PRCC graduates told to show up and enjoy their work

HATTIESBURG Pearl River Community College graduates got a bit of advice Wednesday, May 17, from their commencement speaker, Picayune auto dealer W.B. Dub Herring.Herring, well_known as Paw Paw from his television commercials, told the graduates to get work they enjoy doing and show up to do it. But he also warned they may not get exactly the job they want at first.Sometimes you just got to start where you are and go from there, he said. You dont always get the best job right off the bat.There opportunity out there. Find a need and fill that need. Get excited about the future it out there waiting for you.PRCC President Dr. William Lewis awarded Herring, a graduate of Holmes Community College, an honorary degree from Pearl River.PRCC conferred degrees or certificates of proficiency on 880 students who completed their degree or certificate programs during the summer and fall 2010 semesters and the spring 2011 semester. Almost 500 of them participated in the graduation ceremony at the James Lynn Cartlidge Forrest County Multi Purpose Center in Hattiesburg.Awesome, said Erin Clements of Carriere about her feelings before the ceremony. It a beautiful day. She plans to major in education at the University of Southern Mississippi.Elisha Bourgeois of Picayune completed the cosmetology program in July 2010 and is working as a supervisor in a casino but came back to participate in graduation.You deserve to be recognized for the work you did, she said.Graduation represented success for Cassandra Powell, 39, of Hattiesburg, who is headed to William Carey University to study nursing.I worked for about 15 years and decided that not what I wanted to do, she said. So that was quite a milestone for me to come back to school.She is the first of five siblings to graduate from college.Graduates, we want you to know how very proud we are of you, PRCC President Dr. William Lewis said before presenting the diplomas. Please do not forget that education is a lifelong process.