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Four University of North Georgia (ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿) students have been selected as student speakers for their respective commencement ceremonies this May. They are:

• May 14, 10 a.m. — Jackson Effiom
• May 14, 3 p.m. — Sarah Miller
• May 15, 10 a.m. — Dulce Sumano
• May 15, 7 p.m. — Andre Gonzales

Effiom, a Riverdale, Georgia, resident, is earning a degree in communication with a concentration in public relations. He is a first-generation American whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Cameroon in the 1990s. Effiom is vice president of ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿'s chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, a communication honor society, and a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America.

He will be graduating over a year early and hopes to provide support and encouragement to his fellow graduates.

"I believe that there is a relatability factor of struggle. Victory stories my peers and I have experienced have driven me to relay the message of how students can overcome the odds with the support ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ provides," Effiom said. "We do not carry our belief. Our belief carries us. I believe that every person who decides to seek and complete their journey may come into their field with a gap, but it is ultimately up to us to fill that gap. I owe all my glory to God."

Miller, who is from Blue Ridge, Georgia, began her time at ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ as a dual enrollment student her junior year of high school and will graduate with a degree in biology. She has served as a resident assistant and been active in undergraduate research, recently winning the Best Essay Award at the 2025 Annual Research Conference. Miller is also a member of the Honors Program.

This fall, she will begin the clinical neuropsychology Ph.D. program at Georgia State University. Miller's research with Dr. Miriam Segura, professor of biology and Harry B. Forester Eminent Scholars Chair, has been pivotal in Miller's ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ journey.

"This experience, more than all the others, changed the trajectory of my entire life, as it showed me that I was curious and passionate, that those are good things, and that I can use those attributes to make the world a better place," Miller said. "These efforts gave me the honor of being an award-winning writer and researcher."

Sumano, an Auburn, Georgia, resident, is earning a degree in elementary and special education. She immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico as a child. Sumano is part of the College of Education Ambassadors program. She is also a recipient of the IME-BECAS scholarship, which is funded by the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta and the ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ Foundation. The scholarship program weaves in elements of community service, monthly leadership development training, and faculty and staff mentoring for the students.

"As a young girl of immigrant parents, I always thought of helping people and making a difference in their lives. Now, I will get to make a difference as a teacher,” Sumano said. "I am blessed to say that I am in a country filled with opportunities and that dreams do come true, when we persevere and work hard."

Gonzales, a first-generation immigrant from Peru, is graduating with a Master of Accountancy. He previously earned the Cottrell Master of Business Administration, a graduate certificate in cybersecurity and a bachelor's degree in computer science from ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿. Gonzales works as an internal auditor at Wayne Sanderson Farms.

"I want to speak to the students who may have doubted themselves, but never stopped showing up. I came to ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ as a young immigrant with zero knowledge of my future. I am leaving with four degrees," Gonzales said. "That transformation wasn't easy, and it wasn't something I accomplished alone. Along the way, I found professors, mentors and classmates who believed in me and challenged me."