University News

 

Shaniqua Walton Receives Gold Bars During Commissioning Ceremony

May 31, 2012 – Shaniqua Walton, a Shaw University student, was recently commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. Ms. Walton recited the Oath of Office and received her gold bars at a commissioning ceremony held during Shaw’s commencement weekend.

Second Lt. Walton, a native of Groton, Connecticut will be branching Signal Corps and stationed at Fort Drum, New York. During her commissioning ceremony, she recounted her first bus ride to Shaw University with “two duffle bags and a pillow,” and thanked her family and friends for supporting her educational journey. She also told her Shaw Bears and Falcon Battalion family that she will always keep them close to her heart.

Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Jones, a 1987 Shaw University graduate, was the featured speaker for the ceremony. He imparted several words of wisdom for Second Lt. Walton, including “to let her soldiers know how much she cared, rather than how much she knew,” and “to listen and gain insight from the knowledgeable non-commissioned officers who have served more years in the Army than she, as they would be willing to do whatever is necessary to help her.” Her parents, Jeannettia Hunt and Terry Walton pinned on her gold bars, while Army ROTC Senior Military Instructor Master Sergeant Marcus Macon conducted the First Salute. 

Second Lt. Walton received a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Shaw.