SHIPSHAPE FOR THE FUTURE

Soon-to-be graduates prepare for life after ECU

East Carolina University’s graduating class of fall 2019 includes nearly 2,300 students who will receive their degrees during the Friday, Dec. 13 commencement ceremony.

The students are unique and ambitious. Take Morgan Kane, who earned his degree online while traveling the world as a Grave Digger driver, or Elizabeth Johnson, who was admitted to ECU at the age of 16 and now, at 18, is one of the youngest to graduate, for example.

Among the graduates are also those who spent time learning not only about their course of study but about themselves and how best to prepare for the future, like Emily Laxson, whose service experience anchored her passion for helping others through recreational therapy, and Calvin Massey, a self-described introvert who found his stride as a leader because of professional development through ECU.

Heading into December graduation, these soon-to-be-alumni have big dreams on deck. First-generation student and two-time graduate Jessica Jaye plans to effect change as an educational leader, and Mesyiah Fleming is banking on a career as a chief financial officer of a Fortune 500 corporation before branching out with his own firm.

Read more about the students’ ECU journey below.