Trayvon Martin would have been 22 years old this year, the age that most students graduate from college. He planned on attending the University of Miami or Florida A&M University, and hoped to one day become a pilot or an aviation mechanic. However, in 2012, at 17 years old, his dream was cut short when he was wrongfully targeted and fatally shot by a self-proclaimed neighborhood watchman.
On May 13, Florida Memorial University, the alma mater of Trayvon’s mother Sybrina Fulton, will honor Trayvon’s dream of flying by awarding him a posthumous Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation during its commencement ceremony. His parents, Fulton and Tracy Martin will accept the degree on his behalf.
“The University will confer upon Trayvon Martin a posthumous degree in Aeronautical Science with a concentration in Flight Education, in honor of the steps he took during his young life toward becoming a pilot,” said the school in a Facebook post.
In addition to taking summer classes at Florida Memorial University, a historically Black university in Miami Gardens, Florida, Trayvon also participated in several summer programs ran by Barrington Irving, the first Black pilot to fly around the world solo.
Florida Memorial University will also be holding a post-commencement fundraiser to support the Trayvon Martin Foundation and the school’s Department of Aviation and Safety.
Trayvon, we will always honor and remember your name and how it evoked in millions a call to action, including us. Rest in power.