Memphis News
Campus News & Events
A Night of Firsts
It was over 120 years ago that the first graduates of National College received their diplomas from our very first campus in Roanoke, Virginia. Since that time, tens of thousands of men and women have received their degrees at commencement exercises in Roanoke, and throughout the college’s gradually expanding family of campuses in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana.
As the college’s Memphis campus conferred degrees on its first three graduates, it was fitting that one of them actually began her education at National’s flagship campus in Roanoke.
Heather Chamberlin (left), Thomeeka Hayes (pictured below with Campus Director Kathryn Scott), and Tracy Rosemond each received their associate’s degrees in an intimate setting at the Memphis campus’s first commencement ceremony on Wednesday evening, May 28. Each of these special young ladies has a great story to tell!
Heather, who is originally from the Memphis area, actually enrolled as a student at the Roanoke Valley campus; her family was living in the Roanoke area due to her husband’s work. As luck would have it, when the family returned to Memphis, National had recently opened its first Mid-South campus, and Heather was able to continue her program, hardly missing a beat.
Thomeeka, who serves as administrative assistant to Campus Director Kathryn Scott, joins the ranks of many National College staff and faculty who are themselves National graduates. She received the campus’s first Joseph E. Hurn Award for her academic achievement in the Business Administration degree program. Kathryn says of Thomeeka, “I don’t know what I’d do without her,” and the adoration shown by her fellow students, staff, and faculty makes it clear that she is indeed an important part of the campus family.
Guest speaker John Marshall Gilmore (pictured at top), minister, counselor, and educator, delivered a stirring and inspiring address. His concise remarks conveyed a message of determination and hope for the future.
A special thanks to all of the staff, faculty, and students who worked hard to make the campus’s first commencement ceremony a special occasion.
Tracy Rosemond (left), who was profiled in last week’s National News, receives her diploma from Campus Director Kathryn Scott.
