Georgia Military College awards 194 degrees to graduates at 2020 Commencement Ceremony

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Flexibility and agility are the mark of a world-class organization, Scott F. “Rock” Donahue, executive director of the Georgia Military College’s Atlanta Metropolitan Region campuses, told 194 graduates at commencement ceremonies Saturday night.

“It’s not how you do the business as usual, but how you adjust to changing conditions,” Donahue said. “That seems to be what our world is all about here since this pandemic started back in March.”

Students from four campuses in the greater Atlanta Metropolitan area, Fayetteville, Fairburn, Stone Mountain, and Zebulon spread out across the Sams Auditorium in Fayetteville wearing commemorative GMC masks for the occasion. 

Originally scheduled to take place at the amphitheater in Fayetteville, where each of graduate could bring two guests, weather forced a change of venue less than two hours before the event. No family or friends were admitted to the ceremony due to social distancing requirements. 

Four students received bachelor of applied science degrees. Associate degrees were presented to 190 students, including 11 veterans and 43 dually enrolled high school students who earned their high school diplomas and an associate’s degree the same year.

Donahue’s remarks on the importance of adaptation and taking action were reinforced in the commencement address delivered by Bob Mackey, President/CEO of Boy’s & Girls Clubs of North Central Georgia.

“I’ve learned more about success by the way I’ve handled failure than by the way I’ve handled success,” Mackey told graduates. “If you’re afraid of failure, then you’re not ready to win.”

“Stay prepared,” Mackey advised. “This thing called good deals? They are only good deals because people were prepared to take advantage of it. You don’t hear people talking about good deals if they don’t get them. So your job in life is to be sure that you’re able to take advantage of a good deal.”