Liberty celebrates military grads at Fort Bragg

Liberty University recognized its newest graduates on Nov. 15 at a special graduation ceremony at Fort Bragg for service members, veterans, and their spouses as the university continues to show its appreciation for the sacrifices men and women in uniform make in serving their country.

Fort Bragg, located in North Carolina, is the most populous U.S. Military base in the world. Thursday’s College Graduation and Recognition Ceremony was the largest at the base to date, with 278 graduates. There were 36 schools represented at the ceremony, and Liberty had the third largest group.

Vice Provost Dr. Shawn Akers attended the ceremony to recognize Liberty’s 23 new graduates.

“Liberty’s military students truly are an inspiration,” Akers said. “Graduating college, completing a master’s degree, or obtaining a doctorate is challenging under any circumstances; doing it while carrying the heavy burden of protecting the nation is an accomplishment that’s hard to fully appreciate.”

Noting the diverse background of Liberty’s military graduates and their spouses, Akers added, “They all share one thing — they are overcomers.”

Akers spent time with the graduates, listening to their stories.

“Many had overcome life challenges, family illnesses, multiple relocations, and complicated daily schedules while finishing their degrees,” he said. “One student told me her story of routinely completing her assignments at rest stops while changing duty assignments. Another described the joy of being the first in her family to graduate college.”

Anntoinette Thompson said “prayer, determination, support, and focus” were instrumental to her successful academic journey to a Master’s in School Counseling.

“Because Liberty’s counseling program holds such valuable and credible weight throughout the counseling field, I was hired during my second internship as a professional school counselor,” Thompson added.

Aisha McMillan earned her Master of Science in Nursing despite several challenges in her life. Shortly after enrolling at Liberty her mother became ill, while she also worked two jobs and raised a teenager as a single parent.

McMillan focused on one class at a time, walking in faith until she succeeded.

“I am so grateful to my professors that worked with me, my parents, my daughter, and close friends who believed in me, even when there were times I didn’t believe in myself,” McMillan said.

Liberty has participated in numerous graduation ceremonies at a variety of military bases, including Fort Rucker (Alabama), Naval Station Norfolk (Virginia), Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point (North Carolina), and Camp Lejeune (North Carolina).

Even though military life is demanding, a community of tens of thousands of service members, veterans, and military spouses study from their military installations or homes around the world through Liberty’s online degree programs.

Liberty has a longstanding tradition of supporting the nation’s military. Recently, the university was recognized as the No. 1 Best for Vets: Colleges 2019 Online and Nontraditional Schools by Military Times.

Visit Liberty.edu/Military for more events, resources, and a community network for military students, as well as information on tuition discounts, scholarships, and fee waivers.

(Liberty University is not affiliated with the Department of Defense or any military service.)