With full hearts and eyes fixed on the future, the UMBC Class of 2026 stepped across the stage last week, crossing the threshold into life’s next chapter. Surrounded by family, friends, and mentors, UMBC’s newest alumni embody the university’s spirit of curiosity, resilience, and community.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Music Director Jonathon Heyward, who addressed graduates from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, captured the moment: “You are standing in a very unusual place today,” he told the graduates. “You are simultaneously at the end of one journey, and at the very beginning of another.”

Heyward shared his own winding path—from a disastrous childhood solo performance to his unexpected choice of the cello—and encouraged graduates to embrace life’s detours. “Opportunity rarely arrives when you feel fully prepared for it. It arrives unexpectedly,” he said. “Sometimes disguised as inconvenience. Sometimes disguised as failure. … But perspective and resilience allow you to recognize opportunity when it finally appears.”

Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the Science family of academic journals, brought candor and optimism to graduates in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences and the College of Engineering and Information Technology. Celebrating the Retrievers’ perseverance through the pandemic, divisive politics, and more, Thorp reminded graduates that “nobody’s normal,” openly sharing his own autism diagnosis and affirming that mental health challenges do not limit potential. His core messages—“Do the work” and “You’re right on schedule”—resonated with graduates from UMBC, which he described as “the original place where grit translates to achievement.”

A strong and supportive community

The personal stories of the Class of 2026 reflect these same themes of resilience, community, and bold possibility.

Graduates like Katie King’26, a biology and dance double major, Linehan Artist Scholar, and Dance Team co-captain, discovered at UMBC that they needn’t choose between seemingly disparate passions. “When looking at colleges, a lot of them told me I had to choose, but UMBC allowed me to do both,” King says. She leaves prepared to become a physician assistant while continuing to integrate science and the arts.

Others found a supportive community that helped them see new possibilities. Maia Turman Cooke ’26, an English and political science double major and McNair Scholar, reflected, “I never knew what a strong and supportive academic community could look like”—until she arrived at UMBC. That environment propelled her forward, and she will begin a Ph.D. in English while continuing her advocacy work.

Still other graduates overcame self-doubt in demanding technical fields. Carter Gerhardt ’26 switched into computer engineering mid-journey and gained confidence through faculty and peer support. “I’m getting a degree that I originally thought that I couldn’t do,” he said, as he graduates ready for a career in cybersecurity.

Equipped to lead and serve

UMBC awarded nearly 500 master’s and Ph.D. degrees this spring, along with nearly 1,400 bachelor’s degrees across its three colleges, the School of Social Work, and the Erickson School of Aging Studies. Across disciplines—from the humanities and social sciences to natural sciences, engineering, and the arts—UMBC graduates are positioned “to lead and to serve—to strengthen workforces and economies, families and communities, and ultimately, to bring a brighter future for our state, our nation, and our world,” as Maryland Governor Wes Moore said in a Commencement video message.

Zareen Taj, Ph.D. ’26, who earned her doctorate in language, literacy, and culture after fleeing oppression in Afghanistan and Pakistan, described how UMBC empowered her voice and work, epitomizing the university’s commitment to inclusive excellence. “I learned from this journey that I am different. I look different. I work differently. I see things differently, but my difference is not a problem,” she said. “My experience is an asset. It’s my wealth. The UMBC community…supported me at each stage of my life.”

As Heyward told the Class of 2026—just as Taj and so many others have realized through their experiences at UMBC—“The world does not need you to be flawless. It needs you to be bold enough to contribute your voice.”

Any graduates who plan to continue their academic journey at UMBC should take advantage of Free Graduate Application Week May 27 – June 3.

Read more about this year’s inspiring Class of 2026. 

Over 1,100 students crossed the stage at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena this week at Commencement to take their place as the newest members of UMBC’s alumni community. The Class of 2024 inspired and amazed us during their time at UMBC. 

“Believing you have the ability to impact the world around you is the first step in developing a freedom mindset,” said Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman ’95, interdisciplinary studies, speaking to this year’s graduates. “Your education at UMBC has most likely supported this journey towards having a freedom mindset, and you may not have fully realized that yet.”

In his first Commencement address, UMBC Provost Manfred H. M. van Dulmen charged the new graduates to take some time to think about how they got here.

