{"id":16657,"date":"2026-06-01T09:41:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T13:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/?p=16657"},"modified":"2026-06-01T13:07:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T17:07:07","slug":"our-graduates-are-leading-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/sans-monthly-digest\/our-graduates-are-leading-the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet 6 SANS graduates ready for their next chapter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences congratulates its 72 graduates. Read about the inspiration, aspirations and accomplishments of six members of the Class of 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ph.D. earned in 3 years<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"UMES<\/figure>
\n

John Ithiru<\/strong>, a doctoral student in food and agricultural sciences, was hooded at UMES’ 139th annual spring commencement May 15, 2026. Ithiru earned his degree in three years, a noteworthy feat in academia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ithiru\u2019s doctoral work involved screening quinoa cultivars for growth and yield performance on the Eastern Shore of Maryland along with studying the molecular mechanisms of heat stress tolerance. His research was conducted with UMES\u2019 professor of plant breeding and biotechnology Sadanand Dhekney as part of a UMES Center for Global Food Security and Defense project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ithiru\u2019s research, Dhekney said, has generated valuable information that U.S. farmers can use to establish quinoa as a commercial crop. It has the potential to reduce U.S. quinoa imports from South America and contribute to building strong local and global food systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy decision to attend UMES was not merely the culmination of an arduous and lengthy journey toward achievement; it also embodied the aspirations of numerous individuals who looked up to me to shatter the glass ceiling as the first to attain this milestone,\u201d said Ithiru, who is from Ruiru, Kenya. \u201cIt brought me immense joy to be the pioneering member of my generation, albeit accompanied by the uncertainty of leaving my loved ones behind and the responsibility of establishing a standard for others to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ithiru will continue his work as a post-doctoral research associate at UMES. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ready to monitor water health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Isabella<\/figure>
\n

Isabella Beasley<\/strong> from Walls, Mississippi, graduated with a master’s degree in marine, estuarine, environmental science. The program was what brought her more than 1,000 miles northeast to UMES’ Princess Anne, Maryland, campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI always wanted to do wetland restoration, and this was obviously the place,\u201d Beasley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She attributes the \u201cconnectivity among experts and professors\u201d across the state and country to the program’s appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beasley will stay on the Eastern Shore of Maryland following graduation to participate in a National Park Service water health monitoring internship being conducted in the Chincoteague Bay of Virginia with Dr. Stephen Tomasetti.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She joked: \u201cI have to be on a boat; tough summer!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beasley also won a first-place oral presentation award<\/a> for her PFAS research at the March 2026 Association for Research Directors Symposium in New Orleans.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Building on a UMES foundation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Amber<\/figure>
\n

Amber Gray<\/strong>, a biology major from Hurlock, Maryland, aims to continue her advanced education at UMES.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“My interview is Monday, so hopefully, I’ll be all set,” Gray said following UMES commencement May 15, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gray plans to pursue a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences provided the foundation upon which she will build.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“SANS is built like a community. My group of people helped to make sure I was successful at what I want to achieve,” Gray said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her senior year culminated with a tie for first at the end of semester Department of Natural Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium<\/a> for her poster “Switchgrass Response to Salinity is Modified by Commercial Microbial Inoculants.” The experiential learning experience was part of a research project lead by Dr. Jonathan Cumming, chair of the department.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ready for a future as horticulturist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Emma<\/figure>
\n

Emma Dykes<\/strong> is a general agriculture major with a concentration in plant and soil science. Her classroom studies in addition to interning during the academic year with UMES horticulturist Dr. Naveen Kumar Dixit landed her a local job in the industry prior to graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April 2026, Dykes joined the Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek in Dagsboro, Delaware, as a horticulturist. Her hands-on experiences with UMES Extension’s dahlia studies, led by Dixit, attributed to her success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her work with Delaware Botanic Gardens, she said, \u201cfocuses on native plants and ecosystems, along with increasing the number of pollinators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Princess Anne, Maryland, native chose UMES for its convenience and agricultural programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s close to my home and comfortable since I grew up here on the Eastern Shore,\u201d Dykes said. \u201cIt\u2019s a pretty campus, and I love the historic buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

‘It always felt like home’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Glenn<\/figure>
\n

Glenn Eric Jones Jr<\/strong>. aspires to start his own agribusiness centered around medicinal and specialty herbs. The agribusiness management major is from Silver Spring, Maryland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had a lot of hands-on agricultural experiences through the classes in the program,\u201d Jones said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though he grew up in an urban area, Jones found the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to be a good fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy mom was from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, so it always felt like home. A small school makes it feel like family,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

First of the STEM STARS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Biology<\/figure>
\n

Victoria Casteel<\/strong> is taking a gap year to apply to medical schools following graduation. The Prince George’s County, Maryland, native is a biology major with a concentration in allied health. She completed her degree in an impressive three years of study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She augmented her studies through research led by Jocelyn Reader, assistant professor of pharmacy, during her entire academic career at UMES.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Casteel is graduating in the first group of STEM STARS<\/a> (Students Achieving Results in Science).

A message to her successors: “Get involved.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Casteel held memberships at UMES in the Student Government Association, Hawk Ambassador program, Richard A. Henson Honors program, among others. She also took part in study abroad opportunities.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Gail Stephens, agricultural communications, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, UMES Extension,\u00a0<\/em>gcstephens@umes.edu<\/em><\/a>, 410-621-3850.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos by Todd Dudek, agricultural communications<\/em>, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences,<\/em> tdudek@umes.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences congratulates its 72 graduates. Read about the inspiration, aspirations and accomplishments of six members of the Class of 2026. Ph.D. earned in 3 years John Ithiru, a doctoral student in food and agricultural sciences, was hooded at UMES’ 139th annual spring commencement May 15, 2026. Ithiru earned his…Read more Meet 6 SANS graduates ready for their next chapter<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1168,"featured_media":0,"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":40,"footnotes":""},"categories":[192,40],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-16657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-june-2026","category-sans-monthly-digest"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16657\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16657"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=16657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}