Today, Alabama A&M University celebrated its 149th Commencement Ceremony. The University awarded 365 degrees as 119 graduate students and 246 undergraduates completed academic chapters on The Hill.
Huntsville City Council Member Michelle Watkins, who recently achieved the historic milestone of becoming the first Back women elected to the Huntsville City Council, delivered the commencement address. The two-time alumna and Management & Program Analyst for the U.S. Army Garrison at Redstone Arsenal had the crowd cheering seconds into her address.
“This moment is filled with immense pride and joy and I am thrilled to share this special occasion with you,” said Watkins. “Today we celebrate your many accomplishments, but first, I want to acknowledge a few VIPS. If you have a son, daughter, granddaughter, grandson, nephew, niece, husband or wife graduating today, would you please stand?”
After a minute of cheers and applause, Watkins reflected on her unexpected path to leadership, sharing lessons learned since her own graduation.
“Spending eight years on the Huntsville City School Board and being elected to the Huntsville City Council never occurred to me, but life has a way of guiding us into unexpected directions,” Watkins admitted. “When I announced I was running for office, someone said, ‘You can’t beat an incumbent!’ You know what I told that person? ‘If Barack Hussein Obama moved next door to me tomorrow and said ‘Michelle, I’m running,’ I would shake his hand and say, ‘May the best man or woman win.’ One of the greatest lessons I learned here at Alabama A&M University was confidence, the belief in my abilities, the knowledge to back it up and the determination to never give up.”