UMBC’s graduating Class of 2024 knows a thing or two about resilience. Many of this year’s 1,900-plus graduates began their collegiate journey at the onset of a global pandemic. 

This week, as they walked across the Commencement stage adorned in black and gold regalia and mortarboards elaborately decorated with sayings such as “The tassel was worth the hassle,” “I did it,” and “The end is here,” the Class of 2024 reveled in the celebratory moment of reaching this milestone in the face of much adversity. 

“Resilience is a dynamic process. It’s a journey that we embark on in the face of challenges. Resilience is not just bouncing back or being able to recover—It’s the ability to bounce forward,” said graduate student speaker Grace De Oro, M.P.P. ’19, a Ph.D. candidate in public policy and president of the Graduate Student Association. 

“We’ve all bounced forward to get here, right now, in this moment. This journey of resilience has not only brought us here, but it’s transformed us into stronger and more capable individuals.”

Service as a Retriever

During Thursday morning’s undergraduate ceremony for students in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; School of Social Work; and Erickson School of Aging Studies, co-valedictorian Nyla Howell ’24, geography and environmental systems and sociology, spoke to the value of service and how the graduating class will “serve with more than our degrees.”

“We all serve those around us daily by using our time and talent to encourage each other, give advice to each other, and take care of one another,” Howell said. “I believe that if we approach this next phase of life, despite all its uncertainty, with the intention of genuinely caring for others and living out our personal understandings of service, we will have the launch pads we need to do more than we ever believed we could.”

Howell, who is the first McNair Scholar to be a valedictorian at UMBC, has dedicated much of her time as an undergraduate in service to local communities and engaged in research examining how vulnerable and underrepresented communities can be better protected when disasters strike. Since 2021, Howell has worked as the food pantry manager of Retriever Essentials helping to combat food insecurity at UMBC. Howell’s leadership and public service efforts earned her scholarships from the France and Merrick Scholars Endowment and the Jacqueline C. Hrabowski Endowment. 

She will continue her studies in geography as a Ph.D. student at Rutgers University as a fellow of the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program. 

A dedication to STEM and the arts

During the afternoon ceremony for the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences; College of Engineering and Information Technology; and Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, co-valedictorian D’Juan Moreland ’24, biological sciences and music, shared with his fellow graduates the lessons he has learned, particularly ones imparted to him by his mother.

Congratulations to our Engineering and Computing students #UMBCgrad @UMBC #UMBCengineering #UMBCComputing pic.twitter.com/M3gk0HkFLu

— Jamie Gurganus, PhD (@JamieRGurganus) May 23, 2024

“The first [lesson] is to celebrate yourself even in the little victories. The secondis to recognize who supported you. The lastis to set a good example because other people are watching your every move,” said Moreland. “Part of our achievement today is to set a strong example for those who are watching us right now. They don’t just see our success, but also our perseverance, as encouragement and inspiration for themselves.”

During his time at UMBC, Moreland, a Meyherhoff Scholar, balanced and even found a way to intertwine his interests in biological sciences and music. He was a 2022 – 2023 recipient of a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship, for which he used his research on the song syllable use differences in female and male songbirds as the basis of his application. Moreland’s original composition “Ascension” won the inaugural UMBC Symphony Orchestra Composer Competition last year. 

Additionally, he is a recipient of the Thomas V. Marsho and Martin Schwartz Memorial Fund scholarship and a recipient of the Ronald and Kathryn Shapiro Meyerhoff Mentoring scholarship. Moreland has dedicated much of his time to mentoring younger students, a passion that inspired him to create a mentoring program at his church for young Black men in middle and high school. Following graduation, Moreland will pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. 

“The DNA of UMBC”

The lineup of this year’s Commencement speakers included Mina Cheon, M.F.A. ’02, imaging and digital arts, the dean of undergraduate studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art and a 2018 UMBC Alumni Award winner. Farah Helal ’24, political science and global studies, also delivered remarks as the University System of Maryland student regent representative. 

Sethuraman Panchanathan, director of the National Science Foundation, received an honorary doctor of science degree during the afternoon ceremony. He dazzled the crowd with an energetic speech advising new graduates to follow “the 10 C’s”—words like “commitment,” “courage,” “collaboration,” and “curiosity”—as they go on to the next chapter of their lives.

