HOUSTON – Angelo Canty’s road to graduation at Texas Southern University (TSU) didn’t come with a map, but it came with a whole lot of grit.
Once told he’d either end up dead or in jail by 18, Canty flipped that script and wrote a new one: 2025 Valedictorian. 4.0 GPA. Proud dad. Army vet. Comeback king.
He grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, where being recruited into a gang in elementary school was, unfortunately, part of his story. After a rough start at Benedict College — and we mean rough (we’re talking a 0.2 GPA… not a typo). Canty was forced to leave after just one year.
Then came the Army. Nine years of discipline, order, and life experience. But it wasn’t until a 2019 trip to Houston for TSU‘s homecoming that something clicked. Something about the vibe — the energy, the community — felt right.
“I have my oldest daughter about to graduate high school… if I’m gonna push college to her, I have to have my college degree as well,” he said. “I didn’t do what I was supposed to the first time… so I had to set that example."
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So, mid-pandemic, he and his wife packed up and hit reset. New city. New school. New chapter. By 2021, they were both enrolled at TSU — a dynamic duo taking on higher education like it was a buddy movie with textbooks.
Now? He’s valedictorian.
Enrolling at TSU turned out to be a game changer. Unlike his past college experience (where “not going to class” was a lifestyle), this time, the structure clicked.
“Coming to TSU... it definitely changed my life. Made me a better man, a better person, a better father and husband,” he said.
There was something different here. Canty didn’t just go to class, he connected. The professors weren’t just grading papers, they were building people up.
“The family orientation that (TSU) has and having professors that actually cared — that‘s what helped me accomplish my goals.”
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He wasn’t just learning, he was leading. With years of military discipline in his back pocket, Canty became the unofficial big brother (or cool uncle?) of the classroom.
“Just being that example, just showing up every day... I was always that, I’m going to say, father figure to them, because I’m older than them.”
From a 0.2 GPA dropout to a straight-A valedictorian, his glow-up is more academic than TikTok, but just as impressive. He’s already locked in a job as a P.E. teacher at Cleveland ISD, and he’s not stopping there—he’s got his eyes on the principal’s office.
“That‘s why I want to be a teacher to continue helping the younger generation, and all that discipline and leadership I’ve learned is what I want to share with them.”
Canty also plans to stick around in spirit so he’s joining TSU‘s alumni chapter and staying plugged in to the community that helped shape his comeback.
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“I’m definitely joining the alumni chapter... My oldest daughter, she’s graduating a week after me. She didn’t want to come to TSU — she doesn’t like the heat — so she’s going to Clark Atlanta. Still an HBCU, so kudos to her.”
So what‘s the takeaway? That no matter where you start or how many detours you take it‘s never too late to reroute.
TSU wasn’t just a college for Canty; it was a lifeline. A fresh start. And this time, he didn’t just show up... he showed out even at 36 years old.
Texas Southern University‘ graduation will be held on Friday May 9th at 9am.
