Clay Aiken Graduates UNC

The Associated Press reports ‘American Idol’ runner-up Clay Aiken graduated Saturday from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Aiken received a bachelor of arts degree in special education from UNCC’s College of Education during an afternoon ceremony at the school’s Halton Arena. “This has been an amazing year for me,” he said. “This is more special to me than a lot of the things that have happened to me this year, because what happens here today says something to people. This is a day that makes for all of us a statement … how important it is to persevere and continue to work and strive to succeed. Thank you for letting me be a part of this day. Congratulations and God bless. Thank you so much.”