Pictured are Michelle Payton, Vice President Operations, Strategic Systems Inc., Cedric Williams, Demarcus Johnson, Kendietrich Tucker, Quindarius Gardner, Kris Merritt, Cynthia Woodall, Director Outreach, Recruiting and Retention Sunflower County, Women and Children Health Initiative, and instructor, Chanley Ladner.
The Carpentry Class (not all pictured) are Coren Ray, Mary Knighten, Mary L. Moton, Tiaesha Minton, Bobby Stewart, Myrick Clayton, Ollie J. Gray, Zefairius Harvey. Marreko Ivory, Timectric McCray, Karl Owen, Amos Surney, Lazarek Thompson and instructor, Bill McClellan.
Photo: Recardo Thomas
The Women and Children Health Initiative Workforce Development recently held its commencement and recognition ceremony for its first carpentry class and welding class where more than 20 students were honored for their acquired skills with a torch as well as a skill saw.
Wesley S. Prater, PhD, Program Officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation was the guest speaker for the graduation exercise.
He spoke on the Foundation’s commitment to communities and to the Delta specifically.
Citing a quote and the lyrics from an old Dee Mullins song from 1965, Prater told the graduates, “Love makes the world go around, but it is money that greases the wheel.” He added that Kellogg is here to help them make money for that purpose.
Acknowledging their accomplishments, he encouraged them to reward themselves for what they have achieved and continue to move forward.
He issued a charge for them to keep pushing for bigger and better things, set new goals, work toward those goals and invest in themselves. He told them to continue to make others proud of them.
He concluded with a line often recited by one of his co-workers, Rhea Williams-Bishop, Director of Programs, Mississippi-New Orleans, which is “Onward, Upward, Forward.”
Tom Espy, Director, Women and Children Health Initiative Workforce Development also addressed the crowd of family and friends, as did Fred Howell, Director, Talent Acquisition, Ingalls Shipbuilding. Howell told the new crop of graduates that Ingalls is constantly looking to hire skilled workmen and are very proud of their relationship with the Capps Center.
Michelle Payton, Vice President Operations, Strategic Systems Inc., served as the program guide, the Rev. Kenneth Wraggs delivered the invocation, Mayor Steve Rosenthal welcomed the group and student Marreko Ivory spoke of his experiences as part of the carpentry class.
The group’s final project was to construct a shed and as an ongoing undertaking, the newly certificated carpenters will build several ramps for citizens who need them.
