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PEARL – It had been more than 30 years since Angie Wilkinson sat in a college classroom as a student.

“I’d gone to school for computer technology in the late ‘80s but stopped,” said Wilkinson, an administrative assistant at ������ Vicksburg-Warren Campus.

Angie Wilkinson

She wears many hats in her job, mainly in the office of campus Vice President Marvin Moak. This past semester, however, she got to wear the hat for which she’s been studying a lot lately.

“I got my general studies associate today and I’m working toward another in criminal justice,” Wilkinson said. “My plan is to go into the emergency management field. A lot of my family has been in the business; my father was a police officer and my mother was head nurse at Waterways Experiment Station.”

Wilkinson was among 1,254 graduates who received a total of 1,706 credentials in five spring graduation ceremonies spanning three days. Many graduates received more than one credential.

Of the spring graduates, 260 achieved cum laude, 3.2 to 3.59 grade point average; 197 achieved magna cum laude, 3.6 to 3.99 GPA and 126 achieved summa cum laude, 4.0 grade point average.

Dr. Theresa Hamilton, who is retiring as vice president, was the speaker for three ceremonies on Thursday, May 16.

Hamilton encouraged graduates to look at the person to each side of them and realize they’ve shared their educations with people as talented as they.

“Your paths forward with diverge from this point, she said. “If we are lucky, we have about 30,000 days in this life and comparing yourself to other people’s success will only slow you down. Take risks, it will be worth it. You will fail at some point, but get over it. Rock bottom can be a solid foundation on which to build your life.”

Hinds President Dr. Clyde Muse told graduates and their families that “the power of education is that it drives our vision for a better life. And, while the graduates who sit upon this stage today represent a diverse set of circumstances, they are connected by their belief that a community college education is a step up to a broader opportunity to build a better life and to contribute to the communities we live in.”

As Mississippi’s largest community college, ������ is a comprehensive institution offering quality, affordable educational opportunities with academic programs of study leading to seamless university transfer and career and technical programs teaching job-ready skills. With six locations in central Mississippi, Hinds enrolls nearly 12,000 credit students each fall semester. To learn more, visit or call 1.800.HindsCC.