Families were in abundance at Winter 2024 Grad Walk, the December diploma conferral ceremony for stateside graduates of University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). Many of those families were watching a milestone unfold: their first college graduate. Many of those students were identifiable by the “First Gen” stoles draped over their gowns.
“I am especially proud of our first-generation grads. They do not have family footsteps to follow nor family members who can help them navigate the higher education process, yet they are courageous about getting an education,” said UMGC President Gregory Fowler. “When they step up to receive their diploma, they have changed outcomes for their families. They will move into professional careers that lift their financial wellbeing and, perhaps even more importantly, provide an example and an inspiration for those around them.
“Every time I see a first generation stole over a graduation gown, I know there is a tectonic shift taking place,” he added. “A family tradition that values education and lifelong learning has begun.”
The power of a diploma to inspire was evident at this winter’s Grad Walk, which took place Dec. 12-15 at the College Park Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Adelphi, Maryland. Parents, siblings, cousins, children and others not only turned up to cheer their graduates, but some also took to the stage to receive their own degrees.
Three cousins from Texas drove to Maryland from Houston to take part in Grad Walk. One by one, they stepped forward to collect their diplomas before taking a photo together on stage. Abel Kolawole Soyoye and Aaron Akindiya both received master’s degrees in cloud computing architecture, while Tega Many Enarevba earned a master’s in data analytics. Soyoye said the trio intentionally enrolled at UMGC at the same time with an idea that they could support and encourage one another while studying.
Lisa Spicknall-Horner, meanwhile, attended college at the same time as both her son, Zach Fields, and her nephew, Tyler Fields. When she received her Bachelor of Business Administration diploma, Tyler was right beside her, receiving his UMGC bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity and information technology.
For Maryland cousins Denise Jaskulski, who received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Networks and Cybersecurity, and Mary Jaskulski, who earned a Master of Science in Homeland Security Management, the idea to attend Grad Walk together was more serendipitous. Both knew the other was studying but they didn’t realize they were in the same graduating class at the same university until just weeks before commencement.
“We just happened to find out,” Denise said. “I knew my cousin was in school, but I didn’t realize she was finishing her program. And it was just coincidence that we had degrees in related fields, although we come from a family of firefighters and emergency service people, individuals involved in law enforcement and security.”
Denise works as a police dispatcher for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. She hopes to elevate her career path with the new degree. Mary, meanwhile, graduated a decade earlier with a bachelor’s degree in homeland security and wants to advance in her career as a civilian employee at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
These family-member graduates were among some 2,500 other individuals who took part in the joyful (and sometimes joyfully loud!) celebration that sees students at the predominantly online university receiving diplomas. Unlike commencement ceremonies at other universities, the graduates’ journeys are celebrated with lots of noise and merrymaking.
More than a dozen family members and friends broke into a deafening cheer when Alrick-Carmen Christine Koffi received her bachelor’s degree in business administration. After her stepfather and grandmother died a month apart in 2019, Koffi had to move back to Maryland from Virginia to help her widowed mother. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She said her diploma was a posthumous gift to her stepfather, as well as proof to her younger siblings “that with all of life’s adversities, anything is possible with hard work and dedication.”
Enthusiasm was the catchword as grads took photos against university backdrops and then headed with family and friends to a special Celebration Zone where they met UMGC faculty, staff and alumni; bought UMGC apparel; took even more photos. Balloons, noisemakers, flowers and small mortarboards for children—the future generation of UMGC graduates—were in abundance.
The Grad Walk participants were part of a graduating class of more than 9,700 students who completed their degree programs in summer and fall of 2024. The Class of 2024 included students from all 50 states, three U.S territories and 36 countries—and some students traveled a distance to take part in the celebration. Tyla Johnetta Jones, a U.S. Navy gunners mate, flew from California, where she is stationed. Her parents, meanwhile, drove from South Carolina to see their daughter receive a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity technology with a minor in digital forensics.
