MCC celebrates first-generation graduates, Tri-Alpha Honor Society members
Gathered at the celebration are, front row from left, Keri Hans and Jamie Reynolds;
MCC committee members are, back row from left, Nedra Bradley, Kristi Williamson, Janet
Parrett, and Valerie Bishop.
“They’ve shown up. They stood up. And they’ve owned their journey.”
That’s how Kristi Williamson, MCC circulation/catalog librarian, described MCC’s first-generation students, who were applauded for their achievements when the College hosted the First Generation Tri-Alpha Honor Cord Recognition ceremony.
The students were recognized as the first in their families to attend college; the ceremony also saluted members into Alpha Alpha Alpha, or Tri-Alpha, a national honor society for first-generation college students whose mission is to promote academic excellence and community for first-generation college students.
MCC Spring 2025 First-Gen graduates include Quston Bender, Tafadwza Chikomba, Ciera Dearman, Cierra Fox, Amber Gates, Keri Hans, Brittany Jones, Jamie Reynolds, Jacob Russell, Netanya Sawyer, Jordan Stevenson, Sydney Sullins, Samorgan Townsend, and Zaria Williams. Chikomba, Gates, and Hans are members of Tri-Alpha.
Hans, a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the international academic honor society for community college students, will get her Associate Degree in Nursing when MCC holds its Spring Commencement ceremony. And, she was excited to join Tri-Alpha. “I wanted to be the best, do the best I could. I feel like I will be more prepared to help my children when they go through college,” she said about joining campus organizations.
Reynolds was worried about going to college, but added, “I made it through,” she said, crediting the College’s faculty and staff for helping hands.
“These individuals have completed an extraordinary journey, completing not only their academic classes but also becoming the first in their family to start a tradition. As a first-generation student myself, I know the troubles students sometimes face when they are in school. They may not know the right questions to ask or the right people to talk to, but we here at Meridian Community College are providing them with that space for them to be able to accomplish their goals,” said Nedra Bradley, Executive Director of Family Services and Student Support.
MCC is the only community college in the state with a Tri-Alpha chapter; the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, and Jackson State University also host a chapter of the organization.
Members of Tri-Alpha have completed at least 30 credit semester hours toward a degree with a grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale and whose parents did not complete a bachelor’s degree.
MCC Tri-Alpha advisors are Bradley and Valerie Bishop, dean of dual enrollment and SACSCOC. Members of the First-Generation Committee include Williamson, Bradley, Bishop, and Janet Parrett, assistant to the registrar.
For more information, visit meridiancc.edu.