Campus Life | April 19th, 2025

From Struggles to Success: FAMU Transfer Student Defies the Odds to Graduate

By: Charrise Lane

Joshua Moraine a Graduating senior and transfer student has had quite a journey since the start of pursuing his undergraduate degree.

Moraine, originally from Orlando, Florida, began his college career in 2019 at Valencia College. In 2022, he transferred to Tallahassee State College (formerly Tallahassee Community College), where he earned his Associate of Arts degree. Later that year, he transferred again — this time to Florida A&M University.

Throughout his undergraduate experience, Moraine said he has faced a number of trials and tribulations but has remained determined to complete his degree.

Trials and Tribulations

In 2022, Moraine initially applied to the communications program at Florida State University but was denied admission.

“After being denied at FSU, I chose FAMU because it was another option in Tallahassee,” Moraine said. “When I first got into the public relations program, it was very hectic. I felt like because I put all my eggs in one basket to go to FSU, I wasn’t fully prepared to complete the degree requirement. Coming to FAMU, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. They didn’t have the degree that I wanted.”

Moraine said he struggled with finding the right major and mapping out a plan to graduation.

“I had to kind of find a way to distinguish what courses I wanted to take and what degree lined up with those courses,” he said.

Transferring his credits presented another major hurdle.

“The hard times came with them accepting my transcript and all my transfer credits,” Moraine said. “Also, understanding that some of my requirements for my AA did not align with the requirements for my bachelor’s degree.”

Moraine explained that many of his general education courses weren’t accepted and that he was given an outdated 2017 course curriculum guide. He later learned that the public relations curriculum had been under review in fall 2022, but said that information was not disclosed to him until after the semester had started.

When the curriculum eventually changed, Moraine had to adjust. He was required to follow the new course outline, which meant completing classes that weren’t covered under his AA degree.

Despite the challenges, Moraine has chosen to persevere and embrace the journey. He said that despite the curriculum change, he is grateful for it..

Mentor Speaks Favorably

John Tornes, former academic program coordinator for FAMU’s School of Journalism & Graphic Communication, met Moraine in 2023. He spoke highly of Moraine’s initiative and leadership.

“Mr. Moraine has always been very inquisitive and has always been the type to challenge things just to make sure he has a full understanding, so that he can know how to navigate the situation,” Tornes said.

Tornes credited Moraine for identifying many of the struggles transfer students face, ultimately inspiring the creation of the Transfer Student Association within the journalism school.

“Whether it was academic programming, student organizations, capstone or how many articles transfer students should complete since they’re only here for two years, there were a lot of things that were put on the table that he initiated,” Tornes said. “He was instrumental in some of the challenges that we decided to tackle.”

Tornes also commended Moraine’s attention to detail and work ethic.

“With him being a PR major, it comes natural to him in terms of organization and structure and how things look,” Tornes said. “He’s very, very, very anal — if you will — when it comes to how things look. But it’s a good thing. He’s very detailed.”

Transfer Student Facts

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, approximately 37% of college students transfer at least once during their academic careers. Among community college students who intend to transfer, only about 32% follow through, and of all transfer students, roughly 49% complete their bachelor’s degree within six years.

At FAMU, the transfer acceptance rate is 47.52%, according to CampusReel, a college data and planning platform. In 2019, the university accepted 708 out of 1,490 transfer applicants.

Despite the obstacles, Moraine is proud of how far he’s come and hopes his story encourages other transfer students to stay the course.