Recently engaged couple graduate together; among 900 graduates honored at Hinds

PEARL, Miss. (VDN) — Bryson Shupe of Pearl and Kaley Weems of Brandon met while studying in the Associate Degree in Nursing program at Hinds Community College’s Nursing Allied Health Center. The couple, who became engaged in March, plan to marry in 2026.

They graduated together May 14 during a ceremony at the Muse Center on the Rankin Campus. Both have jobs lined up at the University of Mississippi Medical Center—Weems in the neonatal department and Shupe in the neuroscience department.

“We were in the same clinical group the first and second semester. I guess we just grew fond of each other,” Weems said.

Hinds is awarding more than 1,200 degrees and certificates to 900 graduates over three days, May 14–16, with many students earning more than one credential. Among them, 437 students are graduating with honors: 220 cum laude (GPA 3.2–3.59), 154 magna cum laude (GPA 3.6–3.99), and 63 summa cum laude (4.0 GPA).

Each ceremony features a student speaker selected by faculty and peers for leadership and excellence in their field of study.

Jaden McKinnis, 19, of Magee, gave the invocation and benediction during the Nursing Allied Health ceremony. McKinnis studied business administration on the Raymond Campus and plans to attend Jackson State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

Georgette Turner, 55, of Clinton, also spoke during the May 14 ceremony. After graduating from the nursing program, she plans to work in an emergency department and on ambulances in Jackson.

Turner, who began earning degrees from Hinds in 1987, reflected on the perseverance of her fellow graduates.

“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,” she 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,” Turner 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.”

Students with last names beginning with A–I graduated at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 15, while those with last names J–Z graduated at 2 p.m. the same day. Both ceremonies were held at the Muse Center.

The Utica Campus held a separate graduation ceremony on Friday, May 16, preceded by a Bell Tower ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Graduation followed at 10 a.m. in Boyd Gym.