Turner speaks at Hinds nursing graduation

Special to The Clinton Courier

Adonia Georgette Turner of Clinton was the student speaker at the May 14 Hinds Community College graduation ceremony.

Georgette Turner, 55, of Clinton, spoke on behalf of fellow students in the recent Hinds Community College Nursing Allied Health graduation ceremony. After graduating from the nursing program, Turner will continue to help others from an ambulance and in the emergency department at a Jackson hospital.

Turner already has several degrees from Hinds, beginning in 1987. She reflected on the potential obstacles her fellow graduates may have faced.

“Maybe some of us came back to school after years of being away. We balanced jobs, raised families or studied in between working shifts, eating and preparing meals, and rocking babies and diaper changes. We attended classes in the middle of everything life threw our way — and we didn’t quit. That, to me, is a different kind of strength. A different kind of success,” Turner said.

“I stand with you today to tell you to never give up; you are never too old, and Hinds has everything you need to continue your journey. We’ve already done the hard part: we showed up for ourselves,” she said. “And wherever you go next — remember this: You belong in every room you enter. You earned your seat at every table. And your story matters, no matter where it started.”