Pinky Cole Hayes, of Slutty Vegan fame, bestows surprise gift on Savannah State graduates

"I want to be your somebody," Pinky Cole Hayes, owner of the Atlanta-based Slutty Vegan restaurant chain, said to Savannah State University's (SSU) graduating class Friday morning.

SSU’s Marketing Manager Francisco Duque confirmed that 355 students had applied for graduation and approximately 330 students and their families were present at T. A. Wright Stadium, 3219 College St., to hear Hayes speak. Being the graduates' somebody turned out to be more than sharing inspirational words. She also had a surprise for the graduates who braved the early May heat in full cap and gown.

"I called on my somebodies," she said. "Operation Hope (founded by CEO John Hope Bryant) and the One Million Black Businesses campaign (1MBB) to provide every single one of you a combined $8.9 million dollars worth of entrepreneurial resources." 1MBB endeavors to "start, grow, and scale 1 million Black businesses by 2030 to provide a successful path to wealth creation for the Black community."

Pinky Cole Hayes encouraged SSU students to be the change

Hayes used the story of Lt. Dan from the movie Forrest Gump as a metaphor for her speech's theme of "Thriving in the Midst of Change." She explained to the crowd of students (many of whom were likely born well after the movie came out) that Lt. Dan's life goal was to be a soldier. He hadn't counted on any other career. Then he lost his legs during a battle in the Vietnam jungles and eventually partnered with Gump to become a first mate on a shrimping boat, which ultimately grew into a lucrative shrimping company. She compared the story to her own life experience, in which she lost her restaurant in a grease fire and her car was repossessed before she went on to become a successful restaurateur.

Students began to realize the gravity of Hayes's gift as she shared that the resources equaled approximately $25,000 per SSU student. They began to clap and cheer as they rose to their feet.

According to a press release from Hayes's public relations team, the 1MBB resources include:

• Entrepreneurial educational resources

• Mentoring From 1MBB, including one-on-one financial counseling

• An eight-week small business training course with business plan development and credit and money management courses

• 3-months free with shopify to build their e-commerce platform for young entrepreneurs ready to start their businesses

She ended her speech by telling the students that they "don't need to learn how to thrive in the midst of change. You already got a Ph.D., and when you leave this graduation today, you're going to learn how to drive change. You will change policy. You will change the face of leadership. You will change communities."

Students grateful for SSU, look ahead to future

Graduating senior Alexander Jermaine Richardson Jr. presented the Spring 2024 reflections to his peers from the commencement stage. He thanked the faculty and mentors as well as parents in the crowd. He also said, "We are our ancestors' wildest dreams, but as we start this new chapter of our lives, we must not forget the profound influence that Savannah State University has had on us. We must continue to dream like Martin Luther King Jr.; lead like Cheryl Davenport Dozier; fight like Malcolm X; think like Prince A. Jackson Jr.; write like Maya Angelou; speak like President Barack Obama; educate like James A. Colston; believe like Richard R. Wright, Sr.; challenge like Cynthia Robinson Alexander; and inspire like Kimberly Ballard-Washington."

Denerick Nyquan Simpson who has obtained two undergraduate degrees and two masters degrees from SSU, including his most recent Masters of Public Administration, lifted the crowd with a speech in verse. He called for his peers to "represent our institution well with the Tiger values that Savannah State taught and remember to always give back."

Ahead of the ceremony, twins Jalen and Jasen Magee, from from Stockbridge, Georgia, talked about their experience. Both majored in computer science technology with a concentration in cybersecurity and, like most other graduates, began their college experience online due the COVID-19 pandemic. Jasen is vice president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and was named Mr. Senior and Mr. NAACP. He plans to attend Augusta University for a master's degree in computer science. Jalen shared that he had actually been offered a job that morning at a company in South Carolina. Jasen expressed surprise as he had not yet heard the news.

The brothers emphasized the importance of joining college organizations and embracing the college life at SSU. They also had a message for young Black college students still in school, "Get your degree...we want more Black doctors, surgeons and lawyers, and we still want to be out there in the world."

Cameron Christian Straughter, a dual-enrolled student from Savannah Early College High School, received a diploma for his Associate of Arts degree and graduated cum laude on Friday. He said the workload was very manageable even as he fought a bout of senioritis. He was inspired by his brother who did the dual enrollment program program two years ago. Now Straughter has the chance to set the example for his younger sister, who is currently in middle school. He focused on multimedia in his studies and will be starting at SCAD in the fall, hoping to further his knowledge and skills in the digital media industry.

Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Pinky Cole Hayes speaks at Savannah State commencement