Senior Minette Wilson Delivers Student Address at Spring Commencement

Minette Wilson, a communications studies major graduate from East Orange, N.J., was named the student commencement speaker for East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania’s spring undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Saturday, May 12, at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Koehler Fieldhouse. Wilson was selected from a pool of eight student speaker candidates.

Criteria for student speaker candidates includes: a minimum 3.0 grade point average entering the spring semester; a demonstrated record of service to the university community, and, a record of leadership and cooperation; demonstrate evidence of meaningful extra/co-curricular involvement, and; must be in good academic standing.

In 2011, Ms. Wilson represented ESU as part of The Harrisburg Internship Semester (THIS), a semester-long internship program for outstanding students in all academic majors.  Sponsored by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), the internship is awarded each semester to one student from each of the State System’s 14 universities.  THIS internship enabled Ms. Wilson to develop a working relationship with policymakers in the executive and legislative branches of Pennsylvania government, as well as with independent boards, agencies, and commissions.

Ms. Wilson was the vice president for ESU’s African-American Student Alliance and treasurer of the Voices of Triumph Gospel Choir.  She is also a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was involved in many community service initiatives on campus in order to promote a positive environment for students of color and also shared her pride in the African-American culture with the student population at ESU. While as an undergraduate student, she was the founder of the Sister Circle for the Office of Multicultural Affairs and was an active member of the African-American Heritage Month Committee and the STAR Program, an initiative developed to provide comprehensive academic support to incoming first year students.  Ms. Wilson is a member of Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honor society, and Chi Alpha Epsilon, the national honor society for academic development.  She was also the recipient of various scholarships including the Gertrude Mary Smith Boddie Scholarship, the Warren E. Hoeffner Scholarship and the ESSA Bank and Trust Scholarship.

Ms. Wilson said she dedicated her work at ESU to her mother who “works tirelessly to create a better life for her family,” and to the change she wants to bring to the world for those who believe in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of social justice.

Ms. Wilson plans to pursue a master’s degree in public administration and hopes to obtain a jurisprudence doctorate. She is the daughter of Corretta Morris and Clive Wilson.

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