UMES awards 284 degrees in a “modified, in-person” graduation ceremony

Somerset County Times
Posted 5/14/21

Graduation exercises returned to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s William P. Hytche Athletic Center on Friday after a year’s hiatus.

The university awarded 284 degrees in a …

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UMES awards 284 degrees in a “modified, in-person” graduation ceremony

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Graduation exercises returned to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s William P. Hytche Athletic Center on Friday after a year’s hiatus.

The university awarded 284 degrees in a “modified, in-person” ceremony with the customary pomp and circumstance before a smaller, more intimate crowd of onlookers all wearing masks.

The university held two “virtual” graduation ceremonies in 2020.

“It brought tears to my eyes to find out we were going to have an in-person commencement,” Melody J. Newman said. “I am fully prepared to take on the world and whatever I have coming next.”

Angelica Maria Garcia of El Monte, Calif., the first in her family to graduate from college, earned her bachelor’s degree in applied design with a concentration in commercial photography.

Cheered on by her adult daughter, Garcia wants “to tell people’s stories visually.”  She’s among 11 people offered a coveted spot in a graduate program at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M.

“I’m not only an artist,” the first generation Latina-American said, “I want to be an activist, too.”

Zachary J. Seiler of Stevensville, Md., has a job lined up after receiving his bachelor’s degree in Aviation Science. He’s headed to New London, Conn., where he’ll enter officer candidate school with a goal of flying U.S. Coast Guard helicopters.

 “I’ve had an awesome experience here – nothing but good things to say about the university,” Seiler said.

Gabrielle Christian of Elkridge, Md., a community college transfer student who made the UMES dean’s list, delivered the student commentary.

“I did not give up on myself when I did not go to (a four-year) college straight out of high school,” the Hospitality-Tourism Management major said, adding “I was able to grow as a person by attending UMES.”

The first graduate to accept a degree grew up on the campus and crossed the stage in a building bearing her late father’s name.

Pamelia Hytche-Hunter received a traditional neck drape, a “hood,” signifying she completed her doctoral degree work in organizational leadership, finishing a four-decade journey.

Pam, as she is best known, at age 66 became the last of Deloris and UMES President William P. Hytche’s three children to join the ranks of UMES alumni.

Hytche-Hunter considered pursuing a doctorate at the University of Texas in the early 1980s, but put it off because of time-consuming family obligations as a mother of two and the spouse of a Baptist pastor.

“At that time, I was the only child … who did not attend the greatest institution in America, which for my father is the University of Maryland Eastern Shore,” she said.

Sheree L. Sample-Hughes, speaker pro tem of the Maryland House of Delegates, who delivered the commencement address.

“Class of 2021,” Sample-Hughes said.  “Nothing will change unless you make it change.”

UMES presented an honorary degree of public service to Dr. John B. King Jr., the nation's 10th U.S. Secretary of Education under former President Barack Obama. 

King's paternal grandmother was an 1894 graduate of Princess Anne Academy, the forerunner to UMES.

King spoke briefly, telling the audience “I'm grateful for this institution” that gave Estelle L. Stansberry, who married a descendant of enslaved people, the opportunity to get a formal education.  He told UMES graduates they “have a sacred trust to carry on that tradition” that helped Stansberry aspire to a better life than her ancestors, and challenged them to “work to build a more just future.

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Md. is a historically black, Carnegie-classified doctoral research, land-grant institution founded in 1886 that offers more than 90 academic programs and concentrations leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate.

UMES provides affordable access to higher education while developing innovative technology and research in key fields like agriculture, science, pharmacy and engineering.  Visit umes.edu for more information.

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