Trayvon Martin's parents accept posthumous aeronautical science degree

The parents of a teen killed in 2012, sparking outrage when his shooter was acquitted, took the stage at Florida Memorial University's commencement in Miami Gardens today to accept an honorary degree for their son, WSVN reports.

Trayvon Martin's bachelor's degree in aeronautical science was bittersweet, his parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin said, but they were encouraged by the community's support.

"Just watching all the 2017 graduates come across the stage, and just to share that moment with them, it was very powerful," Martin said. Fulton is a graduate of Florida Memorial.

Earlier, the university said it was awarding the aeronautics degree, with a concentration in flight education, to Trayvon Martin "in honor of his love for planes and the steps he took during his young life toward becoming a pilot."

Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Sanford by George Zimmerman, who claimed self-defense on the grounds of a gated community in which Zimmerman and Martin's father's fiancee lived. Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder in 2013.

Cox Media Group