Dalon Coleman is getting ready to walk into his future after four years of undergraduate studies at UL.
"I'm going to be excited about it," Coleman said. "It's going to be surreal . . . a long time coming to be the first person to graduate."
Coleman is the first person in his family to go to college.
He said the pressure was on to do a good job.
For Coleman, there was never a question of IF he was going to go to college because he had the support of his family.
"My mom stressed the point of going to college," Coleman said. "Being a black man and the importance of education and putting it first--that's what stuck out to me the most and that's why I valued it so much."
Getting to this point was not easy for Coleman. He credits the backing of his family and a special person he met at UL with his continued success.
"When I got to college I met Mr. Matt Miles," Coleman said. "That was the first person I met on campus. He was a very prominent figure on campus. African-American male. Someone I could look up to and someone I could talk to. He guided me on my journey here at UL."
Even though his road to that undergraduate degree in mass communications is coming to an end, Coleman said he still has a ways to go.
"I have a younger sister who is a about to graduate high school and she wants to go to college," Coleman said. "I have to set a good example for her going forward. "
Coleman knows that his sister will have to make her own decisions. He does hope that his accomplishments can set a good foundation for her in the future.
"Giving her someone to look up to and seeing that you can go to college, you can do it, and it's not impossible."
