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.”
Left: President Valerie Sheares Ashby addresses graduates. Right: Members of UMBC’s ROTC programs present the colors.
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.”
Left: Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the Science family of academic journals, addressed graduates from the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences and the College of Engineering and Information Technology. Right: Jonathon Heyward, music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, receives his honorary degree from President Valerie Sheares Ashby and Provost Manfred van Dulmen.
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.
Graduates celebrated with friends and family outside the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena after the Commencement ceremony.
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.
Graduates continued the tradition of decorating their mortarboards to mark their milestone achievement.
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.
Onward and upward for the Class of 2026!