfred Rankins Jr. showed his appreciation for the students and their hard work.

“Thank you for having the discipline to put your talents into practice. Continue to do your best because you can always depend on hard work to pay off,” said Rankins.

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