LAKELAND, Fla. (Dec. 19, 2011) Florida Southern College conferred degrees on 150 graduates at the winter commencement ceremony held on Saturday, Dec. 17, in Branscomb Auditorium. The graduating class included 118 undergraduates from the college’s traditional day program and the evening college. Thirty-two students received their master’s degrees.

Lt. Gen. Donald L. Kerrick, ’71, delivered the commencement address. He told the graduates, “Find someone to love, find something to love, find something in which to believe, and anchor yourselves on these.”

Kerrick’s exceptional career has included appointments as deputy national security advisor under President Clinton, assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the director for operations for the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the director of European affairs for the National Security Council. He is a decorated veteran having served in Southeast Asia and Desert Storm and has distinguished himself in foreign-service assignments in Germany, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia. Additionally, he held high-level command posts in military intelligence and aviation companies and in a military intelligence battalion.

From 2001-2006, Lt. Gen. Kerrick served as vice president for strategic development and international business of General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems. Today, he serves on the Board of Advisors of The Truman National Security Project, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition’s National Security Advisory Council, and Florida Southern College’s Board of Trustees.

As a fellow graduate of Florida Southern College, Kerrick said, “The circumstances of your life may change, but the moral and intellectual discipline you have learned at FSC will last you a lifetime.”

Danielle Carr of Bensalem, PA, who graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in biology and with minors in Spanish and chemistry, was awarded the prestigious President's Scholar Medal for outstanding commitment to scholarship and student engagement. She served as a resident advisor at Florida Southern College and as vice president of academics for the Student Government Association. Her active engagement in campus organizations included Toastmasters International, Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity, Beta Beta Beta national biological honor society, and the American Chemical Society.

“Danielle is a talented and passionate learner whose superior academic performance has prepared her to make a consequential impact on society,” said Dr. Anne Kerr, President of Florida Southern College.

The Commencement’s Senior Speaker was Tonda Wooten, a biology major and Honors Student from Panama City, Florida. During her time at Florida Southern College, Wooten served with distinction as President of the Student Government Association and President of the Order of Omega, and was an active member of the Association of Honors Students and Zeta Tau Alpha fraternity. Additionally, she has served as a resident advisor and Southern Ambassador for Florida Southern College and was selected as a member of Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society, as well as the student representative to the College’s Academic Achievement Committee and the Library and Archive Committee.