Baccalaureate and Commenecment
Baccalaureate was held in the Jane M. Smith Memorial Church on Friday, May 19, 2023.
Commencement was held in Bojangles Coliseum on Sunday, May 21, 2023.
Commencement 2023
150th Commencement Ceremonies
Commencement 2023
Alumni processing during Commencement 2023
Alumni processing during Commencement 2023
Alumni processing during Commencement 2023
Alumni processing during Commencement 2023
Anthony Hamilton processing during Commencement 2023
Students processing during Commencement 2023
President Clarence D. Armbrister processing during Commencement 2023
President Clarence D. Armbrister speaking during Commencement 2023
President Clarence D. Armbrister places a hood on Anthony Hamilton
Trustee Steven L. Boyd, President Armbrister and Dr. Karen D. Morgan award Anthony Hamilton an honorary doctorate
Anthony Hamilton speaks during Commencement 2023
Anthony Hamilton speaks during Commencement 2023
Dr. Karen D. Morgan and President Clarence D. Morgan with 2023 Valedictorian Taylor Proffett-Brooks
Valedictorian Taylor Proffett-Brooks speaking at Commencement 2023
Students celebrate during Commencement 2023
Students celebrate during Commencement 2023
Students celebrate during Commencement 2023
Students celebrate during Commencement 2023
Photo credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Anthony Hamilton
This year's Commencement Speaker was be GRAMMY® Award-winning, multiplatinum singer, songwriter, producer and actor Anthony Hamilton.
Baccalaureate
Watch the 150th Baccalaureate Service
Photos from Baccalaureate
Students, faculty and administrators process across campus to the Jane M. Smith Memorial Church for the Baccalaureate Service.
Marshalls leading the procession across campus for Baccalaureate 2023.
Students process during the 2023 Baccalaureate Service
Graduating Seniors assembled for Baccalaureate 2023
President Armbrister speaks to graduated during the 2023 Baccalaureate Service
Rev. Dr. L. Bernard Jakes speaking during Baccalaureate 2023
Rev. Dr. L. Bernard Jakes speaking during Baccalaureate 2023
Rev. Dr. L. Bernard Jakes speaking during Baccalaureate 2023
Dr. Karen D. Morgan leads the recessional
Trustee Dr. Valerie Kinloch, Dr. Karen D. Morgan, President Clarence D. Armbrister, Rev. Dr. L. Bernard Jakes, Trustee Christy S. Bryant, Board Chair Trustee Steven L. Boyd
President Armbrister speaking to Rev. Dr. L. Bernard Jakes after Baccalaureate 2023
Trustee Steven L. Boyd and Trustee Christy S. Bryant ‘75
Baccalaureate 2023
Baccalaureate 2023
Baccalaureate
JCSU celebrates graduates during 150th Baccalaureate Service
Graduates and their families joined JCSU faculty and staff the evening of Friday, May 19, 2023, in the Jane M. Memorial Church for the University’s sesquicentennial Baccalaureate Service featuring a sermon from the Rev. Dr. L. Bernard Jakes.
The Baccalaureate Service, an annual tradition within the Christian faith, is a religious send-off to graduates who are transitioning from the life of a student to that of a professional. Jakes’ powerful sermon focused on preserving the history of African- and Black Americans.
Rev. Dr. L. Bernard Jakes
Rev. Dr. L. Bernard Jakes
This year's Baccalaureate Speaker was the Rev. Dr. L. Bernard Jakes.
Jakes serves as Senior Pastor of The faith family of West Point Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois.
Great Graduates
Bordetta Chamgbe
Chamgbe Chases Medical Dreams After Immigrating from Liberia
For Bordetta Chamgbe, who will earn her degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry in May, living in one of the big American cities she saw in movies she watched as a child in her home country of Liberia was a distant dream.
But when she was 10 years old, that dream became a reality. Her father, who worked for the American Embassy in Liberia for more than 25 years, was offered the opportunity to relocate to Durham, N.C.
Great Graduates
Brandi Barron
Barron Graduates in Three Years Debt-Free and Starts Journey to Master’s Degree
At the start of the 2020 academic year, students graduating high school were faced with a world of uncertainty as the nation learned more about the 2019 novel coronavirus.
The uncertainty led Brandi Barron, who is earning a degree in Communication Arts with a minor in Entrepreneurship, to search for a University that allowed her to stay close to family.
Great Grads
Jayla DeBoles and Jocelyn Sinclair
Like Daughter, Like Mother – DeBoles Flips the Script, Encourages Mother to Pursue Degree
The saying “like mother, like daughter,” places emphasis on the fact that young women tend to follow in the footsteps of their mothers.
But for Jayla DeBoles and Jocelyn Sinclair, the opposite was true. Once Sinclair learned about the fantastic education and experiential opportunities her daughter Jayla was receiving at Johnson C. Smith University, she followed in her footsteps to earn her own four-year degree at JCSU.
Great Grads
Stephen Sherrill
Sherrill Banks Job with Bank of America, Longs to Pursue Career in NBA Refereeing
Stephen Sherrill’s family has a rich history at Johnson C. Smith University.
His father, Mark Sherrill ’92, played basketball at JCSU, and his mother Tasha Strader-Sherrill ’92 also attended JCSU, so he found himself on campus a lot during his youth. There was no question where he was hoping to continue his education.
Great Grads
Jamerya Kelley
Verdict for Kelley is Wells Fargo, Then on to Law School
As a first-generation college student, Jamerya Kelley had a big decision to make when searching for a university to begin her college education journey.
After attending a CIAA tournament with her mother in her junior year of high school where she witnessed the success of people who looked like her, she started researching HBCUs, and eventually concluded Johnson C. Smith University was the place for her.
Great Grads
Taylor Geathers
Geathers Overcomes Obstacles to Pursue Degree in Social Work
Juggling a personal life, responsibilities at home and an education is tough, but Taylor Geathers ’23 is tougher.
Not only is she graduating from Johnson C. Smith University with a Bachelor of Social Work degree, but she did it all as a wife and mother of three, including one child with a rare neurogenetic disorder called Angelman Syndrome.
Great Grads
Taylor Proffett-Brooks
Proffett-Brooks Lands Job with Red Ventures
Detroit native Taylor Proffett-Brooks always knew she wanted to attend an HBCU, but she didn’t know Johnson C. Smith University would serve up the amazing opportunities she was afforded throughout her four years here.
Her high school served more than 3,000 students, so she was excited to find a university that was smaller and would allow her to have a more personalized experience with her professors.