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.

2026-05-11T12:00:00-08:00Deitrich Keon Edwards Jr. and Keyon McKinnon/_images/friends.story.1.pngA Lifelong Bond Leads to Matching Engineering Master’s Degrees on The HillALifelong Bond Leads to Matching Engineering Master’s Degrees on The Hillhttps://www.aamu.edu/about/inside-aamu/news/from-kindergarten-to-masters.html