{"id":14449,"date":"2023-05-19T16:42:13","date_gmt":"2023-05-19T20:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/?p=14449"},"modified":"2023-05-19T16:42:14","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T20:42:14","slug":"i-really-learned-to-grow-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/i-really-learned-to-grow-here\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I really learned to grow here\u2019<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New graduates from the University of Maryland of Eastern Shore show their excitement during the 136th Spring Commencement held Friday, May 19. Photo by Joey Gardner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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April Powell<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

When April Powell<\/strong> began her journey to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, it was as a high school graduate in the fall of 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time, the Snow Hill resident enrolled at UMES as a biology major. But when a family health crisis led to her changing from the on-campus environment to becoming a commuter student, before eventually having to put her education on hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powell briefly returned in 2009, before resuming her path toward her bachelor of science in special education and a minor in Spanish in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I started (in 2003) I was a 4.0 student. When I left, I was a 2.8 GPA student,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cMy goal was to be successful and get my grades back up. When I started taking classes as a full-time student, I was working two jobs, I knew it was a lot but I could do it as I saw I was getting A\u2019s again and that I was learning and succeeding towards my goal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powell, who received her degree Friday, was one of the 289 bachelor’s, master\u2019s, and doctorate degrees conferred by President Heidi M. Anderson<\/strong> during UMES\u2019s 136th<\/sup> spring commencement at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event featured Maryland State Delegate and Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, Adrienne Jones<\/strong>, who provided the commencement address.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Maryland Delegate Adrienne Jones addresses the audience during the 136th Spring Commencement at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday, May 19. Photo by Joey Gardner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Jones, who holds the distinction of being the first African-American and the first woman to lead the Maryland Legislature, shared the importance for the new graduates to follow their moral compass and how it will positively impact them in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou never who is watching you and you never know when opportunities will become available to you,\u201d she said. \u201cLead with your values, help others around you, be open to new possibilities, and remember that fairness, decency, and equity will take you places.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the group of nearly 300 graduates, 87 students received honors.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Daisuke Mayama<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Among that group of students was history major Daisuke Mayama<\/strong> of Upper Marlboro, who described his time at UMES gave him the tools he needed to succeed in his future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making the transition from a more urban setting to the rural backdrop of Princess Anne, Mayama was a stalwart on campus with his involvement in numerous activities including membership in the Richard A. Henson Honors Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also assumed leadership roles in various organizations including the Residence Life Association student assistant and as president of the Muslim Student Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne thing about being a UMES student is that you have to adapt to new environments and make friends and get new perspectives,\u201d he said. \u201cAll the opportunities I have taken here at UMES and all the friends I\u2019ve made here, they\u2019re all very valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mayama will take those experiences with him as he plans to attend Howard Law School to become a civil rights attorney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criminal justice major Kay Easter<\/strong> of Severn has someone special to share their commencement experience with, as their twin brother Jay Easter<\/strong> also received his degree in mechanical engineering<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quality of the criminal justice program helped sway Kay to come, which help them persuade their brother to attend as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was not going to come here until the open house and he saw how engaged the people were with us and how the vibe and the feel of coming to an HBCU was,\u201d said Kay Easter, who is planning to apply to the United States Secret Service during their gap year. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t planning to come to an HBCU and we were going to be separated, but him coming to the same HBCU as I made me glad that we were staying together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Thelma Douglas<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Thelma Douglas<\/strong> of Princess Anne graduated from UMES with her bachelor\u2019s degree in child development in 2008 and eventually returned to earn her master\u2019s in special education at the nudging of her late husband Bradley, a former UMES employee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thelma Douglas said her employment in Somerset County Schools focused on special education, which led to her focusing her master\u2019s work in that field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Douglas, 54, said returning to school 11 years later posed a challenge as she had to change her focus back to being a student again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy patience is not quite where it used to be,\u201d she said. \u201cPlus, I\u2019m working full time and trying to keep up with technology which might have been a challenge. But I\u2019m thankful for the relationships that I\u2019ve built since I\u2019ve been back between my teachers and the students. I was old enough to be their mother, be we were able to help each other to get through classes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moera Abate<\/strong> of Silver Spring always had an interest in aviation for a long time and chose UMES as it was the only aviation science program in Maryland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While aviation has always been his passion, photography was also a hobby and something he used as a way to help relax from the stressful days of focusing on his major.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne piece of advice I\u2019d give to future graduates is never stop exploring,\u201d he said. \u201cYou might have multiple talents and you have to take advantage of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

English major Tyler Holmes<\/strong> said he chose UMES as it was the first school that accepted him in the application process. Seeking to become a better writer, he found a new passion in digital media as a member of Hawk Media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t something that I was expecting to get into,\u201d the Forestville resident said. \u201cI had some vague interest in photography and camera work, so that was interesting.  But getting into the video work and editing, things that people thought were tedious, it was something I found fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holmes, who plans to pursue graduate school while also focusing on streaming and being a content creator, summed up his college experience as transformational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve crossed bridges, I\u2019ve burned bridges, I\u2019ve had a number of friend groups. The people I\u2019m leaving with aren\u2019t the people I started with, and that was a big adjustment for me,\u201d he said. \u201cI had an environment where I could grow, learned things that I liked about myself, what I didn\u2019t like about myself, things that I would stand up for, and things I wouldn\u2019t stand for. I really learned how to grow here.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powell, who begins teaching special education in the Worcester County School System this fall, said her time at UMES has taught her responsibility, grit, and determination, and has strengthened her resolve to continue learning. \u201cI don\u2019t know what my master will be in, but I know I want to continue doing that while I still have it on my mind and not wait any longer,\u201d Powell said. \u201cThe gap that I took in my undergrad affected me both good and bad, but I want to finish my master’s while it\u2019s still fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When April Powell began her journey to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, it was as a high school graduate in the fall of 2003. At the time, the Snow Hill resident enrolled at UMES as a biology major. But when a family health crisis led to her changing from the on-campus environment to becoming…Read more \u2018I really learned to grow here\u2019<\/em><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1559,"featured_media":14460,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-14449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1559"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14449"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=14449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}