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More than 560 �Թ�tv (�Թ�tv) students – each with their own unique story – turned the tassel on their graduation caps today during the college’s fall commencement.

“I think we can all agree today is an important academic accomplishment that is enriched by the stories, struggles and triumphs of our graduates,” said �Թ�tv President Jann L. Joseph.

Nick Masino understands how to turn struggle into opportunity. Masino, who is president and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber and Partnership Gwinnett is the son of an immigrant and overcame obstacles to become the first in his family to graduate from college.

“Life will throw more at you and I’m convinced that your response to these adversities will make all the difference in your future.”

As keynote speaker of the event, Masino shared with the graduates lessons he learned along the way that he said benefitted him, his family and his career.

Harrison Clark, an integrative studies major, has had to learn hard lessons in his life and turned obstacles into opportunities. Representing the Class of 2023 as graduate speaker, Clark shared with the audience the story of his mother, who suffered permanent spinal cord damage from a car accident. She died on Christmas Eve when Clark was just 13.

Clark’s grandmother stepped in to care for him and his brother, but she eventually developed dementia and was moved into a care facility, leaving Clark without a home. He lived in his car, sleeping in a store parking lot.

Clark’s life took a positive turn when he found a job and a roommate arrangement at an apartment complex next to �Թ�tv. At the behest of his friends, he enrolled – and blossomed at the college, engaging himself in campus activities and serving in leadership roles.

The high school graduate with a less-than-stellar average graduated from �Թ�tv with honors.

“Many things could have kept me from standing here today,” Clark said, “But despite these obstacles, �Թ�tv provided a sanctuary where I could grow and rise from all the pain of my past.”

Clark works for a local law firm and intends to become an attorney.

Other students recognized at the fall commencement include nursing major Said Pasoon, a former Afghan doctor, business major Diana Bamfo, an immigrant from Ghana who plans to become an accountant, and information technology (IT) major Chizoba Okeke, who will work in IT security.

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