�Ҹ�������

Editor's Note: This is the 13th in a series of profiles of winter 2023 graduates.

When Denise Henderson turned 50, she made a list of all the things she wanted to do over the course of 50 days. The list included learning to play a song on the piano, doing stand-up comedy and taking part in an open-mic night. An , she had ambitions when she was younger of making it big in New York City.

One item on the list that she did not share on social media or with close family and friends? Go to college.

“I did not want to publicize it because I was not sure if I would succeed,” said Henderson, who has spent her career working in education in Maryland, predominately for the Gaithersburg Public Schools.

In discussing her decision to enroll at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), she pointed to an experience that put her on the back-to-school path. While working as a paraprofessional during college week in her school district, an eighth-grade student asked her where she went to college.

“It was as simple as that,” she said. “No one had ever questioned my higher education, and I'm constantly pushing it for the kids. And I was like, ‘I want to go back to school,’ and that's what prompted the journey.”

As she prepared to receive her diploma with the UMGC Class of 2023, Henderson was named student speaker for winter graduation. In her online speech, one of the virtual components of UMGC’s commencement, she described how nervous she was at her first class. The last time she was a student had been more than three decades earlier.

“I was unsure what to expect and felt so out of my comfort zone that I thought I would jump out of my skin. And then I logged onto that humanities class and immediately began to breathe,” Henderson said in her speech.

She found that she enjoyed engaging in discussion posts as a student at UMGC. She looks back fondly on one particular class.

“I took a computer class as an elective and the professor and his slides were so interesting,” Henderson said. “The class was a hybrid course and taught over Zoom, and I kept wishing I was in a live class with the professor.”

Henderson credits her success coaches for helping her choose a major and, especially, for encouraging her to minor in African American Studies.

“I had three success coaches during my journey at UMGC, and they got me through it,” Henderson said. “They picked classes with me and were so meticulous with me. It was never too much for them.”

On Dec. 15, Henderson received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications surrounded by her support team made up of her mother and siblings.

"If you are an adult questioning returning to college, this is the school for you,” Henderson said. “This is a great school for working adults and to figure out what you want to study.”

Using her current secretarial role in the counseling department of Gaithersburg High School, Henderson plans to use her newly acquired skills to further connect with students. She will also integrate many of these skills on the stage as a .

And there’s still more education ahead. Henderson hopes to pursue a master’s degree in the future.

“I want share my passion and be a champion for women of all races and age,” Henderson added.

��

��