Former Convict Gives Graduation Speech

University of Maryland officials are handing out 7,145 diplomas this spring. More than 5,200 of them are undergraduate degrees.

English major Dwayne Betts is receiving another honor, being selected as the only student to deliver a speech at Thursday night's commencement ceremony.

"My journey began the moment my life became a derailed train headed toward state penitentiary," Betts told his classmates, their friends, family and university faculty and staff.

A 28-year-old married father of a toddler son, Betts was sentenced to nine years in prison for an armed carjacking in northern Virginia when he was 16.

"I was always a reader and I was always a student," Betts told FOX 5 shortly before receiving his diploma. "I never was really a criminal. I just made one of those tragic mistakes that could alter your life forever."

Instead, Betts served his time, enrolled at Prince George's Community College, and then transferred to the University of Maryland on a full tuition scholarship.

"The reason why I'm here today is there were a number of people willing to give me a chance, who were willing to say 'no' to the voices that said I wasn't good enough," Betts explains. "To say 'no' to the voices that said I didn't deserve a chance."

See my complete report on Dwayne Betts' remarkable life story by clicking on the video tab.