UMW Pivots for COVID-Era Commencements
The University of Mary Washington will hold nine separate in-person Commencement ceremonies for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 over the course of four days, May 6 to 9. Photo by Norm Shafer.
Hannah Checkeye ’21 will cross the University of Mary Washington Commencement stage this weekend with more than she could have imagined when she came to campus four years ago.
She chose UMW because it gave her a pathway to pursue two passions: lacrosse and med school. Successful in both, she’s among a handful of students accepted into an early selection program at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She’s just one example of UMW graduating seniors who are “Portraits of Perseverance,” having excelled in academics and extracurricular activities through a worldwide pandemic and turbulent times.
And COVID only enhanced her college experience.
With pandemic precautions in place, Checkeye is one of 1,100 graduates who will turn their tassels – ready to take on a world that’s already handed them test after test – during UMW’s in-person 2020 and 2021 Commencement festivities. The event will look different this year, with nine separate ceremonies over the course of four days, May 6 to 9. But, Checkeye said, “I’m still super excited to get to graduate in person!”
Visit the UMW Commencement Page for details and upcoming livestreams.
Pandemic-Era Commencement Holds A Number of Highlights
Jasmine Williams ’20 models her decorated mortarboard. Members of the Class of 2020 waited a year for their Commencement.
What a year … and 52 days! But who’s counting?
With University of Mary Washington Commencement ceremonies for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 taking place today through Sunday, we are.
When UMW paused in-person learning last spring, amid a growing pandemic, campus life as we knew it was thrown off kilter. Amid the disruption, Class of 2020 graduation plans were rescheduled, then put on hold. A robust MMDC (monitor, mask, distance and clean) campaign – and a gymnastics routine of face-to-face and virtual learning – brought students back to campus in the fall. But it’s been a long road.
Racial unrest and political angst swept the nation. Weekly emails from UMW’s “COVID-19 Implementation Team” told of fast-changing news: disease progression, vaccine availability and those hard-to-pin-down Commencement plans.
Now, with a web of socially distanced, guideline-adherent measures in place, Mary Washington presents the capstone activity for two extraordinary classes. Bring on the bagpipes, brightly colored honor cords, and decorated caps … and masks!
With everything else that’s been turned on its head, we’re flipping the number ’21, too. Here – in numerical order – are 12 things to know about one unconventional Commencement, broken into nine parts. Read more.
UMW Pivots for COVID-Era Commencements
UMW to Graduate Class of 2020
Class of 2020 graduate Camryn Molnar tosses her cap in front of Monroe Hall and the fountain. She’s among the 1,309 UMW graduates who will participate in commencement in the fall. The combined undergraduate and graduate ceremony is currently scheduled for October 24. Photo credit: dpan.visuals on Instagram.
The University of Mary Washington will confer degrees upon a total of 1,309 students during its 109th commencement ceremony in the fall, rescheduled due to COVID-19. For the first time, the University will hold a combined ceremony for both undergraduate and graduate students, currently scheduled to take place on the Fredericksburg Campus’ Ball Circle on Saturday, Oct. 24.
The University will award five Master of Geospatial Analysis degrees, 35 Master of Business Administration degrees, 95 Master of Education degrees, 40 Master of Science in Elementary Education degrees, 455 Bachelor of Arts degrees, 550 Bachelor of Science degrees, 48 Bachelor of Liberal Studies degrees and 53 Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees.
Candidates for degrees are listed as of April 15, 2020. Degree candidates are subject to final review. All degrees will be officially conferred on May 15, 2020. We regret any errors that may inadvertently appear in this listing. Read more.
Though we were unable to celebrate on Ball Circle this spring, we are proud to honor our remarkable Class of 2020 via this YouTube video, which conveys from various perspectives the traditions we hold dear.
Trio of Darden Winners Receives Virtual Acclaim for Perfect Grades
Three graduating seniors – Hannah Frederick, Meryl Menezes and Aleksandra Shtabnaya – earned the Darden Award, achieving a perfect GPA of 4.0. Their names were announced via a Zoom call.
It doesn’t take a 4.0 to figure out how to get on a Zoom call.
