Ancha’ Maples was disappointed to learn that her brother, Rozia Henson, would be unable to attend her graduation from his alma mater, University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). He explained that the demands of his new seat in the Virginia House of Delegates made it impossible to break away to see her receive her Master of Science in Information Technology Project Management.
As she got into position on Dec. 16 to cross the stage at UMGC’s three-day Winter Grad Walk, Maples’ looked up and gasped. There was her brother, not just in the room but up on the stage waiting with her diploma in his hand.
“I wanted it to be a surprise so I told her I couldn’t come because I’d just been elected,” said Henson, MBA 2019. “The president’s office hid me until it was time for her diploma.”
Maples chastised her brother as she brushed away tears. “You’re making me ruin my makeup,” she said. But she was clearly elated to see Henson, who takes elected office on Jan. 10 as the first openly gay Black man elected to Virginia’s legislature.
A day earlier, two very proud parents watched as their 21-year-old son, Jamel Shorts, became the fifth UMGC graduate from the . Shorts earned a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity through the program that puts Maryland students on a fast-track pathway that enables them to take college-level classes for credit in high school in order to graduate more quickly and bypass student loan debt.
Celebratory family scenes played out, diploma after diploma, as more than 2,100 graduates received their Ҹ degrees on Dec. 15-17 at what may arguably be one of the country’s most spirited and uproarious multigenerational commencement ceremonies.
An estimated 32,000 family members—a record—turned out to snap photos, shout encouragement and congratulations and, yes, shed some tears as members of the Class of 2023 received their diplomas. One family group had more than three dozen members in attendance. Because UMGC’s online learning programs disproportionately draw military members and other adult learners, the cheering throngs contained many babies and children, some wearing pint-sized mortarboards provided by the university to encourage “future UMGC grads.”
When Cherise Sharon Jones received her master’s degree in human resources management, six of the seven people cheering her on were children. “They’re all mine,” she laughed. “Five of my children—I have one more who isn’t here—and my granddaughter.”
Jones acknowledged it was hard work earning a degree while raising a big family, but she said the desire to be an example to her children was a powerful motivator. She currently works in health care and plans to begin a master’s degree program in the next step in advancing her career.
“Family really contributes to our celebrations,” said UMGC President Gregory Fowler. “Our students’ success depends on the sacrifices they make as they juggle full-time jobs, classes, their families and other life responsibilities. It also depends on the support they receive from their families and friends.”
University officials conveyed 4,781 bachelor’s degrees, 2,137 master’s degrees and 1,415 associate degrees this winter. In addition, 25 doctoral candidates earned diplomas. While students appeared in person at Grad Walk, a large portion of the commencement—including speakers’ comments and an online gallery of graduates—unfolded virtually on the UMGC website.
In her virtual comments, UMGC Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer Blakely Pomietto congratulated the Class of 2023 while also recognizing “the husbands, wives, partners, children, parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, teachers and friends” of the graduates.
“This day belongs to you, too,” she said.
Pomietto’s remarks online were joined by those of Fowler and Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who told graduates that “an abundant future awaits you.” In her speech to the graduates, Linda Gooden, chair of the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland, told the Class of 2023 that their diplomas define them as people who understand the power of education and “are willing to invest in yourself.”
She added: “Your family has shared in your sacrifice and should share in your success. As you go forward, take what you’ve learned and pledge to use it for good, give back to the community and the world, build a brighter future…”
Gooden holds three Ҹ degrees—one of them honorary.
The virtual ceremony also included the singing of the national anthem by Class of 2023 graduate Taryn Engelbretson, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and remarks by student speaker Denise Henderson, who had been away from the classroom for three decades when she decided to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Communications Studies.
Just as “family” was prominent in the graduation speeches, real-life family connections abounded at Grad Walk.
Identical twins Andrew and Matthew Garcia stood together on stage when each received a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Two sisters, one from Washington, D.C., and the other from the state of Washington, also stepped onto the Grad Walk stage together for their diplomas. UMGC Adjunct Professor John Wulu earned his fifth degree alongside his son, who also was part of the Class of 2023. Both men received MBAs.
Husband and wife Seifu Borja and Yodit Gebremariam, the parents of four children, received their bachelor’s degrees in tandem. Spouses Brian and Karla O’Rourke also graduated together in the Class of 2023. He received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Networks and Cybersecurity and she earned a Bachelor of Science in Digital Forensics and Cyber Investigation.
When Brendan Louise Justin walked on stage for her Bachelor of Science in Management Studies, the diploma was bestowed by her daughter, an adjunct professor at UMGC.
UMGC was created after World War II to provide higher education programs to military members, a demographic it continues to serve. Veteran and active duty servicemembers were well-represented among new graduates, many of them identifiable by their academic regalia: graduation stoles naming their military branch.
White-and-blue stoles with the words “First Generation,” denoting students who are the first in their families to complete a college degree., debuted at the winter commencement. Golden-colored “appreciation” stoles also were in evidence at Grad Walk. Some students wore them to signify how thankful they were to complete their education. Others gave the stoles as gifts to family members, writing personal messages on them.
Katrina Sauss wore an inscribed appreciation stole as she watched her wife, Susan Joyce Williams, receive a diploma for a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Communications. “She had an associate degree and decided two years ago to get her bachelor’s,” Sauss explained. “It’s a big moment—Susan turned 50 on Dec. 19.”
Tucked in with the military, First Generation and appreciation regalia were other personalized stoles. Some students from immigrant families, for example, wore stoles in the colors of their birth country flags while LGBTQ students and their allies wore rainbow stoles.
“Seeing the students and their regalia, I’m consistently struck by the breadth of the diversity of our students, and proud beyond words to know how far UMGC is reaching in our mission to transform lives through post-secondary education,” said Chief Academic Officer Pomietto.
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