Before Joy Gabrielle Ware walked off the Commencement stage, she stopped mid-stage to face her peers and shouted, “UM!” prompting a booming “BC!” response from the undergraduates and their families who packed the arena last week at UMBC’s 84th Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony. Ware, an individualized study major, was awarded the historic 100,000th degree since UMBC’s first Commencement class in 1970, which had 241 students—a stark contrast to the 1,528 undergraduate and over 700 graduate degrees awarded to the Class of 2025.
To celebrate this historic moment, President Valerie Sheares Ashby paid tribute to the alumni known as the Founding Four, who represented graduates of the first four undergraduate classes from 1970 to 1973.
“What a profound impact UMBC has had on the state of Maryland and the world,” said Sheares Ashby. “Each one of our alumni has made a difference in some way, many of them as leaders and pathbreakers—in the public and private sectors, in the arts, in education, in research, in public service, and in their communities.”
Gratitude
The Class of 2025 celebrated and cheered for each other. However, thunderous applause rippled across UMBC’s Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena every time a speaker asked the students to thank those who made their dreams come true. The stands were filled with roommates, classmates, mentors, and families who kept pointing the way when graduation seemed out of reach.
“You took risks when you chose to pursue this graduate degree. You stumbled and struggled and faced down your fears and insecurities,” said Graduate Student Association President Jessica Burstrem, Ph.D. ’25, language, literacy, and culture, in her address to her peers at the Graduate School Commencement ceremony.
“That bravery is why you celebrate today. Those are the kinds of people the world always needs—people who do the right thing even if they are afraid. People of integrity and bravery. People who stand together,” said Burstrem.
The path of service
College wasn’t Tina Garcia’s first path, even after becoming the first in her family to graduate from high school. She served nearly a decade in the United States Air Force, rising to the rank of staff sergeant, before continuing her service within the government. After serving her country, Garcia chose to honor her family once again—this time by becoming the first to earn a college degree. She drew on her experience as a veteran and her majors in social work and psychology to co-found and serve as vice president of UMBC’s Student Service Members, Veterans, and Families organization.
“UMBC is where I found my community, and with it, a renewed sense of purpose to continue serving Veterans. I’m so grateful to everyone who continues this work, who shows up for veterans every day, and who refuses to let that momentum fade,” said Garcia, as one of two undergraduate valedictorians. “When we find belonging, we thrive. When we thrive, we create space for others to do the same. May you always find places where you belong and never let anyone convince you that you don’t.”
UMBC welcomes all
For international students, the meaning of community transcended physical boundaries, cultures, and languages, with graduate students representing 27 nations across five continents and Central America, and undergraduates representing 35 countries across six continents and the Caribbean, including Jamaican native, Akellia Bernard, a music performance major with a concentration in voice. Bernard, a member of UMBC’s Choir and Camerata, performed the national anthem for the three commencement ceremonies. This summer, Bernard plans to join the Choir and Camerata in Paris and Prague, where they have been invited to perform with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra.
Praise Lasekan, a biological science major, whose family watched his valedictorian speech virtually back home in Ondo, Nigeria, was adamant about how the Retriever community became the vessel for his growth, acceptance, and joy.
“The person you see standing in front of you today was once called a failure. People made fun of me. There were times I almost quit. But mentors, community, and the grace of God reminded me: Dreams don’t die, they just need to be stirred again,” said Lasekan. This fall, he will begin his Ph.D. at Brown University in the Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry. “UMBC showed me that community isn’t just who you’re around, it’s who holds you up when life feels heavy.” His journey resonated with the celebratory crowd and earned a standing ovation from the full house.
As Retrievers crossed their tassels from right to left, President Sheares Ashby reminded them that while the pursuit of their dreams might have had similar zig zags, they, “will be the ones who will listen to all the voices, fight for the needs of others, not just yourself, unite, not divide, bring calm to chaos, open doors, and see new ways forward.”
Listen to Akellia Bernard sing the Star-Spangled Banner, Governor Wes Moore’s message to the Class of 2025, and watch all three ceremonies at commencement.umbc.edu.
Tags: Biological Sciences, CAHSS, class of 2025, CNMS, COEIT, INDS, Music, psych, social work