BATON ROUGE — Hundreds of students graduated from Southern University on Friday, including Caleb Wilson, who was one of two students awarded a posthumous degree. 

Over 600 students graduated from the university over the course of two commencement ceremonies, with cadets in ROTC programs being recognized for their commission and assignments to the U.S. military. 

This year, the university awarded two posthumous degrees. One to Caleb Wilson, a mechanical engineering major, who died as a result of a hazing incident where he was allegedly punched in the chest before collapsing, and another to Kavon Barnhill, a nursing major, who died after being involved in a car crash in St. John the Baptist Parish. 

The degrees, accepted by the families of the two students, were awarded in recognition of the students' academic achievements. 

Biology major and softball player Calli Schell served as the Chief Student Marshal after maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA.