By Avigayl Feinberg
Editor's Note: This is the 14th in a series of profiles of winter 2023 graduates.
When a radiant Patricia Shird received her diploma at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) Grad Walk on Dec. 15, her husband Jamaal, brother, stepmother and aunts were on hand to cheer her on. It was a triumphant moment for Shird, known as Tricia by her family. She had persevered through unimaginable loss to reach this moment.
Shird and her daughter Shameeka Patrice Cosby were college students at the same time. Both were pursuing bachelor’s degrees in psychology, Shird at Ҹ and Cosby at Liberty University. As they navigated college as adult learners, they inspired one other to study. They jokingly called themselves “The real-life Parkers,” referencing a television sitcom—The Parkers—about a mother and daughter attending college together.
Cosby, 28, was only months away from completing her degree when she suddenly fell ill and died from an undetermined illness, possibly COVID-19, on June 4, 2020. She left behind a baby, Malaki, and 8-year-old Skylar. Shird was leveled by the loss of her only child.
Shird was only 15 when Cosby was born and “throughout my life, she has been the reason I wanted to do something with myself.” She knew her daughter would have wanted her to continue school. The loss of Cosby, as well as Shird’s mother Elaine Gorham-Walker a year earlier from cardiac arrest, motivated her to keep pushing forward with her education.
In 2018, she had completed an associate degree in mental health and earned a certificate in mental health in the Healthcare Professions Program at the Community College of Baltimore County. She then found her way to Ҹ through good friend Carldena Tyler, a recent UMGC graduate. Shird described Carldena as “like a walking commercial” for UMGC.
Shird also noted that the minute she called UMGC, the support team kicked into place. She said her advisor, Hailey Rogers, followed her from the day she enrolled at UMGC, phoning every week to check in. Hailey understood Shird’s difficulty in finding focus and encouraged her to work at her own pace. But Shird feared that if she paused, procrastination would derail her progress. So, she stayed the path.
Shird knows well what it is like to confront immense personal challenges, including grief, while studying. “First of all, I would not have come this far if it wasn’t for my relationship with my lord and savior. That’s just No. 1,” she said. “I would just be an emotional wreck.”
She also had advice for other students facing difficulties.
“Stay consistent and true to your emotions. Take care of yourself, psychologically, so that you can get through any current pain or challenges but at the same time, keep pushing,” she said. “Keep pushing yourself and motivating yourself and surround yourself with positive individuals, positive family members and friends who will support you and support your dream. Without that, I would not be able to have gotten this far.”
Avigayl Feinberg is executive coordinator in the Office of Communications at University of Maryland Global Campus.
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