By LaRae Donnellan
Special to Rattler Nation
For one FAMU student, the institution’s May 2 commencement
exercises will represent a classic success story. His parents arrived in this
country on a boat from Haiti while his mother was pregnant with him. His
parents work hard, finally arranging to bring his five siblings to Florida; a
sixth is born years later. And he, too, worked hard, becoming the first in his
family to graduate from a U.S. college or university.
Some people might say Jacky Sam Succes, 22, was destined for
success with what he calls “an awesome last name.” Still, it is his hard work
that is being recognized this weekend when he and 16 other graduating seniors
at FAMU will receive the Strong Finish Award, thanks to a $5 million grant from
Microsoft Chair John W. Thompson and his wife, Sandi.
The Strong Finish award pays off a portion of a student’s college debt and recipients receive a $1,000 check upon graduating to use for graduate school, housing, or anything else of their choosing.
Succes, who grew up in Fort Pierce, Fla., qualified for the
Strong Finish grant because he is an in-state student, comes from a low-wealth
family, did not receive any merit-based academic scholarships, maintained at
least a 3.0 GPA, and is graduating within four years.
“With these grants, we are saying to these students: ‘We
recognize your plight and your tenacity. You came to FAMU and did the work, so
now we’re going to help you pay down your student loans. We’ll even give you a
little cash once you graduate,’” said Elmira Mangum, FAMU’s president.
As a student who is graduating in just four years, Succes is
part of a select group. According to a 2014 report from Complete College
America, a nonprofit group based in Indianapolis, only about 19 percent of
full-time students earn a bachelor’s degree in four years.
The Strong Finish Award program was initiated in fall 2014,
when more than $250,000 was awarded to 28 students. This spring, FAMU focused
on low-wealth, first-time-in-college students who are graduating in four years.
Mangum said more than $150,000 will be distributed to the 17 graduating
seniors. The debt-repayment portion goes directly to the banks holding the
students’ loans.
Succes will be graduating with a degree in criminal justice
and a concentration in information technology from FAMU. He plans to enter the
criminal justice graduate program at Florida State University in the fall and
eventually hopes to become a criminal investigator for the federal government.
“I see how the lives of the people in my community are
affected in a negative way, so I am pursuing a career where I can help find
justice for others,” Succes said.
In addition to the Strong Finish Award, 148 rising
sophomores and juniors will be receiving the High Achiever Award. This award
also supports students who come from low-wealth or middle income families, do
not receive other merit-based academic scholarships, have high GPAs, and are
the first in their families to attend college. The goal, Mangum said, is to
keep these students coming back to FAMU so that they will graduate in four
years.
The High Achiever Award is funded by the Thompson grant,
with additional funds from the Gregoria Daniel Academic Scholarship. The Gregoria
Daniel scholarship was established by a generous gift from Dr. Gregory F.
Daniel for high-achieving, middle-income students with GPAs above 3.0.
“Coming from a low-income family is not something to be
embarrassed about,” Succes said. “It’s just a part of my experience. Rather,
it’s what you do with your life that really matters.”
Succes said his degree is not really “his.” Instead, it
belongs to his entire family. Despite the turmoil his parents endured, he said
they always found a way to help him along the way. With a last name like
Succes, he said he was told to “be great and do good upon yourself and your
family.”
“My guiding principle,” Succes said, “has always been to
seek an opportunity in every difficult situation because whatever you do, you’ll
encounter obstacles or roadblocks.”
Succes said his experience at FAMU, a historically black
university, has taught him to be proud of his roots and of his personal
journey.
“At FAMU, [professors] try to make you take as much pride in
your blackness as you do in your American-ness. And I love that about my HBCU.”