Editor s note: Rooted in history
I absolutely love the PBS show, “Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.” Gates, a Harvard professor, historian and filmmaker, hosts celebrities and helps them trace their genealogies back many generations.
It doesn’t matter to me who the celebrities are, I find the ancestral stories fascinating. Sometimes they discover histories that evoke pride. Often, they discover family members with unsavory pasts. No matter what is unearthed, the guests are always grateful to uncover their roots.
I’m lucky that I have my version of Gates in my family my Aunt Gladys. She and her daughter, Kathy, have spent countless hours researching the roots of our lineage. And even though she’s my dad’s sister, she dug into my mom’s family too. Last year, my sister took a lot of the information that was uncovered and made books for us. I treasure every scrap of detail about those who came before me.
December 18, 2020
The Michigan State University College of Nursing will be awarding degrees to 44 students during a virtual ceremony this weekend. Among them is Zach Collen, who is one of only four men in the graduating class. He told Michigan News Network his family is both proud and concerned about his chosen career during a pandemic.
“They’re happy that I’m graduating,” Collen said. “They know that I’ll be safe and I’ll do what I can, but they’re my family so they’ll always be here for me, no matter what I choose.”
In both 2018 and 2019, about 95% of MSU Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates went on to find jobs in the medical field. The MSU College of Nursing has about 7,500 living alumni, and more than 85% of them live in Michigan.