Diashinae Cato quickly reaches the pinnacle of her undergraduate education

Diashinae Cato is built to succeed at a rapid pace.

Prior to making her way to Alcorn State University, the Dallas, Texas native attended Cedar Hill Collegiate High School, where she not only earned a high school diploma, but also earned an associates degree in the process. On Friday, Dec. 8, the 20-year-old earned a bachelor’s degree in biology/pre-medicine during the university’s 2017 Fall Commencement in the Davey L. Whitney HPER Complex. When speaking about her effort to graduate early, Cato credited her focus as one of the driving forces for her early educational success.

“I maintained my desire for success and stayed on track for graduation,” said Cato.

Staying focused and striving for distinction are two characteristics that were instilled in her by her mother, Michelle Smith-Cato. Cato praises her mother’s dedication to providing a blueprint for lifelong success.

“My mother has stayed on me my entire life; she only encourages greatness. Seeing her sacrifice time and money to see me succeed is my biggest motivation. For this reason, I owe it to her to put my all into school and graduate as early as possible. Ultimately, this degree is just as much as my mom’s as it is mine.”

Her mother’s motivation is what propelled Cato to pursue her dream of studying medicine. For as long as she can remember, she has always been fascinated with biology. Now that she’s completed her undergraduate years, Cato looks forward to setting another goal: becoming a naturopathic doctor.

“I’ve always liked reading scientific findings and naturally took a liking to biology. Furthermore, biology has always been my favorite subject. I plan to practice naturopathic medicine. I hope to bring awareness to society about holistic healing of the human body with the use of plants and natural products.”

As Cato crosses the Brave finish line, she remains thankful to all of the people who have positively impacted her life.

“I’ve met wonderful people that have made my undergraduate experience phenomenal. They’ve taught me to keep an open mind and think positively. The professors have contributed the most to my understanding of biology. I am forever thankful for their relentless effort to ensure all students are able to apply classroom experience to the real world.”