327 graduate from University of Mount Olive
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on May 3, 2015 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Shirley Eason wipes a tear from her eye after turning her tassel during the University of Mount Olive's commencement exercise Saturday. She earned a degree in early childhood development.
esmith@newsargus.com
Kenney Moore, the founder of Hwy 55 Burgers, Shakes and Fries, was driving home after yet another 12-hour day during the first two years of his business being open.
His feet hurt.
He smelled like grease.
And that's when it hit him.
"At the end of year one, I was $35,000 behind on my food bills," Moore said. "I had four restaurants opened up in eastern North Carolina and I remember I was driving home one night. On the way home I remember having this internal conversation, and I was kinda beating myself up. I had an 18-month-old son that I only got to see briefly in the mornings, because he was long asleep by the time I got home at night. My wife was basically keeping our home up by herself, while I went off and chased this American dream flipping hamburgers. My feet ached, because I stood on this hard tile floor flipping burgers all day, and I smelled of grease, onions and peppers. I remember I was having this conversation with myself going, 'My feet hurt, I smell like grease, I missed the last family reunion, I've missed the trips to the beach, I've missed all these things and I'm still $35,000 behind on my food bills. I can't work any harder, I can't be anymore passionate."
What Moore told the 327 graduates of the University of Mount Olive Class of 2015 next came as a shock to many.
Hard work isn't enough to get you where you're wanting to go, he said.
"I wish I could tell you at this point the sky opened up and a spirit came down, but it wasn't quite that dramatic," Moore said. "There was a voice in my head that came through just as clear as I'm standing in front of you today that kept saying, 'It's not about you. It's not about you.' Today, graduates, it is about you. Starting tomorrow, it's not about you."
Moore is a graduate of UMO himself. He graduated when it was still Mount Olive College. And he realized -- after starting with $500 in his pocket in 1991 and putting in two years worth of 12-hour days -- that hard work and passion simply wasn't enough.
Commencement speakers, he said, love to tell graduates that if you work hard at something you're passionate about that you will be successful.
But the real key to success, he said, is to love and to help others.
"See, I changed my attitude," Moore said. "I got up the next morning and said, 'You know what, I'm going to change. It's not about me. I'm going to see how many other people I can help become successful.' Within literally six months after that day, we were in the black. We were profitable."
Plenty of graduates Saturday left the commencement ceremony planning to put Moore's words to good use as they chase the next chapter of their lives, degree in hand.
Shirley Eason, 54, who received her degree in early childhood education, cried as she received her degree. She is a daycare teacher at Possessing the Keys to the Kingdom Daycare in Bellarthur, and fought hard to walk across the stage.
"I had to have surgery while I was trying to get my degree, and it was a pretty major surgery," Ms. Eason said. "I had a hernia and a hole in my stomach, so my intestines were starting to fall out, and they had to repair all of that and it set me back one semester."
Ms. Eason originally chose to attend UMO because state legislation at the time required that daycare teachers had to have certain credits in order to be certified.
While she was pursuing her degree, the legislation changed, and she chose to keep chugging towards her diploma.
"It is an awesome, awesome feeling," she said.
Jared Bass, 24, received his degree in recreation and leisure studies: Leisure service management.
"My mother is actually an alumni of the school from back when it was a junior college," Bass said. "I'm going for a concentration in sports. A few doors are open (for after graduation) but nothing solid yet."
Jeanna Jepsen Strange III, 23, majored in biology and minored in chemistry.
When she was in high school, her JROTC instructor recommended UMO. And she was glad he did.
"The biology program here is so amazing," Ms. Strange said. "I love them. They're the bomb."
She said she is planning to enter the workforce as a pharmaceutical technician, a certified nursing assistant or a phlebotemist in order to gain experience before attending nursing school.
This year's Lorelle Martin Award was given to Edgar Bub from Kehl, Germany, who graduated summa cum laude with a grade point average of 3.98.
The award is given to the student with the highest GPA each year, and the recipient is given a $1,000 check as well.
Bub left the ceremony immediately after receiving his degree to go compete with the University of Mount Olive's men's tennis team in Greenwood, S.C.
Moore ended his commencement speech with one final piece of advice for the new graduates -- love your neighbor, and watch your life change.
"Once I made that shift to meet the needs of others before my own my life changed," Moore said. "Go out and love your neighbor. Just go out and love them. In my world that doesn't mean eros love or erotic love -- that's called sexual harassment. I'm talking about agape (compassionate) love. That's where you extend yourself for other people and meet their needs before your own -- that's what I want all of you to do, starting tomorrow."