But three of the participants in a mid-morning call yesterday have 4.0 grade averages, and because they have mastered distance learning during the concluding weeks of their final semester at University of Mary Washington, they and their family members seamlessly accessed Zoom.
The three recipients of the 2020 Colgate W. Darden Jr. Award are Hannah Frederick, a math major with minors in data science and computer science; Meryl Menezes, a psychology major with a minor in Spanish; and Aleksandra Shtabnaya, a computer science major with minors in data science and digital studies.
“Each of our Darden winners completed their studies at UMW with perfect 4.0 grade point averages. All are graduating summa cum laude, and all have been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society,” said Provost Nina Mikhalevsky, who led the virtual presentation that also included deans and faculty members who had worked with the winners. “As a group, the Darden winners took 105 different courses in 23 different subject disciplines and completed six separate individual study or undergraduate projects.”
Mikhalevsky also praised each recipient for “persevering during a pandemic.” Read more.
Twenty Ways the Class of 2020 Stands Out
The Class of 2020 stands out in many ways. Read about 20 of them below.
Each UMW graduating class is unique, a one-of-a-kind collection of dedicated students determined to earn their degrees and change the world. With all they’ve been through – from the thrill of Orientation and the First-Year Experience to political turmoil and a global pandemic that cleared campus – the Class of 2020 stands out in a big way.
More than 1,000 students strong, this group of graduates faced change head-on, proving to be a resilient and formidable force. From in-person learning to virtual classrooms, from one-on-one consults with faculty members to scheduled Zoom meetings, from on-campus events to celebrations that played out on Instagram, this class truly has its own story to tell.
With the unprecedented chaos caused by COVID-19 and academic expectations still high, they stuck with it. They honored the commitments they’d made and didn’t give up. They did it!
They won’t turn their tassels at Commencement on Ball Circle Saturday as they had planned, but later, at a ceremony currently rescheduled for Oct. 24. Then, they will celebrate together the lessons they’ve learned through these past weeks, in perseverance, adaptability and grit – a punctuation point on a liberal arts education that aims to do the same thing.
It’s time for these Eagles to leave the nest. It’s their time to fly! Read more.
Share Your Words of Wisdom with the Class of 2020
We know it’s been on your bucket list. You finally have a chance to deliver a commencement address! (Well, at least part of one.)
We are asking all faculty and staff to step up during this unprecedented time and share your wisdom with UMW’s Class of 2020. It could be practical, such as in the valedictory words of a former Navy SEAL: Make your bed every morning. Or philosophical: Pursue your dreams.
We want you to think about important life lessons or if-I-knew-then-what-I-know-now reflections. Regardless of whether your words are wise or witty, pithy or poetic, we urge you to think of a concise statement (one or two sentences) you would like to pass along to our graduates.
We ask that you email your written statements to Interim Media Relations Director Lisa Marvashti. And, if you’re willing to take it a step farther (or ready for prime time), videotape yourself delivering your words of wisdom. Be sure and include your name and title.
Please send these to us by May 4. We will compile all the submissions into a written summary for the May 7th EagleEye, and we will use the videotaped messages on the website and in communication with our graduates.
Commencement Update from President Paino
A Message to the Class of 2020 and the UMW Community:
I know that graduating seniors and their families are devastated that the University can’t hold commencement on May 9 due to the coronavirus and the CDC’s ban on gatherings of over 50 people for two months. So are we. Commencement is one of UMW’s favorite times of the year, a chance to celebrate all that you have accomplished and to look forward to all that you will achieve. Few moments in the life of the University are as purely joyous as commencement.
So, I want you to know that the commencement ceremony for the class of 2020 is not cancelled; it is postponed until the fall. Grades are still due May 5 in order to confer your degrees by May 15. You will be able to get an official transcript that indicates you are a UMW graduate as you start jobs or the next stage in your education.
I don’t yet know the exact date for the class of 2020’s commencement this fall or any other details, but I know all of us want to celebrate you and give you a chance to walk across that stage. You are a unique class in the history of Mary Washington, full of resilience and determination in the face of unprecedented obstacles. Over the next few weeks we will pull together our commencement planning team — along with students, faculty, and staff — to find the right day, time, and way to celebrate during the fall semester.
In the meantime, please know how proud we are of you.
Sincerely,
Troy