After grad, Chiad Onyeje, chem eng, will go to Johns Hopkins via the new Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative program. His research will concentrate on the development of drug delivery biomaterials to open up new opportunities for disease & trauma treatment & prevention. #UMBCgrad pic.twitter.com/pVZ10ieEVs

— UMBC (@UMBC) May 17, 2024

“Retrievers, you have the DNA of UMBC,” Panchanathan said to the graduates. “That DNA is about lifting people up…and making sure people are given chances, making things accessible, and inspiring people.” 

Congratulations to the Class of 2024! Please continue to share your messages of congratulations on social media using #UMBCgrad. Read more about Class of 2024 graduates on the UMBC News Site. 

“It is in times of great conflict and great challenge that higher education’s purpose is most revealed.”

UMBC president Valerie Sheares Ashby addressed the crowd at the 2023 winter Commencement ceremonies by acknowledging the turbulence of this past year and noting the importance of the degrees this year’s graduates received. Then nearly 1,000 Retrievers donned robes and mortarboards and made their way across the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena stage this week to become the latest members of the UMBC alumni community.

Representing the University System of Maryland’s Board of Regents, Anwer Hasan offered advice to the graduates saying, “As you go forward, take what you’ve learned and use it for good. Give back to the community and the world. Build that brighter future for yourselves and for others.”

UMBC’s class of 2023 took the mantra “strength in numbers” to heart as nearly 2,000 graduates crossed the stage during this year’s spring Commencement ceremonies. We can’t confirm it but for those in attendance, it felt like the applause and cheers may have registered on the Richter scale. Each ceremony was unique, just like our graduates, but there were several common themes among the speakers, including the reminder that the journey is just beginning for these Retrievers. 

When in doubt, turn to Rocky

Valedictorian for the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; School of Social Work; and Erickson School of Aging Studies morning ceremony, Zinedine Partipilo Cornielles ’23, financial economics and mathematics, shared that inspiration can come from the most unlikely sources…including Rocky Balboa, the fictional boxing legend. Cornielles recently rewatched the series with his roommates and reflected on the struggles Rocky faced.

“Life is not always about winning. It’s about overcoming adversity and challenges as we all have throughout our lives and throughout this journey,” said Cornielles, addressing his classmates. “It’s about standing up again after falling down, and I know that each and everyone of us has been able to get back on our feet—regardless of the number of times we’ve fallen before—because you are here.”

During the afternoon ceremony for the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences; College of Engineering and Information Technology; and Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, valedictorian Christopher Slaughter ’23, computer engineering, revealed his inspiration comes from UMBC itself.

“Although our journey began here at UMBC where we were unaware of our futures, we quickly learned the magic of this place…a place where we do not defer our dreams, but where we seed them, tend them, and watch them grow,” said the Meyerhoff Scholar. 

Transferring to a new college often comes with some trepidation about making new friends and finding your crowd. For Michelle, Melissa, and Melanie Biddinger, however, those were the least of their worries when they originally came to UMBC from the Community College of Baltimore County. 

The three sisters (Melissa and Melanie are twins) brought their lifelong friendship and communal study habits with them, and their tight-knit family bond propelled them to collectively graduated in 2017 with bachelor’s degrees in psychology. This winter they’ll cross the stage again, having earned their master’s of arts in teaching. 

The Biddinger sisters had a common source of inspiration for their shared educational path—their mother. In their formative years, they remember her taking on substitute teaching positions and returning home with stories of students gaining new skills and mastering challenging material. Melissa recalls volunteering in some of her mom’s classrooms and realizing the great responsibility educators have for shaping the next generation of leaders.

Michelle echoes her younger sister’s sentiment about witnessing the influence teachers can have, especially in early education—the sisters’ area of specialty. “These are the years that children learn foundational skills that they will use for the rest of their life and help them achieve higher-level skills.”

Melanie adds that their teaching interests began even before their mother began working in schools. As young children, the sisters would play school and take turns teaching each other. This playacting transformed into dedicated shared studied sessions as the Biddingers pursued higher education together. 

Perfect Study Partners

At UMBC, they took all the same classes, navigating quizzes and exams with their built-in structure of support. “It was always comforting knowing that if one of us missed a class announcement, more than likely one of the other two heard and ‘reported back,’” says Melissa. “Preparing for exams was always tolerable given that I had two of my best friends as study partners.”

