Fighting spirit: Graduate’s comeback story mirrors SC State Commencement speaker’s Ali-inspired message about character
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Joseph Jamison didn’t just graduate from South Carolina State University on Friday — it was the culmination of his rebound from a life-altering setback.
By crossing the stage at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center, he finished the journey he started six years ago and claimed the degree he fought hard to finish.
“This feels really good,” said Jamison, a business marketing major from Simpsonville, South Carolina. “I worked really hard to get to this point.”
After enrolling at SC State, he was sidelined by a rearend car collision that injured both Jamison and his girlfriend.
“The car was totaled – we had to do physical therapy for probably about a year,” he said, adding that he left SC State for two years before returning.
“So, it took me probably about six years in total, but I came back and finished it out,” he said. “So, I feel good about that.”
Now fully recovered, Jamison plans to work in the insurance and real estate fields before starting his own business. He said SC State taught him one lesson above all: “Make connections. That’s really the biggest thing that I learned from here… for the future.”
Being not just great, but the greatest
James found inspiration for his speech in the life of iconic boxer Muhammad Ali and his familiar mantra, “I am the greatest.”
“Being great doesn't mean it's all about you,” James said. “We are here to serve. You must serve. And sometimes you won't get paid what you're due. But it's not always for a paycheck. It's not always for praise.”
James urged graduates to stand on conviction, like Ali, who refused the draft in 1967 because of his religious beliefs and was stripped of his heavyweight title.
“He knew who he was,” James said. “You must stand for something larger than yourself. You must have character. You must have a conscience.”
James knows something about having conviction and standing for something larger. As Morris Brown’s president, he steered the historically Black college back from a 20-year accreditation hiatus. This enabled the college to regain access to federal financial aid programs and Title IV funding.
On Friday, the speaker challenged graduates to find the courage to act with integrity, especially in the face of pressure.
“What do you stand for?” James asked. “What will you do as HBCUs are being attacked from every side? What truth will you defend even when it costs you everything?”
Quoting the late congressman and civil rights champion John Lewis, James called the graduates to “good trouble.”
“What good trouble will you get in as a Bulldog?” he asked. “Today, I want you to embrace this journey, not just revel in the title of ‘I am the greatest,’ but actually believing it, becoming it.”
A passion for music and a resolve for grace
As a key figure in the legendary Marching 101 Band’s drumline, Ray helped set the beat for the campus throughout her collegiate experience. Ray also participated in SC State’s jazz band and chorus and held membership in Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.
Still, she managed to graduate magna cum laude on Friday.
“It took project management, time management, perseverance,” she said. “All it takes is the perseverance to keep going.”
Her biggest challenge in her time at SC State?
“Well, I would say personal disbelief, like not believing in myself sometimes, my confidence, but over time it got better, and that's why I just kept pushing myself the hardest,” Ray said.
Next up for Ray is a gig as a percussion instructor at Richland Northeast High School in Columbia. She also plans to open her own studio for music production, graphic design, video and more.
When asked what being a Bulldog meant, she said, “It means a true bond like love, family, and grace. Here, you know, you can mess up, but there's still the grace to do better and move forward to be better people.”
Playing the sax and crunching numbers
“It was quite a challenge, but you know what you’re going to school for. You're not going to school for band -- you're going to school for academics -- so prioritize,” she said.
With her eyes on graduate school for a master’s degree in accounting, Chapman intends to become a forensic accountant.
She will look back on her Bulldog experience with gratification.
“It was very unique, very unforgettable,” she said. “You always have to have pride, of course. You have to be determined. You have to have that drive — mentally, academically, emotionally — because being in college is a lot in itself.”