The University of Maryland Eastern Shore held its 73rd Honors Convocation at the Ella Fitzgerald Center for the Performing Arts on April 2, recognizing the academic accomplishments of students.
The event highlighted more than 1,000 students – including first-year students, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and recent graduates – who received dean’s list (3.5 GPA or higher), departmental distinction (3.7 GPA or higher), departmental honors, and “Awards of Excellence” from their respective schools during the spring and fall of 2025.
“Your consistency in your academics is a true mark of excellence,” UMES President Heidi M. Anderson said. “Excellence produces more than outcomes and results. It shapes your character. We encourage you to continue to safeguard your character and embrace challenges with the same focus and purpose that you have already demonstrated.”
The event’s keynote speaker, 2020 UMES graduate Dr. Yasmine Roye, is a research scientist at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Research Institute. During her speech, Roye discussed the importance of being the author of your own journey.
“You’ve got to tell your own story. Don’t let anyone write it for you,” she said. “When it’s all said and done, I want you to remember the nitty-gritty details of all your hard work. You have truly earned it and no one can take that away from you.”
Each of the four undergraduate schools recognized top students as Awards of Excellence winners: junior Gilbert Pinkett (School of Business, Engineering, Applied Sciences, Technology and Tourism Management), senior Destiny Emuze (School of Pharmacy & Health Professions), senior Kayla Wilkerson (School of Education, Social Sciences, and the Arts), and junior Sarah Rawlinson (School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences).
The quartet of students were selected based on criteria such as demonstrated leadership abilities; outstanding academic performance; effective communication skills with fellow students and faculty; the potential for continued scholarly work; and evidence of overcoming physical or personal obstacles to earn a degree.
Pinkett, a mechanical engineering major, said he was “left speechless” by the honor.
“There are times when a lot of the things you do behind the scenes can sometimes go unrecognized,” he said. “But when that moment comes that you finally get recognized, it shows that you have to be patient and wait.”
Rawlinson, an environmental science major, initially didn’t have plans to come to the event. When she decided to come, she planned on sitting in the back of the auditorium.
“I was told to sit in the front. It wasn’t until I was on stage and they told me to stay, that I realized I would be receiving both awards,” she said. “I thought that this award was given to the person with the highest GPA in the department. But I am really active and have my hands in a lot of things, and I see a lot of the people who chose me for this award on a day-to-day basis, so that may have played a role in that.”
Wilkerson, an art education major, said representing the School of Education, Social Sciences, and the Arts (SESA) as the awardee meant a lot to her, especially receiving the award from SESA Dean Christopher Harrington and Fine Arts chair Brad Hudson. Both Harrington and Hudson were her instructors in fine arts.
“It was very much a surprise to get this award,” she said. “If I had to guess why I was selected, it was because of my work with not only the art department but also working with members of the education department. I’m constantly interacting with them and assisting when I can, which was likely a huge reason.”
Emuze, a rehabilitation psychology major, said when he first received the email to attend the event, he had a bit of skepticism.
“I attended the event last year and realized what it entails, so it feels great to be recognized for my academic performance,” he said. “The faculty in my department has been really supportive all around, so to be acknowledged like this is something I’m very appreciative of.”
