Editor's Note: This is the third in a series of profiles of winter 2023 graduates.
In finishing up her bachelor’s degree in graphic communication at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), Patricia Rogers feels she has come full circle.
“This has been a lifetime dream for me because I’ve always wanted to pursue art and design, which has been my passion since childhood,” she said.
Raised in Washington, D.C., Rogers’ early interest in art led her to the Duke Ellington School of Fine Arts for high school, where she pursued a dual curriculum of arts and academics. After two years of college, and with the need to earn a living weighing on her, Rogers joined the U.S. Coast Guard, a service opportunity she viewed as both exciting and honorable.
“I've always had a passion to serve as well as give back to the community,” she said.
Unfortunately, injuries sustained during her three-year tenure in the Coast Guard prompted her to leave. “I loved the Coast Guard, but my injuries resulted in a disability that prevented me from continuing,” Rogers explained.
After the Coast Guard, her career path was circuitous, leading her to positions in criminal justice. She worked as a 911 dispatcher for 10 years in California. Eventually, she returned to the D.C. area, where she worked as a campus police officer and dispatcher for the MedStar Washington Hospital Center and, ultimately, with the Department of Homeland Security. She retired in 2015 after 11 years at the federal agency.
Shortly after retiring, Rogers decided to return to her passion.
“For as long as I can remember, I always loved to draw,” Rogers said. “My mother was a registered nurse professionally, but she also was a photographer and loved art, so I think that’s where my early exposure came from.”
Maintaining her UMGC course work with a disability was challenging. The supportive services offered by the university were instrumental in Rogers’ success.
“They gave me specific tools that helped me succeed,” Rogers said. “For example, they helped me communicate with professors to let them know what I was experiencing so that I could keep pace with the class and material.”
With her graphic communication degree now in hand, Rogers plans to put her artistic talents to work professionally. She is launching a freelance graphic design business. She also hopes to serve as a mentor to other students.
“I know how hard it can be to maintain a traditional job or pursue a degree with a disability,” she said.
Rogers also aims to return to school to acquire additional skills to sustain and grow her budding enterprise.
“Since I want to start my own business, I do plan to return to UMGC for a master’s degree either in business or marketing,” she said.
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