Keunte Hill inspires others on his journey to Commencement.
Most seniors at the University of Mississippi get hugs and congratulations when they cross the graduation stage. Keunte Hill got a hallway full of cheering, smiling faces.
Hill, a general studies major at Ole Miss and full-time father and husband, has for the last year also been mentor, inspiration and a listening ear to students at Lafayette Upper Elementary School, where he works as a custodian. On Wednesday (May 10), those students lined the hallways to cheer and congratulate him on earning his bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in marketing.
“His comment after – he was a little teary-eyed – he said, ‘I think that’s going to be better than walking the stage at graduation,” said Janine Lee, the school’s vice principal. “We hoped that his journey would encourage students – no matter where they are in life. Everybody has an opportunity to reach their hopes and dreams.”
Hill’s path to education was paved with hard work and determination to succeed, despite the odds. Now, the 32-year-old wants to be an inspiration to others.
“I want people to understand that if you think you can’t do it, you can,” Hill said. “If you think you’re too busy or too old to go back to school or to make a better life for your kids, you’re not. If I can do it, then yes, you can.”
As a child growing up in Oxford, Hill had no structure in his young life, often staying out later than he should and getting into trouble, he said. In high school, Hill was moved to the Palmer Home for Children, where he would spend the next three years.
“Before I went to Palmer, I wasn’t focused on school,” he said. “I was a class clown, and I needed direction. Structure is one of the most important things I needed, and that’s where I got it.”
While at the orphanage, Hill spent time helping the younger children, playing with them and talking them through hard times.
“I’ve always had a love for children, and I’ve always wanted to be an inspiration for them,” he said. “If I see kids going down the wrong path – doing the things I did – I’m calling them out.”
After graduating from Victory Christian Academy, Hill worked for 11 years as a custodian at The Inn at Ole Miss, where he met Andy Paul, former head of maintenance at the hotel. Hill credits Paul and his sister-in-law, Visa Cleveland, with convincing him to attend classes at Ole Miss.
Over the next 10 years, Paul would encourage Hill to go back to school, to work hard and to keep his grades up. Paul said he treated Hill like he treated his own children, pushing him to succeed.
“There was just something about him,” Paul said. “I could tell he was worth it, and he could do more than he thought he could, and I told him that. I said, ‘You don’t give yourself enough credit. Go back to school and surprise yourself.'”
Over time, Paul said the young boy who was always running late became a man – shirt tucked in, a smile on his face and always ready to help.
“He’s just a good-hearted kid that got thrown to the wolves early,” Paul said. “He broke the mold, and he’s come a long way. I told him the other day, ‘I’m just as proud of you as I am my daughter.'”
During a meeting of Men of Excellence, a university group that works to bridge the opportunity gap for men of color at Ole Miss, Hill met EJ Edney, assistant vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion.
“Keunte really found me,” Edney said. “Not every student I meet is asking how to juggle work and school and having enough energy to go home to your family at night. He was a pretty special case.”
Over the next few years, Hill said Edney would always ask how he was doing, checking in to see if Hill needed anything.
“His work ethic, his dedication is just too good of a story to not be told,” Edney said. “He has too much to offer, and he is an example of what Mississippi has to offer.”
“His work ethic, his dedication is just too good of a story to not be told. He has too much to offer, and he is an example of what Mississippi has to offer.”
— EJ Edney, assistant vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion
Hill married his then-girlfriend, Jessica, and had a brown-eyed baby boy, Kason. Jessica Hill, a UM graduate student earning her master’s degree in higher education, will graduate with her husband this weekend.
Having a child only pushed him harder to succeed, Hill said.
“He’s always going to have his parents,” he said. “I didn’t always have that, but he’s going to. If I can’t give him anything else, I’m going to give him my time.”
Kason is 5 years old and will celebrate graduating pre-school this year, the same year his father and mother celebrate graduating from Ole Miss.
Paul said he will be in the crowd watching.
“I have two graduations this weekend,” said Paul, who plans to attend his daughter’s graduation Friday at Mississippi State University and Hill’s graduation Saturday.
“I wouldn’t miss either one of them for the world.”
By Clara Turnage, University Marketing & Communications
