Nude Graduation Photo Shoot Prompts Florida A&M Investigation

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Florida A&M University is investigating after a student posted a graduation photo of her posing nude in front of the famed rattler statue Friday.

Terica Williams, 24, has received criticism on social media after she posted the photo on Instagram, showing Williams in a provocative pose wearing only red and gold high heels and a medusa-like headpiece with floor-length rattlesnakes.

The backlash brought the photo to the university's attention.

The university is aware of the picture taken and is currently investigating the incident," Dr. William Hudson Jr., vice president of student affairs, said in a news release Saturday.

Williams posted the photo to celebrate receiving her Master's in Counselor Education from the historically Black university and included a caption promoting acceptance and positivity.

"As I'm standing here with my Masters Degree at the tender age of 24, I am the living proof that clothes do not define you," Williams said. "I encouraged every body (sic) to embrace their bodies and step outside social norms."

The post has more than 44,000 likes and 9,000 comments.

In another post in which she's sporting an afro and wearing a Florida A&M sweatshirt and bell-bottom jeans, Williams, who goes by the handle tericastar on Instagram, shared her collegiate accomplishments and announced she was "joining the 2 percent of Black therapists."

Only 2 percent of psychiatrists and 4 percent of psychologists in the United States are Black, according to the American Psychiatric Association.