BATON ROUGE - Nearly 500 graduates at Southern University got their diplomas Friday morning.

It was a major milestone in the lives of the students. But some said along with graduating they were also excited to listen to the commencement speaker for their class.

"I was just really proud that he came to speak," said James Fontenot, who graduated with a degree in Business Management.

Governor-Elect John Bel-Edwards spoke about a brighter future for Louisiana and providing more opportunities for citizens.

"The weight of the word is heavy enough without wondering if working hard at your job will be enough to pay the bills," said Governor-Elect Bel Edwards.

Among Southern's graduates, 41 parishes, The District of Colombia, 12 states, and 7 countries were represented.