Wanda Lloyd

Post date: Apr 30, 2015 3:16:48 PM

My Dear Jeannie,

I made a promise to you that I would be there on the day you graduate. I am so very proud of you. I feel like I have been there with you throughout your journey at ASU as I made sure the community was made aware that you had returned to school and that you were making a difference not only on the university's campus, but also with the students with whom you were student teaching.

Isn't it interesting how lives move in unexpected directions? When I made that promise to you I was living in Montgomery, literally just a couple of miles away from the ASU campus. Today, as you know, I am living in Savannah, Ga., hundreds of miles away. And while you have been learning how to be a better educator through your studies, I jumped into education with both feet with little preparation except for life skills and a career in newspaper journalism.

Regrettably, now that I am a department chair at Savannah State University, it is required that I be present at our own graduation ceremony on May 9, the same day and at the same hour as your graduation. I wish I could be in both places, but we know that isn't possible.

I take comfort in knowing that your family will be there to see you receive that long-delayed and well-deserved degree. I know they are very proud of you. I also know that many people in the community will be present at graduation or on Sunday to help you celebrate this milestone.

You are my she-ro. I want to be just like you when I grow up. Congratulations and all the best. At the 10 o'clock hour on the morning of May 9, please know that I will be smiling at our graduates and thinking about you.

Wanda Lloyd