Mississippi Speaker of the House Jason White addresses ICC graduates
Mississippi Speaker of the House of Representatives Jason White challenged Itawamba Community College graduates to live by the words he shared with his colleagues as they began the new term in January.
He addressed the graduates at the Friday, May 10, 10 a.m. commencement ceremony at the Davis Event Center on the Fulton Campus.
White was elected as Mississippi’s 62nd speaker of the House in January 2024. The Kosciusko native began his service in the Mississippi House of Representatives, District 48, which consists of portions of Attala, Carroll, Holmes and Leake counties, in August 2011 and was reelected in 2016.
“To whom much is given, much is expected,” White said. “I would tell you graduates the same message applies as you enter this new chapter of your lives. Hurdles and challenges certainly await you; don’t get bogged down by the small things, focus on the big picture and make an impact. Don’t be trepidatious to do something out of the ordinary, challenge conventional wisdom, and even push yourself to a zone of discomfort.”
White said that when he was in law school at Mississippi College a couple of blocks away from the Mississippi State Capitol, he never once dreamed that he would be elected as a representative or become involved in politics.
“Be open to where life takes you,” White advised. “Surround yourself with people who will give you a positive push, and don’t shy away from an opportunity that requires a little bravery and a little courage.”
White also encouraged the graduates to thank the people who attended the event to celebrate them — those friends and family members form the foundation on which the graduates would go on to build lives.
Congratulating the graduates on investing in themselves through education, White remarked on how their success at ICC would make the graduates a positive force in the state of Mississippi.
“When you make this investment in yourself, and you put what you learned back into Mississippi, you are also making an investment in our state — so I want to thank you for your contribution,” White said. “The careers for which you have prepared, or the next step in your education journey you plan to take, lend to a better and brighter Mississippi. As I look out across this room, I couldn’t be more encouraged for Mississippi’s workforce.”
White closed his speech by discussing how real progress is possible only through a process of self-evaluation and self-analysis.
“Graduates, today, you set your own sail and that will determine your course,” White said. “You have filled your cup with knowledge, prospect, intention, and I am invigorated to see how you pour that into your communities and out great state of Mississippi.”
White expressed appreciation to his colleagues in the Mississippi House of Representatives, namely Rep. Donnie Bell, ICC alumnus and chairman of the Workforce Development committee, as well as Rep. Randy Boyd and Sen. Daniel Sparks, who were present at the ceremony.
In his remarks during all three ICC commencement ceremonies, ICC president Jay Allen emphasized the integral role that ICC has played not only in the lives of its graduates, but also in the communities it serves.
“Community colleges such as ICC are on the front line of helping people realize their potential: academically, personally and professionally,” Allen said. “And when we succeed and do our best in connecting with students, we help them to recognize and embrace the potential within themselves.”
Approximately 900 graduates crossed the stage to receive diplomas during the three ceremonies. They were among more than 2,000 graduates who earned degrees from ICC this year.
