What started out as a personal challenge to prove something to herself after returning to the classroom for the first time in almost 20 years has led early childhood development major Alexia Layton to not only walk the stage during the Fall 2025 graduation ceremony, but also deliver the commencement speech.
Early Childhood Development Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor, Trena Rider nominated Layton. “During a meeting together, she said, ‘Someday, I’m going to be standing on that stage as the speaker.’ Whenever I saw her name on the graduation list, it was time to make that happen for her,” Rider said.
Layton said her journey back to school came with its own challenges. “There was such a gap in technology,” she said. “I haven’t been in school since the early 2000s and had to learn how to navigate a computer.” Despite those obstacles, Layton said her time at Amarillo College included moments that reshaped her confidence, and one class in particular stood out. “In composition, our professor Kim Shreffler had us listen to a TED talk over grit. Shortly after that, it occurred to me that this can be done.”…