“My family has been incredibly supportive of completing my education,” Cunningham said. “Without them and the wonderful help from my instructors and the staff at the college, I would never have made it. I appreciate all that has been sacrificed on my behalf and plan to show my gratitude by succeeding.”

Cunningham’s journey hasn’t been easy. Expelled from school for fighting and later placed in a training school, he dropped out and went to work. But the desire to finish what he had started never went away. Encouraged by his wife, April, he enrolled in MGCCC’s Adult Education program and committed himself to the challenge.

He was honored alongside other adult learners at the Adult Education Graduation Ceremony in May at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, where his wife and four daughters proudly watched him cross the stage.

Now equipped with his high school equivalency diploma, Cunningham is preparing to begin a new chapter with a job at the Port of Gulfport. “This job has a great pension, good insurance, and an opportunity for advancement,” he said. “I am looking forward to what the future holds.”

For Cunningham, completing his education has been more than a personal goal—it’s been a promise to his family and a powerful example to others that determination and support can change the course of your life.