Born with the medical condition hydrocephalus, also referred to as “water on the brain,” he has lived for the last two decades with an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the cavities of his brain.

Now 23, Henry Guion surpassed the life expectancy of those diagnosed with the rare disease and astonished many by receiving a bachelor’s degree in communications during commencement exercises recently at South Carolina State University.

Guion first learned of his medical condition in the third grade when his shunt backed up with fluid and was in dire need of replacement.

With his grades plummeting due to numerous procedures and recovery time, he said his mother Stephanie Brown-Guion reminded him how important it was to study and “do well in school”

He said his mother would often say to him, “just because you have hydrocephalus is no excuse as to why you can’t do well.”

Making sure he had no excuses, Guion put a plan of action in place.

After the doctors told his parents there was a 50/50 chance he would die before age 12, Guion resolved to graduate high school and become a cross country runner.

“Having hydrocephalus doesn’t affect my everyday life at all. I feel like a normal person doing normal things,” he said.

The honor graduate joined more than 200 undergraduate and graduate students and their families during the university’s fall Commencement Convocation in the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.

Addressing the audience during his first commencement exercises as president, Thomas J. Elzey said “This is a great prelude to the holiday season.

“Thank you graduates for choosing South Carolina State University. We are counting on you to go forth as ambassadors and recruiters of this institution. Remember that in everything you do, you will represent us.”

Delivering an unorthodox commencement address, Kelly Wright opened up with a rendition of Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll Be Free,” quoted rapper Jay-Z, seldom stood behind the podium and snapped a few photos of the graduating class.

Wright, an Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist and Fox News reporter, told the audience that nothing was ordinary about his start to life.

Wright shared the story of his mother’s rape at age 16 by a pastor. He was the product of that rape.

Speaking from the topic “The Power of You,” Kelly urged the graduates to look at “what’s in your hands. … You have to the tools to become great. Let it work through you.”

“Where there ain’t no job, you create a job. Where there ain’t no deal, you bring the deal, because corporate America is not going to comfort you, they will confront you with greater challenges,” he said.

Wright reminded the graduates that mothers, fathers, teachers, mentors or “someone who stepped into your life and made your dream their dream, they diligently labored to get you to this point. Now the sky is the limit.” Read More.