More than 50 east central Mississippi residents received their diplomas during spring commencement ceremonies at East Mississippi Community College earlier this month.

Two commencement ceremonies took place in the Lyceum Auditorium on the Golden Triangle campus May 10, with a morning ceremony for students graduating from academic programs and an afternoon ceremony for career technical program graduates. The Scooba ceremony included graduates from both academic and career technical programs and took place May 11 in the Keyes T. Currie Coliseum.

Students who completed programs of study at EMCC’s Lion Hills Center and The Communiversity were also among the graduates, as were some seniors from the Golden Triangle Early College High School on the college’s Mayhew campus.

Guest speaker for commencement was Massachusetts Institute of Technology head basketball coach Larry Anderson, a Macon native and former EMCC basketball standout who played during the 1981-83 seasons. Anderson was inducted into EMCC’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

“Of all the spaces in the whole world, I can’t think of a better place that I would rather be than where I am right now,” Anderson told the graduates. “This is home.”

After playing basketball at EMCC, Anderson attended Rust College in Holly Springs, graduating there in 1987 and staying on to serve as the college’s assistant basketball coach and associate athletic director. He still serves on the Rust College Board of Trustees.

In 1995 Anderson was hired as the head coach of the MIT Engineers and has since become the winningest coach in the basketball program’s history, with 427 career wins, an NCAA Final Four berth in 2012 and NCAA Elite Eight showing in 2018. He is the only coach in the program’s history to lead MIT to a No. 1 national ranking and was inducted into The New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

“That’s quite a run of success, coach,” said EMCC President Scott Alsobrooks, who introduced Anderson during the commencement ceremonies.

Anderson is also a member of the EMCC Class of 2024 and was presented his certificate during the May 11 graduation ceremony on EMCC’s Scooba campus.

While he earned a degree from Rust College and a master’s degree from the University of Mississippi, Anderson had not completed his degree at EMCC. More than four decades after leaving EMCC, he completed that mission.

“I couldn’t be more honored, proud and delighted to address this audience and share congratulations with my fellow graduating Class of 2024,” Anderson said.

“The thing I want to share with you is that things don’t always work out the way you plan them all the time,” Anderson said later in his address to the graduates. “When things don’t go as planned, don’t worry that much. Those of you who have it figured out already, that’s awesome. Congratulations. For those who don’t, join the club with me as a person who took a long time to figure it out. I was not a person anyone would have picked that would be living the life I am living right now. It feels really good to be able to do that.”

Students from Lauderdale County and surrounding counties earning their degree from East Mississippi Community College during graduation included Leslie Fuller of Choctaw; Cobie Spencer of Collinsville; Daniel Hudnall and Kelli Shepperd, both of Daleville; Tyquavian Anderson, Breanna Eaves, Jacorey Roberts, Jayne Wiggins, Kix Wilson, Sydney Wilson and Johnny Wood, all of DeKalb; Gabrelia Rush of Lauderdale; Jackson Bryan and Lyric Marshall, both of Marion; Terrence Anderson, Toby Biddles, Sarah Gunter, Parker Henry, Kyisha Houston, Hayleigh Irby, Xavier Jimerson, Christopher Kennedy, Hugh Little, Eli Massey, Tristen Mosley, Ibrahim Obeid, Walker Swearingen, Morgan Taylor, Kenna Turner and Lauren Wooldridge, all of Meridian;

Ronnie Anderson, Layla Carter, Andreas Jim, Zoe Kirkland, Zackary Long, Grace Maxey, Hunter McWilliams, Dexter Spencer, Katie Sprinkle, Sydney Watkins, Latavia Whigham, Mary Williams and Damon Witcher, all of Philadelphia; Russ Calvert and Nivea Hopson, both of Porterville; Ja’quan Geeter, Avery Luke and Kamya Parks, all of Preston; Dajiauna Barnett of Quitman; Jaquavious Jackson, Grace Johnson, Callie Scott, Emmanuel Smoot, Ezekial Smoot, Victoria Stennis and Dereauna Williams, all of Scooba; and Deswain Barnett of Shubuta.