ECSU Graduates Four from Clinton

Information provided by the Eastern Connecticut State University.

Eastern Connecticut State University's 123rd Commencement took place at the XL Center in Hartford on May 14. In all, 1,256 undergraduates and 41 graduate students earned their degrees.

The following residents from Clinton graduated:
Elizabeth Healey graduated with a Bachelor of General Studies degree in Social Science.
Theodore Luong graduated with a Bachelor of General Studies degree in Sport and Leisure Management.
Jonathan Mizger graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication.
Sean Naughton graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication. 

Carlotta Walls LaNier, the youngest member of the "Little Rock Nine," gave the Commencement Address, telling the graduates, "This is your moment, a time you have been looking forward to and working toward since you first arrived at Eastern. Celebrate the moment; seize it. Step out into your future bravely and boldly."

LaNier noted that the graduates were bound to encounter challenges. Those experiences will be "the greatest teacher in the grand classroom of life. Those challenges will show you who you really are."

The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African American students who desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, AR, in 1957. Due to the segregation policies of Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus and the mob atmosphere in Little Rock at the time, President Dwight Eisenhower ordered 1,000 members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division to Arkansas to provide protection and escort the nine students to class throughout the 1957-58 school year.

Despite the daily military escort, LaNier and her friends were kicked, hit with rocks, threatened, and shunned. Her own home was firebombed. As the onslaught continued, "the more determined I became to get my diploma."

Today, she has "made peace with my past." LaNier turned to the Class of 2013 and encouraged them to have the same commitment: "Finish whatever goals you have set for yourself. Find the strength, fortitude and determination to see it through. When you see injustice, how will you respond? I hope you take the heroic stand."

Yvette Melendez, vice president of the Board of Regents for Higher Education, the governing body for the 17 Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, brought greetings on behalf of the Board of Regents. "Congratulations to each and every one of you for reaching this incredible milestone. This is one of those moments that will forever be embedded in your memory. You are at the beginning of a future you have just begun to mold. You took the first step in that journey by enrolling at Eastern. You have much to be proud of."