“Seeing my name on that degree was like holding a weight in my own hands.”

The weight Kaelin Bridges felt as he received his Bachelor of Science in Supply Chain Management was the culmination of personal growth, collegiate experiences and the start of a legacy.

In 2012, his mentor and Tuskegee alumna, Wendy Felton, invited him and his parents to the university’s homecoming to get a feel of the campus culture. He left knowing that he would soon enroll but not realizing how his life would change over the next four years.

“I fell in love with the campus and the rich history of the school itself,” Kaelin said.

The supply chain management major thrived academically and socially while participating in the Freshman Year Dorm Step Team, TU Pre Alumni Council, SAP Club, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated.

Attending a history black university, a.k.a. an HBCU, also helped shape him and give him an appreciation of his culture, history and a perspective of the future he hopes to see. The bright and like-minded individuals who looked like him and strived to be successful were like fuel to his fire.

“It gave me a perspective that we are all in this together and the best way to succeed for everyone is to stick together,” Kaelin said.

Furthermore, Tuskegee gave him a heightened sense of family away from home and an opportunity to see the love other African Americans had for each other.

Kaelin now works in procurement as a buyer and storeroom manager for Georgia-Pacific in Memphis, TN. He was offered an internship with the company at a career fair while at Tuskegee and was offered a full-time position after completing it. In the future, he hopes to use the skills he’s learning to operate his own business.

Looking back on his undergraduate career and current professional status, he knows that God made everything possible. Kaelin keeps Psalms 91 handy as it reminds him that God is faithful and promises to guide him.

Along with God’s help, Kaelin’s family has been his backbone through it all. They were the sole reason he wanted to attend college and become the first of many grandchildren to earn a college degree.

The work he has done and continues to do is only the beginning of a flourishing legacy.