A Lifelong Bond Leads to Matching Engineering Master’s Degrees on The Hill

On a spring Saturday on The Hill, two lifelong friends crossed the stage together once again, completing a journey that began in the classrooms of Ozark and culminated at Alabama A&M University.

Deitrich Keon Edwards Jr. and Keyon McKinnon have never known an academic path without each other. From Mixon Elementary to D.A. Smith Middle School, once Ozark’s segregated high school until 1970, to Carroll High School, their story has been defined by steady, shared progress. This weekend, that bond carried them to a new milestone as both men earned Master of Engineering degrees in Systems and Materials Engineering.

Their achievement is both deeply personal and nationally significant. Across the country, African American men remain underrepresented at the graduate level. According to national education data, Black men account for a small fraction of degrees awarded each year, often less than 5 percent of all recipients. At Alabama A&M, the narrative looks different. The Class of 2026 included 47 percent Black men, reflecting a culture that continues to expand access and achievement.

That impact is also reflected in the University’s academic strength. According to newly released data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Alabama A&M is now the third largest producer of African American graduates with baccalaureate degrees in engineering, trailing only Georgia Institute of Technology and Kennesaw State University. For Edwards and McKinnon, that reputation played a role in their decision.

“We’ve always pushed each other,” Edwards said. “From the time we were kids, it was understood that whatever one of us was aiming for, the other wasn’t far behind. Alabama A&M gave us the chance to turn that into something great.”

Their choice to attend AAMU came after weighing options between two HBCUs. Keon and Keyon ultimately chose Alabama A&M because it offered the right distance and the right opportunity.

“The other school felt too close to home,” McKinnon said. “I wanted something that challenged me to grow. Deitrich and I became set on A&M for engineering because it just made sense.”

McKinnon had initially planned to enter the military immediately after high school. Instead, he joined his friend in Huntsville and later enlisted in the National Guard during his second semester to support his education. That decision allowed him to continue his studies while building a foundation for his future.

By their senior year, the path ahead extended even further when Keon brought up the idea of graduate school. Once again, the two moved in tandem, applying to Alabama A&M’s Systems Engineering program and receiving acceptance at the same time.

“It wasn’t even a long conversation,” McKinnon said. “When he said he was thinking about it, I was already thinking about it too.”

Now, their paths begin to branch professionally, even as the foundation they built together remains intact. McKinnon has accepted a position with a military defense company in Arizona and will begin work later this summer. Edwards is exploring engineering opportunities connected to the military sector while continuing his work in the automotive manufacturing industry.

For both men, the moment represents more than individual success. It reflects the environments that shaped them and the expectations they carried forward.

“AAMU showed us what’s possible when you stay focused,” Edwards said. “We didn’t just come here to get degrees. We came here to build something that lasts.”

From classrooms in Ozark to graduate degrees on The Hill, their story is one of alignment, persistence, and shared vision, and a reminder that the path forward can be even more powerful when it is walked together.