Jackson State University honors graduate Rodney Daniely was just a few months old when he attended his mother’s graduation, and 23 years later, she watched him receive his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in April 2018. Although Chernita Blackmon Daniely flirted with the idea of an abortion, she quickly abandoned the thought. She and her boyfriend, Rodney J. Daniely – who shares the same name as the child except the middle initial – agreed to do whatever it would take to successfully raise the child. Later, the couple would marry. After Chernita Daniely “mustered up the strength” to tell her mom about the unplanned pregnancy, she soon discovered the power of the “village” in helping to raise her son. That’s because JSU rallied to her support. Eventually, she would begin prenatal care, visiting doctors in Mississippi and her native Atlanta. Rodney was born in 1994 and instantly became part of JSU, with supporters nurturing the newborn by feeding him and changing his diaper...