Graduate, Undergraduate Student Commencement Speakers Offer Insights Into Their Journeys: 'We Are All Worthy'
May 26, 2022
Contact: Office of Advancement and External Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
Six members of The University of Baltimore's Class of Spring 2022—three undergraduates and three graduate students—were chosen to serve as speakers at the University's May 25 Commencement ceremonies at the Lyric. Here are some highlights from their remarks:
Casey Gunn, from the Applied Psychology graduate program: "I fell in love here. I found my passion here. I grew here. But most importantly, bar none, I learned here. Not just the coursework for my degrees. I learned to love myself. I learned to unabashedly love others. I learned how to be part of a team, how to roll with the punches, how to celebrate the small victories and the big ones, too."
Jonathan Fowler, a business administration major with a specialization in Accounting: "I am a proud husband and veteran, but the title I am most proud of is being 'Daddy' to Sofia, Noah, and our newborn daughter, Scarlett. She was born on March 1st. Trying to maintain a healthy balance between working full-time as the head of household, being a full-time student, and raising a young family with my wife has certainly been challenging to say the least, but being here today with all of you has made the journey more than worth it."
Morgan Beauchamp, a Legal Studies major: "We are not ordinary college students, we are extraordinary. We are The University of Baltimore. We all have our own stories, come from different backgrounds, and face different struggles, but this is our divergence. We each traveled our own paths to arrive here, some longer than others, some with more obstacles, and we will each continue our own paths into our futures. Though our individual experiences have varied within these metaphorical four walls, I can say with confidence that together we have grown. We have learned much more than just course material. We have practiced patience, leadership, and advocacy. We have met friends, mentors, potential colleagues, and maybe even some people we don't quite jive with—I'm sure we’ve all felt let down by a group project at some point, but even then, we practiced effective communication. We have navigated a pandemic and survived virtual learning. We have experienced hardship and loss, compassion and understanding. We have taken so much away from this shared experience. ... No matter where our path leads from here, we are all cut out for it—we are all worthy. We have nothing to prove to those who doubt us."
Monique Ganser, a Forensic Studies major: "I applied to the Crime Scene Investigation program, and for the first time in a long time, felt inspired and hopeful that this was the path I was meant to walk. Returning to school after a four-year absence was incredibly daunting, but not once did my colleagues or professors make me feel less than. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised at the diversity at the school, not just in terms of race and ethnicity, but age and experience of its students and faculty alike. The UBalt community has been the closest I've felt to being back at home surrounded by people who I care about deeply since I've moved to the U.S. I am forever grateful for the friends and networks that I have made during my time here, and I thank you all for these treasured memories and experiences."
Lisa Beatty (pictured above), from the Human Services Administration program: "No one was designed to travel this journey alone. We all must admit we need help. Although we as human service leaders are effecting change in the world by way of helping others, we must ask for help with the challenges in our personal lives because no one is designed to face challenges alone. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness."
Fiona Ziemski, from the MBA program: "Like many students, I had a vision of what my time at The University of Baltimore would look like. I would attend at least one class in person a semester and join one extracurricular activity. I assumed the activity would be a business school club or networking group. ... If there is one lesson we learned in the last few years it's that life has a way of throwing at us what it wants and all we can do is embrace it. Instead of joining a business school club, I became a tutor. [It's] a classic example of how the people at The University of Baltimore push you to be a better version of yourself. Two weeks into my studies I went to the Math/Stat Lab to have someone check my homework. ... I was on my way home and then a classmate came into the lab. There was only one tutor on staff, and they were helping another student. I offered to help my classmate understand the material. A few minutes into working with my classmate, the tutor on staff told me I should be a tutor. ... I was in disbelief, but that was the push I needed to start believing in my goal to become an MBA. ... I took a chance. It turns out becoming a tutor at The University of Baltimore was one of the best things to happen to me, and it helped to guide my path."