Determination, Persistence Mark Success of Lander Hooding, Pinning Ceremony Graduates

Lander University honored the achievements of graduates from the College of Graduate and Online Studies with a Hooding and Pinning Ceremony, where 106 graduate students and 61 online undergraduate students received degrees.

The ceremony comes at a time of the University’s greatest period of growth, said Dr. Lloyd Willis, dean of the College of Graduate and Online Studies.

In the 2018 fall semester, Lander had 74 graduates and two online undergraduate students. For the 2024-25 academic year, Lander had more than 1,000 graduate and online undergraduate students.

What these numbers mean for the graduates “is that our University is on the right track, that Lander understands the economy, workforce and job market of our city, county, state and nation,” Willis said. “These numbers mean that you are part of something that is vibrant and growing. You have a robust set of peers on this journey with you who will remain with you as you move on.”

Many of the students earning degrees came back to school after some time away and became part of“an experience of learning, growth, determination and persistence,” Willis said. “They have earned their degrees working full time, raising children and overcoming every kind of obstacle.”

Ann Griffith is an example of a student who came back. So are Leon Floyd and Kasey Tucker.

Griffith, who was Lander’s Big Blue mascot in the late 1990s before the Bearcat became the University’s representative, graduated with her MBA. Employed at Polydeck in Spartanburg, Griffith said it was her mother’s dream for her to earn her graduate degree. “She always wanted me to come back to school, and I did this for her. I knew it would help me advance my career. It is a dream come true.”

The shout of “that’s my father” from son Brantlee Floyd rang out in Lander’s Cultural Center Auditorium when the elder Floyd walked across the stage to receive his degree. A graduate of Northern Kentucky University, Floyd moved to South Carolina and took a winding path in a business career before becoming a teaching assistant in a special education class. The experience of being able to help students “build and grow their skills” led Floyd to pursue a master’s degree in teaching, with an emphasis on multi-categorical special education.

“Lander helped me discover that it doesn’t matter how old you are or how long you haven’t been in school that you are worthy of great things,” Floyd said. “I have a belief that I can make a differencenot only in the lives of the students I teach, but in adults as well with the knowledge that I gained at Lander.”

A desire to be an effective leader and mentor in military and educational settings led Tucker to pursue her master’s degree in education. “My decision to join the National Guard was driven by a deep sense of patriotism and pride in serving my country,” Tucker said, noting that Lander’s strong connection to military service through its ROTC program aligns closely with her career goals in the U.S. Army.

Through her degree program, “I realize that I’m capable of far more than I imagined,” she said. “This experience taught me to believe in myself and showed me that with determination and support all things are possible.”