Celebrating Graduates
We honor graduates' strength, perseverance, and resilience as they attain their degrees. We celebrate their successes and triumphs, and we acknowledge those who supported them along the way.
A shared triumph.
A graduate’s journey is not one made alone. From homework sessions with Dad to Mom’s love and encouragement—plus Grandma’s thoughtful snacks at just the right moment—it takes a lot of support to graduate. We honor all those who uplift their students and share in their success.
Meet the graduates.
To celebrate their journeys and those who have helped them achieve their academic successes, we sat down with recent graduates to explore the roles family and community support play in attaining a degree.
Jourdan Bolton
Spelman College
I come from a single-parent household, and my mom always told me that she wished she had completed her degree so things may have been easier for us. She is my biggest supporter. I had a tough time my first semester, and my mom and my aunt showed up a lot for me emotionally. I wouldn’t have gotten through it without them.
Althee Bolton, Jourdan’s mother:
I would try to speak optimistically to her about the mistakes that I made. I would listen to her and help her navigate the best way to get to where she’s trying to go in life. I would let her know that she’ll have good days, and she’ll have bad days but the bad ones will be fleeting and the good ones will always be really good.
Qemari Thompson
Bethune-Cookman University
My mom was my biggest supporter. Nursing school was not easy on me, and she had my back through thick and thin. She kept saying, “You have to keep going. You can’t give up.” And of course, Ms. Bonner. She helped me figure out financial aid and how to actually get my degree. I was under her wing since 2018, and we developed a niece-aunt bond.
Davita Bonner, Qemari’s college advisor:
Qemari came with a passion. She knew what she wanted to do, and she involved herself in everything that would help her. All the organizations she joined, her commitment to community service, her compassion for others and ability to communicate effectively with them—those were all her strengths. I just offered nuggets of advice and encouraged her further.
Jalen Bertrand
Florida A&M University
They say it takes a village, but your village is not just your family. Upton has done so much for me. He’s made sure that I’m taken care of, always going that extra step for me. If I needed support in some way at school, dealing with a teacher, he was always able to give me guidance, helping me mature mentally.
Upton Fisher, Jalen’s mentor:
It’s always scary, encountering new challenges in life, especially if you have to figure them out by yourself. So if I can get resources to somebody and I can walk them through the steps, they don’t have to face it alone. It’s one of those things where I feel like I cleared a lot of obstacles for Jalen.
Start a career at Publix.
We welcome all graduates to explore our careers page and apply for positions across corporate, manufacturing, retail, pharmacy, and distribution.
Celebrate your grad’s accomplishment.
You know how hard your graduate worked, and you want them to know how proud you are.
We’re here to help you celebrate this memorable family milestone.
Decorated cakes.
Celebrate your graduate with a custom decorated cake. Our cake designers will help choose other perfect dessert options.
Catering.
All that studying has made them hungry. Want to celebrate their achievement with their favorite foods? We can help.
Floral.
You’re blooming with pride. Honor your graduate with special-order flowers and arrangements. Browse our floral selection.