Lauren E. Tidwell, Brad E. Crenshaw, and Natalie L. Wright outside Branscomb Auditorium after graduation. Tidwell earned a bachelor of science in nursing; Crenshaw and Wright earned MBA degrees.

Jason Drinkwater, Michelle Brown, and Aurelien Serrault in Brancomb's Honeyman Pavilion after commencement. Brown, who earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration and financial management, received the prestigious President's Scholar Medal from FSC President Anne Kerr at the ceremony. Drinkwater earned a bachelor of science degree, and Serrault, from France, earned an MBA.

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Commencement Speaker Says Resilience Key to Success

Students from FSC's Evening, Ocala, and Orlando programs were honored at a graduation ceremony on May 2 on the FSC campus. Commencement speaker Dr. Robert R. Sharp, a College Trustee and graduate of the Florida Southern Class of 1961, delivered the commencement address. Sharp is chairman of the board at AAA Auto Club South.

With a punching bag at his side and FSC's mascot, Mocsie, standing by to give it a few knocks, Sharp focused his remarks on the importance of resilience to life success. "You can be smart, attractive, at the top of your class, or a great athlete," he said, "but at some point, someone is going to try to knock you down." What is important, he said, is that "you bounce back up and try a little bit harder," illustrating his point with examples from his own life and those of revered historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Encouraging the graduates to take risks and embrace change, he added, "Most of us will never do great things, but we can do small things in a great way."

Receiving the prestigious President's Scholar Medal was Michelle R. Brown, a business administration and financial management major who balanced a full-time career, family responsibilities, and volunteer activities while pursuing her degree. She graduated summa cum laude.

Click here for a photo gallery featuring the graduates and their families.