Alcorn State University (ASU) held its Fall 2025 commencement exercise on Thursday, December 11th on the Lorman campus. The graduation consisted of 283 undergraduates and 73 graduates. The commencement began at 9:00 am at the Davey L. Whitney HPER Complex (New Gym).
The keynote speaker for the graduation was Daryl Hammett, Director of Global Delivery, AI Platforms and Security for Professional Services at Amazon Web Services. There he supports Amazon leaders as a Certified Business Coach leveraging his experience and leadership expertise. Hammett has held senior positions at leading corporations such as Coupa Software as its Vice President of Global Solutions and ConnXus where he served as the General Manager and Chief Technology Officer. Hammett addressed the graduates by saying, “Your legacy will be defined as how you use technology. Lift up others with technology. Solve problems with technology. Bring equity where there in injustice. Legacy is built with ordinary moments. Your presence here today is proof that greatness is within you. Do not take it for granted.”
After his speech, Dr. Joyce Buckner-Brown, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, presented Hammett the Doctor of Humane Letters. The graduation also honored 61 members of the Class of 2000, marking their 25th anniversary. The class presented $13,466.42 to the Alcorn State University Foundation, Inc.
Brandon Buie, a Fall 2025 Mass Communications graduate from Natchez, Mississippi, stated, “Alcorn has provided me a foundation for the four years that I’ve been here, now it’s up to me to build on that foundation for years to come.”