“I want to go into criminal justice, but stay in the tech industry,” Jones said, noting that when she completes her military career, she hopes to work in the defense industry.
Jones, a first-generation student who graduated cum laude, wore one of the more colorful outfits at graduation. She decorated her mortarboard with flowers and a drawing of an insect with the words “thousands of bugs later” as a nod to the computer malware and other cyber-threats she is now prepared to defend against. Her graduation stole was equally elaborate, imprinted with photos of her parents and grandparents.
More than 5,700 bachelor’s degrees and 2,200 master’s degrees were awarded. Nearly 1,800 associate degrees were also conferred. One of the oldest graduates was Ernest Johnson, a businessman and social activist who celebrated his 76th birthday in conjunction with Grad Walk. He is not stopping there and is planning to attend a program at Harvard University. The youngest graduate was a 16-year-old who earned an associate degree.
This year’s graduation included several students who completed the 3D Scholars Program, which puts talented high school students in Prince George’s County, Maryland, on a fast-track to a bachelor’s degree. The program features an accelerated pathway from high school to community college to university, and 3D scholars can earn high school diplomas, an associate degree from Prince George’s Community College and a bachelor’s degree from UMGC with little to no debt.
UMGC Success Coach Hope Spriggs drove to Maryland from New York to see 3D scholar Idunnu Okusolubo receive her degree in cybersecurity. Okusolubo was one of five graduating students who Spriggs coaches. Another PG3D scholar, Gabriel Giron, earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice only one year after completing high school.
The formal activities connected to UMGC’s commencement unfolded virtually via a website created specifically for the winter graduates. In his presidential address for the virtual part of the ceremony, Fowler told the graduates that their effort and commitment have put new opportunities within reach.
“Be bold and seize those opportunities, knowing that courage is not the absence of fear but perseverance in the face of fear,” he said. He added that the new graduates are positioned to transform their families, their communities and the world, including by contributing to a more competitive workforce and economy and a stronger military.
Recorded remarks by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, meanwhile, emphasized that the graduates stand on “the threshold of new beginnings.”
“Whether you’re a recent graduate or returning student, the first in your family to pursue higher education, a dedicated member of our armed services or someone striving for an advanced degree, today is a testament to your dedication to lifelong learning,” he said. “You haven’t just invested in your education, you’re investing in your dreams.”
In her online remarks, Blakely Pomietto, UMGC senior vice president and chief academic officer, acknowledged the long list of challenges faced by adult learners who juggle jobs, families, military deployments, illnesses and loss while studying.
Student speaker Imani Harvey, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, detailed what it was like to pursue a degree while also working full time for the federal government, being a wife, and raising two children, one of whom has special needs. Her final year of study was marked by the deaths of her grandmother, who had cancer, and her father, who suffered from dementia.
She said there were days when she almost gave up.
“My grandmother always told me we have limited time to find and meet our purpose,” Harvey said. “That wisdom is what propelled me to keep going.
“… I wanted my children to see that anything is possible with hard work, determination and commitment. I didn’t take a traditional path to get here, but I decided it was never too late to invest in myself and my future.”
In congratulating the new UMGC alumni, Josiah Parker, representing the Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland, told the graduates that their diplomas were one of the smartest investments they will ever make.
“You are graduating from one of most dynamic and innovative institutions of higher education in the world. The largest university in Maryland, a world leader in online education and a global force making an impact in over 20 countries and territories around the world.”
UMGC Alumna Isabell Pollard opened the virtual ceremony with an a cappella version of the national anthem. She closed the ceremony by singing the UMGC’s alma mater.
University of Maryland Global Campus was founded more than 75 years ago to provide degree programs to students for whom a traditional, campus-based education was difficult or impossible, including adults in the workforce and serving in the military. Today, UMGC is the largest provider of postsecondary education in Maryland. It continues its global tradition of serving military servicemembers with online, hybrid, and in-person courses at more than 175 classroom and service locations worldwide.
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