Elizabeth City, N.C. — Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) conferred 228 degrees at its 181st Commencement Ceremony Dec. 13, celebrating academic achievement, perseverance and purpose as graduates marked the culmination of their college journeys and prepared to step into what comes next.
But what do you tell an audience full of glowing graduates who are excited to take on the world, but don’t fully know their “next?”
According to commencement speaker Damola Adamolekun, chief executive officer of Red Lobster, the answer centers on responsibility and a call to something greater than self. Taking the podium, Adamolekun made clear that commencement was not simply a celebration of what they had completed, but an acknowledgment of what they were now entrusted to carry forward. “As you walk across the stage today, I want you to hear this clearly—you’re not just receiving a degree. You’re inheriting responsibility,” he said, urging graduates to lead with intention, humility and service.
Adamolekun challenged graduates to “carry ECSU with them” and to broaden their lens beyond personal success to recognize the bigger impact of their education. “Education is not just about personal advancement, but about collective progress,” he said, framing his address around accountability.
This 181st commencement ceremony also marked Chancellor S. Keith Hargrove’s first since assuming the role in June. Upon his arrival, Hargrove made student success central to his vision.
In his May 16 inaugural address, he told the student body, “You are why we are here. Everything we do—from academics to campus life—will center on your success, your journey and most Importantly, your graduation.” At the Dec. 13 ceremony, Hargrove made good on that promise, declaring to students as he took the podium, "this moment is for you."
Throughout his address, Adamolekun reminded students that wherever their careers and lives may take them they will forever represent ECSU. “From this day forward, whether you intend to or not, you will be teaching the world who we are,” he said. “I’m talking about something bigger than just geography. I’m talking about people whose stories did not just begin at one place, but whose excellence has shown up everywhere. People shaped by resilience, creativity, faith and resolve.”
The ceremony also recognized exceptional academic achievement among the graduating class. Top honors at the ceremony included recognition of the Bearer of the Mace—the student or students who enter ECSU as a first-time freshman and leave with the highest cumulative GPA in the prospective graduating class, and the Bearer of the Shield—the student or students who enter ECSU as a transfer student and have the highest cumulative GPA in the prospective graduating class.
Among those graduates are this year’s Bearer of the Mace—Yasmeen Ashmali Albarati, Pharmaceutical Science; and Bearers of the Shield—Alexis R. Hicks, Engineering Technology with a concentration in Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology; Wanda Cherida McAllister, Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Community Services; and Sarah Ames Pureza, Elementary Education with a concentration in Social Science.
When asked what the moment of recognition meant to them, Albarati focused on her support system. “I wasn’t imagining this. I was just going through every semester like, ‘Ok, just try your best.’ And all of a sudden, senior year, they said, ‘You know you’re in the running for this. It’s a possibility.’ And I thought that was amazing, especially for my family—for them to see that. I think it’s amazing for them.”
For Hicks, this milestone was her opportunity to redeem time. “As a transfer student, I feel like this was my second chance of putting everything I can into it, and I’m kind of proud of myself for it.” For Pureza, the recognition was not on her 2025 bingo card. “Having a 4.0 means a lot to me, but I didn’t know it was recognized like this, other than the honor cord.”
As tassels were turned, the graduates were reminded that while their degrees were conferred, a legacy was activated. It is one that ECSU graduates will now carry into the world with excellence.