{"id":15505,"date":"2025-05-19T13:55:43","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T17:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/pr\/?p=15505"},"modified":"2026-07-13T20:50:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T00:50:22","slug":"the-power-of-finishing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/scm\/the-power-of-finishing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of Finishing\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UMES President Heidi M. Anderson congratulates bachelor’s recipient Kenesha DeShields during the 138th Spring Commencement on May 16, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Some 292 University of Maryland Eastern Shore students received their degrees during the 138th<\/sup> Spring Commencement on May 16, joyously completing their long academic journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many, it was a transformation into adulthood, while for others, it was the accomplishment of a well-deserved goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ceremony, in the William P. Hytche Athletic Center, was highlighted by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore\u2019s <\/strong>keynote address, which highlighted the importance of attaining the honor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are many people who begin a race, but we celebrate those who finish because graduations are not a given,\u201d Moore said. \u201cRegardless of your journey, regardless of your path, regardless of what contours you had to take to get there, today is your day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UMES Class of 2025 was full of tales of unexpected obstacles and the determination to see them through. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGrowing up, people always say you have to go to college, but they don\u2019t tell you what that experience looks like,\u201d said Kaleigh Powell<\/strong> of Baltimore, who graduated with degrees in sociology and social work and a 4.0 grade point average. \u201cThe day I received my acceptance letter, I cried. I never thought I would go to college and no one in my family had ever made it past high school. It never seemed like it was an option.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenesha DeShields<\/strong>, an administrative assistant in the Office of Leadership and Engagement, initially started at UMES in 2003, but left after a semester.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeShields returned to school in 2021 as a dual degree student, and Friday earned her bachelor\u2019s in sociology and social work. Despite having many competing responsibilities, she returned as a fulltime student.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am a full-time employee, a full-time wife, a full-time mother and I have a 16-hour-a-week internship, so I didn\u2019t want to be a part-time student,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m thankful that I have a family supportive and understanding enough to help me accomplish this. There were many sleepless nights, some tears, and times I wanted to quit, but through it all I remained centered.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

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Almost 300 graduates walked the stage Friday, May 16, 2025 during the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Spring Graduations that featured Maryland Gov. Wes Moore as commencement speaker. (Photo by Todd Dudek, UMES Ag Communications)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Along the way, many graduates racked up their share of accolades and recognition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Computer science major Kaleigha Hayes<\/strong> of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, had the opportunity to intern at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security the summer of her junior year. Hayes was able to parlay that experience into attending DEF CON, a major conference for computer hackers as a delegate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said being at UMES allowed her to be more confident in pursuing these opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was able to learn about myself, which allowed me to open myself up for more opportunities,\u201d Hayes said. \u201cThere were times I questioned myself too much, but being able to take advantage of these chances opened a lot of doors.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Khamara Logan<\/strong>, a fashion merchandising major from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, not only participated in the Fashion Institute of Technology program to receive her associate of arts degree, but she was also named a White House HBCU Scholar during the 2023-24 school year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese experiences meant a lot to me as I had to make strong impressions,\u201d Logan said. \u201cThey\u2019ve also helped me understand the importance of time management and becoming a leader.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took just one year for Quinton Smith<\/strong>, of Newark, New Jersey, to make an impact at UMES.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In just his second year, Smith became the youngest person elected as Mr. UMES. He also helped create the organization Men Achieving their Dreams in Education (MADE), which focuses on mentoring young black and brown men in the classroom. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Almost 300 graduates walked the stage Friday, May 16, 2025 during the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Spring Graduations that featured Maryland Gov. Wes Moore as commencement speaker. (Photo by Todd Dudek, UMES Ag Communications)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Now, as a first-generation college graduate, Smith aims to help continue mentoring and shaping young minds as he returns to school to pursue his master\u2019s degree in education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUMES is what you make it, and I was able to make it remarkable,\u201d he said. \u201cI found a place where I could truly be myself and be able to cultivate and bring out the best in other young people, which is what I want to do.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristian Francis<\/strong>, an accounting major from Frederick, Maryland, summed up the experiences and journeys of her fellow classmates as she gave the commencement senior student commentary.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis moment isn\u2019t just for us,\u201d Francis said. \u201cIt\u2019s for every person who prayed for us, supported us, or even doubted us. It\u2019s for the version of you who once questioned your worth, your strength, your voice\u2014and still rose to the occasion.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Some 292 University of Maryland Eastern Shore students received their degrees during the 138th Spring Commencement on May 16, joyously completing their long academic journey.  For many, it was a transformation into adulthood, while for others, it was the accomplishment of a well-deserved goal.  The ceremony, in the William P. Hytche Athletic Center, was highlighted…Read more The Power of Finishing\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1559,"featured_media":15511,"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":[103],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-15505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/scm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/scm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/scm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/scm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1559"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/scm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/scm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15505\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/scm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/scm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/scm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/scm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15505"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/scm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=15505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}