Vicksburg native Terrence DeFrance had quite the graduation ceremony Monday at the Mississippi State Fire Academy.

Not only did the Vicksburg native graduate from the extensive seven-week training course at the academy to advance his career with the Madison Fire Department, he took another step — or knee — to advance his life.

Following the graduation ceremony, with very limited family members present, DeFrance proposed to his girlfriend, Virginia Donohue.

She said “yes.”

DeFrance is the son of Delorus and Carl DeFrance of Vicksburg. He is a 2014 graduate of Vicksburg High School and a 2018 graduate of Alcorn State University.

The seven-week course DeFrance completed included classroom and hands-on instruction in the areas of fire behavior, fire suppression, rescue, incident command, hazardous materials and other fire-related topics. The course meets and exceeds the National Fire Protection Association for Firefighter Qualifications and the uniform minimum training standards stated in the Mississippi Code section 45-11-7.

The Mississippi State Fire Academy is a division of the Mississippi Insurance Department, led by Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney.