Commencement, Hooding Ceremonies Celebrate Fall Graduates

Augusta University hosted its Fall 2021 Commencement on Fri., Dec. 10, at the James Brown Arena. The Hull College of Business had more than 60 fall undergraduates and approximately 20 summer and fall graduates walk across the stage.

Graduates celebrated their achievements with their friends and families during the ceremony; one being Jasmine Whitaker.

Jasmine enjoyed her human resources classes at Hull so much that she plans to attain certifications in HR now that she has her BBA.

The 21-year-old from Palm Beach, FL, found her way to Augusta University in 2019 after transferring from Howard University, relocating to Augusta to live with an aunt.

Jasmine said she plans to keep her job with Apple, where she created an internship experience with Apple concentrating on the metrics of the Augusta store.

“I’m going to pursue different areas of Apple, there’s so many avenues to go from retail sales to human resources to security,” she said. “A business degree is such a broad degree that I can work anywhere.”

Diamond Edwards, age 22, from Albany, GA, graduated a semester sooner than planned with her BBA. She created her own concentration by taking elective classes in project management, human resources, and real estate.

A few days after graduation, Diamond started her new job at ADP as a benefits specialist, transitioning from an intern. Not only did the internship help her land a job at the company, but she also graduated from the Women’s Leadership Academy, which is sponsored by ADP, last year.

Originally, Diamond, a biology major, was on track for pre-med when she took Hull College’s Introduction to Business course. “It made me switch my major. I was suffering in biology,” she said.

Diamond, who was vice president of the Real Estate Club, said she still plans to incorporate real estate into her career, though it might be a subsection of the ADP organization.

This semester’s hooding ceremony, a special recognition ceremony for masters and doctoral degree candidates, was Thurs., Dec. 9, at the James Brown Arena, where Hull College honored 10 of its fall MBA graduates.