Grads rise to the challenge

BY JEFF BRANSCOME

The University of Mary Washington is graduating 1,201 students during its 99th commencement.

The university's graduate school in Stafford County held its ceremony yesterday, and undergraduates will don their caps and gowns this morning at Ball Circle.

Here are some snapshots of some of UMW's interesting graduates:

Asmar Shabazz, 39, Stafford County

HIS STORY: Asmar Shabazz feels lucky to be alive, let alone receive his master's degree.

His father and an older brother were shot in separate incidents in his native Detroit. Another brother died from a congenital heart defect in 1990. And his mother passed away from cancer when he was just 13.

Less than a year ago, Shabazz endured another unthinkable tragedy. His 21-year-old son, Terrence Harris, was killed in an automobile accident.

Despite it all, Shabazz received his master's degree in business administration last night from the University of Mary Washington's graduate school in Stafford County.

He said he couldn't have done it without his siblings, who raised him after his mother died.

"Everybody comes across some trials and tribulations, and you just have to find the strength within to keep going."HIS QUOTE: "There's always somebody out there that may have it just a little bit harder. And if they can get through it, then so can you."

WHAT'S NEXT? Shabazz, who is director of command and staff at the Washington Navy Yard, plans to finish a book about his life titled, "If I Could Fly Away." He'll also spend time with his wife and two children and continue the North Stafford Wolverines Youth Football Association, which he founded in 2003.

David Dutton, 22, Bealeton

HIS STORY: David Dutton was born deaf, but he refuses to use his disability as an excuse.

At the University of Mary Washington, Dutton started an American Sign Language Club called "Talk to the Hand." He also successfully lobbied the administration to accept ASL credits earned at other schools as foreign language credits at UMW, which doesn't currently offer sign language courses.

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