Nes Agopome was only a few weeks into her program at The University of Baltimore when she lost her job in a sweep of federal cuts in 2025.
The sudden loss of her job left Nes wavering. She didn’t want to leave the B.A. in Psychology program she loved without the degree she wanted.
The University that once surprised her with a full scholarship gave her more incentive to stay: a campus job. Shortly after she decided to stay at UBalt, she found a federal work study position through one of her professors with the Helen P. Denit Honors Program.
“I feel like I wouldn't have even had that opportunity if I hadn't continued with school,” Nes said.
When Nes initially tried college right out of high school, she went to Montgomery College and focused on international business. As an international student from West Africa who spoke three languages, she considered it the logical path.
Then personal life intervened with her academic studies and she had to stop her pursuit. By the time Nes was ready to go back to school, she decided psychology was the better path for her and her young daughter.
“I realized, in order to be a better parent for her, I had to understand what I was going through personally, and how to shape my life to where I could be there to answer certain questions,” Nes said. “I just wanted to be a better example, not only for her, but for other people coming from African backgrounds.”
When Nes started again at Frederick Community College, she enrolled in counseling psychology classes. That was when she first heard about UBalt. Chris Ceary, M.S. ’17, a counseling psychology alum, UBalt adjunct professor and FCC professor, convinced Nes to consider her alma mater in Baltimore.
“I'm applying to other places anyways, and then UBalt returned their decision to me, and they gave me a full ride academically,” Nes recalled. “I thought other places are cool, too, but if we're going to get the same degree for free, I might as well.”
UBalt proved to be more than a free ride for Nes.
“I was working full time, I had my kid full time, and I was adding school full time. I felt like I was trying to just come here, do class, work and then go home. And there's a big community here that I didn't realize was here before I started,” she said. “With Dr. [Josh] Davis and the honors program, some of the people I’ve met in my classes, people here care more than I anticipated them to. And I feel like when I walk down the street, I recognize people, people recognize me, and it's been easier to network.”
After losing her federal job, Nes also found help reworking her resume with her career coach in the Career and Internship Center.
It’s one thing for a school to want you to excel academically, Nes said, but UBalt cares about the whole person.
“I didn't realize that UBalt took the time to worry about those things, too,” she said.
Nes has already decided to stay at UBalt to pursue the new M.S. in Social and Organizational Psychology program. Because of the accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s pathway, she could start taking graduate-level classes before finishing her bachelor’s degree.
Her professors at UBalt cemented Nes’ choice to come and stay here.
“The faculty have been really great,” she said. “The ones that I've had the pleasure of either taking their classes or just having conversations with, I think not only are they very knowledgeable, but they also go above and beyond to be reachable.”
That’s particularly important to Nes as she balances multiple things with her classes.
“It's nice to know that if I'm away from my kid, I'm around people who care about the things that are going on in my life and who do want me to succeed,” she said.