Several beach balls popped into the air as the last of more than 300 graduating Charleston Southern University students walked across the stage Saturday at North Charleston Coliseum.

The students received associate's, bachelor's or master's degrees. Four were commissioned into the U.S. Air Force.

Eric Conklin, 43, was one of 18 students to earn a master's in business administration.

His three children, ages 7, 6 and 3, sat in the audience cheering for their father. The family hung together through some tough times in the past few years, so Saturday's celebration was welcome, Conklin said.

He was a few classes short of finishing his degree when he was forced to put school on hold in 2003. His wife was struggling with mental health problems, so Conklin had to focus his time and energy on his job and taking care of his children.

"Everything came to a screeching halt," he said.

Then last June, he was laid off from his job as a systems analyst. But "what would be a bad thing turned out to be a good thing," he said.

He was having a hard time finding a job, so he returned to school.

Now that he's finished, he plans to look for a job again. But this time, he'll have a master's degree in hand.

Before the ceremony Saturday, Conklin said he'd already updated his resume.

He and his fellow graduates listened to Gov. Mark Sanford, the speaker at Saturday's commencement, who encouraged them to become high-quality leaders. The country needs more effective leaders, he said.

"The crisis of our time is leadership," he said.

But to lead effectively, he said, people must work toward completing their God-given mission.

"God put you here for a reason," Sanford said.

Now that they are graduating, students must get clear on what their missions are, then work toward fulfilling them, he said.

"Live your dream, not what someone else says your dream should be. If it's not your dream, you'll never have passion for it," he said.

He also told students that in any field, it's important to be persistent and to serve others.

"In life," he said, "you will be judged on what you do with what you have. ... Be all you can be. That's a far cry from just saying 'whatever.'?"

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.