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May 13, 2004

Deaf among TNCC graduates

From: Hampton Roads Daily Press - Newport,VA,USA - May 13, 2004

The school's first deaf graduates join their classmates in celebrating accomplishments and planning for the future.

BY KERRIE FRISINGER
247-7820

HAMPTON -- As Ember Chavers and Kenyatta Fox led a procession of graduates into the Hampton Coliseum, people in the seats above could see the same drawing on their mortarboards: a hand with the index and pinky fingers extended.

That's "I love you," in sign language.

Chavers and Fox on Wednesday became the first two deaf students ever to graduate from Thomas Nelson Community College.

"I'm feeling happy, nervous and sad, all three," Fox, 24, said through an interpreter before the evening ceremony. "They were like a family to me. I made so many friends."

Around 300 graduates attended the event, many of them talking about the careers or four-year colleges ahead rather than the schooling behind them.

This year, 775 students completed requirements for various degrees, a small increase over the past two years and 170 more than in 2001.

Larry Tyree, a longtime community college CEO in Florida, was the commencement speaker. He is currently a professor at the University of Florida focusing on community college leadership and development.

"Graduates, have a good life," he said. "No, graduates, more importantly, build a good life."

To help them start building, Tyree debunked myths about life - that people can control their destiny, that money is everything, that time is limitless.

Rachel DeForrest, president of the Student Government Association, also spoke, expressing infallible confidence in her classmates.

"Take a deep breath, finals are over," said DeForrest, who will continue her studies at the College of William and Mary. "We're here with our family and friends because we have succeeded in our goals."

Fox plans to transfer to Old Dominion University next year and become an elementary school teacher for deaf children. The 22-year-old Chavers, who earned an associate degree in computer arts, hopes to move on to a four-year institution and eventually create films or television programs for the deaf.

"I encourage other deaf people to prepare and motivate themselves to get a higher level of education ... to succeed in their future goals for the deaf culture," Chavers wrote in a statement this week.

Other students, like 33-year-old Michael Heiser, are heading directly to the work force. He received an associate degree in automotive technology through a condensed program that qualifies him to work on all Ford vehicles and gives him an immediate job with a dealership in Norfolk.

After a stint in the Navy, three years as a stay-at-home father and several career missteps, he's found a job he loves.

"I tried to be an electrician, I didn't like it," Heiser said. "I tried to be a chef. I didn't like it. I tried staying home. I didn't like it."

Jason Hamby and Peggy Stanley - who both graduated with 4.0 grade averages - won the president's and vice president's awards for their academic achievements. n

Copyright ©2004 The Daily Press