Saturday, May 4, was a memorable day for the Pellissippi State Community College graduates. Yes, it was their graduation day, marking the accomplishment of their individual journeys, both personal and academic. It was also their opportunity to hear the inspirational story from one of their own alumni, Ruthie Lyons, 12 years to the day she had graduated from Pellissippi.
Ruthie Lyons is the owner of The Lyons Collective, a Knoxville real estate company. She not only sells real estate, but she also manages investment properties, and is about to send her own daughter to college.
Ruthie’s journey to the business entrepreneur she is today was the narrative of her graduation delivery to the graduates in May and could be an inspiration to anyone who heard it or reads some of it now.
Direct excerpts from the speech Ruthie Lyons delivered to graduates in May:
“Life really started for me back in 2005 when I heard these two words: YOU’RE PREGNANT! But let me take you back just a bit further than that. My college career started fresh out of high school in 2003. I enrolled at a four-year university just as my parents expected me to, but it was all short lived when I found myself as a college drop out after sophomore year because I got pregnant.
“You see, there’s never been anything traditional about me. I’ve always done things my own way, even if that led me down hard roads, with difficult lessons, and sometimes even heartbreak. I’ve always taken whatever life handed me in stride, found the lesson in it and somehow managed to keep myself forward moving. If I must name one of my best qualities, it would be that I always finish what I started. It may take me a long time, but it’s always going to get done.
“I worked to pay off some debt to my former University so I could get my transcript released and enroll in Pellissippi.
“I worked diligently as a full-time employee, wife, mother and part time student. It felt like I was in school forever, but I kept my tenacity about myself and often reminded myself, ‘This will all be over soon, just keep pushing. Keep on. You must finish what you started.’
“I dug deep and pushed myself because I was afraid of missing out on what I could be, or all that I could have, if I quit. I always wanted to experience all the best that life had waiting for me, so I was willing to do the work so my preparation could meet opportunity.
“PSCC graduation day came and went, and I went on to pursue my bachelor’s at a local University. I graduated with honors and worked in corporate America until 2018 when I started my own wildly successful real estate business, and the rest is history.
“I know for many of you, your journey to this point has been anything but easy, and I’m sure you know by now that there’s nothing that comes out of quitting except knowing that you didn’t finish. But if you don’t take anything else from me this morning, I hope you remember this:
“Finishing what you start isn’t just about reaching the destination, it’s about the journey. It’s about those difficulties that find you and force you to level up so you can be shaped into the best version of you that your future self needs and your family needs. Don’t skip the process. Don’t cut corners. Embrace adversity that finds you. Find the silver lining in it.
“Some of you are headed into the work force to forge your path, while others might be going on to pursue a higher degree. Whatever it is you choose to do, don’t leave a stone unturned, a T uncrossed or a project incomplete. Whatever it is, GO ALL IN! I’m not one to bet, but I will always bet on this, you will NEVER ever regret finishing what you started.
“Now go out there and make us all remember who you are!”
About speaking to the graduating class, Ruthie, says, “What an honor this was, and my 27-year-old self would be so proud of who she’s become. Thank God for opportunity.”
Pellissippi State Community College is a public community college based in Knox and Blount counties in Tennessee and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. The college operates four campuses: Hardin Valley, Blount County, Strawberry Plains and Magnolia Avenue.
