Submitted photoDr. Reginald Sykes makes his point while Barbara Kidd listens during the MLK celebration at Meridian Community College.  

“It’s great to have Dr. Sykes back in the house.”

That was one way Meridian Community College President Dr. Scott Elliott introduced the speaker for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration, Dr. Reginald Sykes. The program, presented before the Martin Luther King Jr. Day, was held Thursday in the McCain Theater.

Sykes, interim president of Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Ala., previously served as dean of students at MCC for seven years working with Dr. Bill Scaggs (now president emeritus) and Elliott during his MCC tenure.

The guest speaker spoke of his Meridian roots, family (especially thanking his mom) and the importance of education. Paraphrasing King, Sykes said all people deserve a good quality of life and the answer to improving that quality is education. “No matter the problem, education is still the answer,” he said.

“Your community college can help you improve your quality of life,” Sykes said, noting an emerging national trend where recent associate degree graduates are out-earning recent grads with bachelor degrees. Plus, bachelor degree students are returning to community colleges to learn high skills for high wage jobs. In the Gulf Coast. Mobile area, where Sykes is, industry leaders need to fill 1,500 jobs in the maritime and aviation industries. Starting pay for welders in the area is $18-$20 an hour, he said.

Community colleges are also helping students with developing and polishing their soft skills, he said. Challenging the younger audience members, Sykes said, “think big.”

Also during the program, middle and high school students were applauded as winners of the MLK Essay. Jaden Bartholomew, first place high school winner, read her essay that ended with, “Who knows? One day one of us will be the next Martin Luther King Jr.” Other high school winners were Raegan Jay, second place, and Abigail Averick, third place, both from Northeast High School. Middle school winners India Ware, third, and Aalia Sutton, second, both from Northwest Middle School, and Brett Gordon, first place, from West Lauderdale Middle School were recognized.

Meridian Community College students, K’Tara Harris, Barbara Alston and Randy Taylor Creighton, received the Charles and Doretha Young Martin Luther King Program Scholarship Award from the Hon. Veldore Young and Rep. Charles Young Jr. during the program. In addition, MCCer Tewana Johnson received the MLK Committee’s Community Outreach Scholarship.