Under rain-filled Atlanta clouds, President Barack Obama delivered the Morehouse College commencement speech to 500 proud graduates on Sunday afternoon.

In a rare moment, President Obama spoke sincerely to the class of 2013 about his embattled youth, his hopes and expectations for the graduates and his own perception of fatherhood.

“I sure wish I had had a father who was not only present, but involved… And so my whole life, I’ve tried to be for Michelle and my girls what my father wasn’t for my mother and me,” President Obama said.

President Obama urged the graduates to maintain the exceptional standards of Morehouse men of the past and honor the historic legacy they carry with them. The president also profoundly claimed that there were “no longer any room for excuses” for the modern black man, but especially for those under Morehouse tutelage.

During President Obama’s address, he made specific mention of Morehouse alumni, Leland Shelton. Shelton was taken from his mother at 4 years old by the state and dealt with a difficult adolescence, as a 14-year old in foster care. However, he overcame his early struggles to graduate Morehouse with honors and earn acceptance to Harvard Law School.

President Obama stood at the podium as a shining example of each graduate’s potential. The graduates were both humbled and inspired by the global hero and icon in their presence.

LeMicah Levert, son of Gerald Levert and grandson Eddie Levert, was a member of the graduating class and was elated to have President Obama at the ceremony.

“President Obama’s speech just confirmed for me how great a guy he was…I was blessed and honored to be there. He’s my Morehouse brother now,” Levert said. “It was great having my family there to support me and especially for my mom to see Obama in person. It was just as much her day as it was mine.”

In addition to his immediate family, there were some notable names on hand to celebrate LeMicah’s accomplishment including Johnny Gill, Eddie Levert and Kandi Burruss.

The president’s place in the mind and hearts of many young black men is not only as a symbol for American success but also as a father figure; akin to what Morehouse alumn, Dr. Martin Luther King, was for Baby Boomers in the 60′s.