{"id":15404,"date":"2024-12-13T16:49:35","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T21:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/?p=15404"},"modified":"2024-12-13T16:49:36","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T21:49:36","slug":"this-is-only-the-beginning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/this-is-only-the-beginning\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018This is only the beginning\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tayveon Lee, a computer engineering major from Baltimore, gives the student commentary during the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s 27th Winter Commencement at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center on Friday, Dec. 13. (Megan Raymond Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As the University of Maryland Eastern Shore conferred the degrees of 203 new graduates at the 27th winter commencement on Friday, it was a time for many newly minted alumni to not only reflect on what they were leaving behind, but also their futures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the new graduates, their paths to commencement day varied.<\/p>\n\n\n

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University of Maryland Eastern Shore graduate Ludan Osman greets UMES president Heidi M. Anderson during the 27th Winter Commencement at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center on Friday, Dec. 13. (Megan Raymond Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ayanna Zenzele-Rushing<\/strong>, of Baltimore, enrolled at UMES in the fall of 2022 following a gap year and receiving her associate degree. The digital media studies major completed her bachelor\u2019s in five semesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt feels bittersweet leaving so soon,\u201d Zenzele-Rushing said. \u201cBut I know that I\u2019ve done the work, and I\u2019ve learned a lot here at UMES, even though it was a shorter time than usual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Ludan Osman<\/strong>, of Princess Anne, the road to her bachelor\u2019s degree in biology began when her family emigrated from Sudan in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the child of science teachers, Osman knew science was in her future, but had to overcome classroom struggles through the help of her professors. That led to her research on the effects of temperature on Aronia berries being published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy experience at UMES proves that everything is possible as long as I put my mind to it,\u201d she said. \u201cTo go from struggling in a general lab to publishing research papers means that in my next journey if I struggle in the beginning, I can tell myself the same thing happened to me and that I have to put in the extra work to overcome it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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From left: Dr. Lakeisha Harris embraces Master’s Degree recipient Abigail Chambers during the 27th Winter Commencement at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center on Friday, Dec. 13. (Megan Raymond Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Also among the Winter 2024 graduates were a group of students affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. As the world closed during the pandemic, important life moments were either delayed, postponed, or moved to a virtual setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a different time and atmosphere when I started in 2018,\u201d said mechanical engineering major Jalen Hunter<\/strong> of Oxon Hill, Maryland. \u201cCOVID changed a lot of things, especially when we went to online classes. It was a learning experience for everyone, students, and teachers alike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giving the student commentary, Tayveon Lee<\/strong>, a computer engineering major from Baltimore, discussed the \u201cunexpected challenges\u201d COVID brought for members of his graduating high school class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe missed prom, graduation, and the traditional high school experiences,\u201d Lee said. \u201cBut UMES became the door that opened for us, the place where our journey truly began.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Imani Payne<\/strong>, of Cambridge by way of Baltimore, the opportunity to walk across the stage at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center was one that was four years in the making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Payne \u2013 earning her master\u2019s degree in Cybersecurity Engineering Technology \u2013 was unable to celebrate her first degree, a bachelor\u2019s in Human Ecology with a concentration in fashion merchandising, due to the postponement of the Winter 2020 graduation. Beset with the additional tragedy of losing her father in spring of 2023, Payne\u2019s chance to partake in the traditional turning of the tassels had to wait another year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But having moved forward, Payne said this moment more than makes up for what she was unable to do four years prior.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Imani Payne, of Cambridge, is recognized by University of Maryland Eastern Shore president Heidi M. Anderson during the 27th Winter Commencement at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center on Friday, Dec. 13. (Megan Raymond Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m making a very big deal out of this,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m going to do everything that I wanted to do this fall 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The emotions Lee, Payne, and many others encountered when missing their biggest moments was not lost on UMES President Heidi M. Anderson<\/strong>, who addressed the omitted milestones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFour years ago, many of you were not able to attend a commencement for your high school diploma, or undergraduate degree,\u201d she said. \u201cBut today, you finally get the recognition you so richly deserve: to stand; to walk this stage; to hear your name called; and to receive your well-earned degree.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Added Anderson: \u201cWe are not just celebrating the culmination of years of hard work and dedication, but also the beginning of a new chapter in your lives. It\u2019s the start of an exciting journey filled with endless possibilities and opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the University of Maryland Eastern Shore conferred the degrees of 203 new graduates at the 27th winter commencement on Friday, it was a time for many newly minted alumni to not only reflect on what they were leaving behind, but also their futures. For the new graduates, their paths to commencement day varied. Ayanna…Read more \u2018This is only the beginning\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1559,"featured_media":15409,"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":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-15404","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\/15404","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=15404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15404"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=15404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}