UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Schools across the district in Union County are honoring young lives cut short by violence.
Channel 9 told you a year ago about a push for Union County Public Schools to recognize students who had died before they could graduate, and Union County Reporter Gina Esposito got a look at some of the touching tributes in this year’s ceremonies.
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- Mothers push for deceased students to be honored at Union County graduations
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At Monroe High School’s graduation ceremony on Monday, kind words were displayed for an aspiring nurse who never got to fulfill her dreams.
“Nevaeh Carter was a bright soul ... adored by her classmates,” the message read.
Police in Charlotte say Carter was killed in a drive-by shooting in May 2025.
“They had a chair with her picture and a cap and gown on it and her friends cheered her greatly,” said Tina Sykes-Mosley, the founder of M.A.R.C.U.S. “Some of them had pictures of her on their cap on their stoles, it was just really remarkable, it was a joy, it absolutely was.”
Sykes-Mosley founded Mothers Advocating for Real Change and Unwavering Support, and she fought for students like Carter to be honored at graduation. She partnered with a grieving Porter Ridge mom last year after her son’s name couldn’t be read aloud at graduation.
She spoke in front of the Union County Board of Education, which led the superintendent and the district to make changes to the graduation guidelines.
“I’m just glad that they listened,” she said.
Now, moments like this can happen.
“Messiah Barrino was an important part of this class,” said a message in Monroe.
Monroe Middle School honored the 12-year-old boy who died in a drive-by shooting in 2024, and presented his mother, Danielle Blount, with a certificate of attendance.
Blount lost another son, Kemauri, to gun violence earlier this year. South Providence High School also honored him.
Sykes-Mosley says those efforts make a big difference.
“For the school system to honor her children in this way, it’s important,” she said. “It’s important to hear her children’s names, it’s important to hear cheers and love that their classmates gave them.”
The district did not honor 13-year-old Loyalti Allah, who would’ve graduated from Monroe High School this year. She died the summer before she could start her freshman year. Sykes-Mosley says she will honor Loyalti at the “Community in Motion” walk this Saturday at the Union County Sheriff’s Office.