SOUTH BEND — When Kyle Akin enrolled at Holy Cross College, he wasn’t sure he’d succeed.

He has succeeded — beyond his wildest dreams. He’s achieved solid grades, a bachelor’s degree and friendships that will last a lifetime.

The greatest lesson Akin learned is confidence in himself.

“I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to make it in college,” said Akin, 23, who was born with cerebral palsy. He relies mostly on a wheelchair to get around.

He was among the students who graduated Saturday from Holy Cross College. The college awarded 32 bachelor’s degrees and 20 associate’s degrees.

Akin, a South Bend native, was a 2003 graduate of Washington High School.

“I was very shy and didn’t like high school,” he said. He didn’t have close friends and didn’t get involved in student activities. He was lukewarm about academics, graduating from high school with a 2.7 grade-point average.

He’s the son of Janice and David Akin of South Bend.

After high school, at his father’s suggestion, Akin visited the Holy Cross campus. He intended to go to college, but wasn’t sure he wanted to go very far away.

He found Holy Cross the perfect fit — living on campus allowed him to develop adult independence, but he was close enough to visit his family.

As a freshman, Akin kept a low profile. As a sophomore, he moved into a campus apartment with two roommates — Dave Bendel and Andy Buehl. Sharing a love of sports, the trio became fast friends. Bendel and Buehl helped draw Kyle out of his shell.

“They introduced me to other people. As I got comfortable with people, the more open I became,” Akin said. He started participating in student social events and making more friends.

“We really connected on sports. Now he’s got more friends than I do,” Buehl said.

Akin came to enjoy school, too. “I was more interested in my studies. I could see how it was going to help me in the future,” he said.

When Akin meets people, he can sense some initially don’t feel comfortable around him because of his wheelchair. He’ll often break the ice by making a joke about his disability. “Then I can tell they are starting to get comfortable,” he said.

In his own way, Akin shows new acquaintances he’s not much different than they are. He’s made many close friends among his classmates, both male and female.

Akin, an avid weightlifter, was a frequent visitor to the campus weight room and the athletic facility at neighboring Saint Mary’s College.

He worked an internship last summer for the South Bend Silver Hawks, and wants to pursue sports administration as a career. He’s considering graduate school.

“Whatever I set my mind to,” Akin said, “I can achieve it.”