FULL SPEED AHEAD

East Carolina University’s graduating class of fall 2020 includes more than 2,000 students who will turn their tassels this week (from home — the Friday, Dec. 4 ceremony is virtual this year due to COVID-19) and join the ranks of more than 190,000 Pirate alumni around the world.

For some of these students, completing their degree during a global pandemic was just another challenge to overcome.

A management information systems major, Deborah Foley began her ECU journey 30 years ago, but life happened — with motherhood and a battle against cancer taking priority. But in September 2017, she enrolled as an online student in the College of Business. That degree she promised her mother she’d get? It’ll be hers come Friday.

For others, like Tony Parham, the pandemic was the catalyst to finish what they started.

Parham first came to ECU on an athletic scholarship in 1994. The former Pirate basketball standout is a behavioral specialist at an alternative school in his home state of Maryland and began working from home last spring due to COVID. His wife suggested he look into going back to school to get his degree — a Bachelor of Science in Undergraduate Studies with a thematic core of educational services and human behavior — to help him as he continues his work with youth.

Heading into December graduation, our soon-to-be-alumni have big dreams on deck.

Graduate student Will Nassif will earn his master’s in maritime studies and plans to dive into preserving cultural heritage. Next fall, through an American Academy of Underwater Sciences scholarship, Nassif will join a team of researchers — including others from ECU — to document World War II wrecks in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Communication major Gillian Pena will return to Chicago to pursue dreams of working with a communications agency in the Windy City. She already has a head start with three Chicago internships on her resume. In addition to her internships, Pena said her favorite experience was studying in Poland and the Czech Republic with peers in the School of Communication in 2018.

Industrial engineering technology major Eddie Okeiga comes from a family of engineers and has an eye toward running his own business one day. Okeiga has interned at places such as BSH Home Appliances, Harley-Davidson and SpaceX and believes those work experiences will help him land a job after graduation.

Darren Sanders, a biology major, aspires to become a family medical doctor and help the underserved populations of North Carolina. Immediately following graduation, Sanders hopes to participate in the MedServe fellowship, which would allow him to aid medically underserved communities and gain exposure to the primary care practice.

Donté Hill, a sports studies major who minored in psychology, has his eye on an athletic training internship, followed by a graduate degree in physical therapy. Sports have always played a key role in his life, and he hopes to also get back to an old hobby from his high school days: designing athletic shoes.

Business management major Emma O’Brien showed the willingness to get out of her comfort zone starting in her freshman year by studying abroad in Australia and New Zealand with the sports studies program. That trip led to the addition of a sports studies minor. She’s considering a master’s in public policy or public administration, as well as possibly getting her MBA.