Graduates young and old should be commended

How cool is it that NFL star and millionaire Ha Ha Clinton-Dix came back to campus to complete his degree at Alabama and will graduate Saturday?

It’s about as inspiring as the story of Siran Stacy, the former Alabama running back who has persevered through so much tragedy but will walk across the stage tomorrow to accept his degree more than 25 years after taking his last handoff for the Crimson Tide.

Those stories are reminiscent of Cam Newton, who not only graduated from Auburn after being the No. 1 pick in the NFL and Rookie of the Year, but also did so on campus in Auburn instead of through online courses.

Kudos to all those guys who showed through their actions the value of never giving up on an education.
But how about the people who did it the right way from day one, showing dedication and hard work in the classroom while competing on the highest level in athletics?

Two such examples are Deshaun Davis and Abby Armbrecht.

Davis was told early in his life, even before he got to Vigor High School, that he wasn’t college material. But he didn’t believe it. Next season he’ll be one of the SEC’s best linebackers while playing as a college graduate. That’s a cool story.

The career of Abby Armbrecht is also worth celebrating. Armbrecht was a National Honor student at UMS-Wright while competing as a high-level gymnast. She’ll graduate from Alabama tomorrow as a consistent member of the SEC Honor Roll team and will be one of the all-around leaders on next year for the Tide while she pursues her Master’s.

You don’t have to be a comeback story to be a success story. Sometimes you just have to be like Davis and Armbrecht and put in the hard work from Day 1 to achieve your goals.
For Threaded Fasteners, I’m Randy Kennedy with Nuts and Bolts of the Game.