The Biddingers all identify as having very similar study habits, which was helpful as they progressed through their degrees. “We were equally strong,” Melanie asserts. “If there was a particularly difficult concept we had to understand, we put our heads together to figure it out.”

Their similarities don’t end with their study habits; since childhood, the sisters have chosen to dress identically, planning out their outfits the night before. “This choice is a part of who we are,” Melanie explains, “and in a world where everyone wants to be different, we are being different by wanting to be the same.”

Better Together

Michelle credits UMBC’s early childhood education department for guiding her “to be reflective and create an inclusive classroom.” The sisters, who are all hoping to teach in Baltimore County, say they were influenced by UMBC’s dedication to the surrounding communities where the education program supports and partners with local schools and facilities. Melissa adds, “It is clear that they want their students to succeed and enter the world as role models and citizens that respect and honor diversity.” 

As the sisters look for jobs, they’ll be following in their mother’s footsteps and substitute teaching at local schools. Their dream would be to make up an entire grade level team at the same elementary school. 

“It has always been a dream of ours to work in the same school,” says Michelle. “Teaching is such a rewarding career. There is no better feeling knowing that you made a difference in someone’s life.” 

This week signaled the end of another semester at UMBC, and what better way to end the semester than with commencement! On December 16 and 17, our newest alumni walked across the stage into a proud legacy of grit and greatness, 50 years in the making. We’d like to congratulate all of our new graduates, and to formally welcome them as lifetime members of the UMBC Alumni Association.

To learn more about the Alumni Association and what it can do for you, click here. You can also browse photos from our undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies.

For a complete recap of the Fall 2015 commencement exercises, head to UMBC News! 

It’s that time of the year again! Just a week ago, the UMBC alumni community welcomed its newest members and celebrated with them as they (finally!) walked across that stage to open the next chapter of their lives. Congratulations to all of the graduates in the class of 2015!

Throughout the spring, the Alumni Association and the Chapter of Black and Latino Alumni has hosted events to celebrate our new grads’ achievements. May Grads Day, hosted by the Alumni Association, treated our newest grads to an afternoon of food and fun. It was a chance for students to put down their books and relax as they prepared for their upcoming graduation and celebrated with their fellow Retrievers.

The Chapter of Black and Latino Alumni also recently celebrated our newest alums at their Senior Reception. Our seniors dressed up and displayed their Retriever pride with a luncheon filled with speakers who shared their UMBC stories and guidance.

We’re so thrilled to have such a wonderful new group of Retrievers in the Alumni Association, and we hope to see you back on campus soon!

Learn about our alumni perks and services!

Click here to view more of our grads!

As the first day of summer approaches, we’d like to look back and congratulate the class of 2014 for completing their undergraduate years at UMBC. This class created memories, opportunities, and relationships that are unlike any others, and were able to take part in many events while completing their degrees here. Thanks to the investment of donors like you, our grads are holding their heads high as they look to a future full of bigger and better things.

While it may not be immediately recognizable, your donations, no matter how big or small, all contribute to the livelihood and well-being of our campus, our faculty, and our students. We are grateful for every gift and show of support that you are able to offer.

Thank you for the past year of giving, and take a look at this video from one of our newest grads about the class of 2014!

Do you remember these moments? Taking your last final ever, walking across the stage, saying goodbye to tests and teachers and school… forever. These are moments the class of 2014 is living right now. Some of us will, of course, pursue further education, while others will launch new careers. But whether we continue on with school or not, the learning will never stop. UMBC has taught us to be brave, to see the world in a different way, to think outside of the box, and to always embrace the student inside.

I guess they really mean it when they say time flies when you’re having fun. For the class of 2014 this saying cannot be any closer to the truth. For some it seemed to take forever and for others it just flew by; but for all of us, well, the end is finally here. As we look back, we know we have UMBC to thank for preparing us for whatever comes next – because even as this journey ends, another adventure is just beginning.

Editor’s note: Today we say goodbye to our amazing intern, Jessie Orsburn, class of 2014! We are incredibly proud of her and wish her all the best as she moves forward with the next step of her journey. We’re also thankful for all that she has done as a member of our team during her last semester at UMBC, and we’re excited to share with you one of her projects – a video on the experience of graduating from UMBC and becoming an alum that Jessie planned, shot, and edited during the final weeks of her internship. Thanks, Jessie!