Several memorable stories make up this year’s Commencement

UDC held its 2022 spring Commencement on Saturday, May 14, and there was no shortage of exceptional students partaking in the event. Graduates ranged from age 17 to 73 with honor students, siblings, mothers, fathers and grandparents marching across the stage to receive recognition for years of hard work.

A few memorable stories include Rajay Rodney, who obtained his B.S in Health Education, graduated with honors and was accepted at all six graduate schools he applied to George Washington University, Emory University, Boston University, NYU, Temple and South Carolina State.

There’s also the story of Nadezhda Phillips, a 50-year-old Russian native whose son, a college student, tutored her in chemistry. She received her B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics and graduated with honors. Genet Demisse, Tenisha Smith, Nigeria Teeter and Gadisa Gefa are the first graduates of the first online undergraduate degree program at UDC, the Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program (RN to B.S. in Nursing). In addition, Smith and Demisse gave birth while enrolled in the program.

It was a family affair for Madagascan natives Mariah Andoniaina Randriambololona, who received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and her brother Jacquit, who received his degree in Political Science.

And then there’s Rachel Gizaw, a 31-year-old single mother of three young who got her B.S. in Computer Science. Originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Gizaw went through extraordinary challenges to complete her degree.

“I had a hard time reaching this graduation. At one time, I was homeless, and then I ended up in a one-bedroom apartment with three children,” Gizaw said. “I remember that my mother and I had health problems at one time, and I had to take care us both, along with the kids. Still, I had to keep going. It was difficult, but I was determined to finish for them because I want to give them a better life.”

Gizaw said that her motto became: “Don’t ever give up!””At one point I was able to work from home. That helped a little because I no longer had to run back and forth to an office,” she said. “But still, life was tough. I didn’t have enough time in the day, it seemed. I had a full-time job, my kids had homework and I had homework. Yet I couldn’t stop school. I couldn’t stop studying or preparing for exams. Even when my kids were sick, I kept working right next to their hospital beds. I would take care of them, study all night, get no sleep and do it all over again the next day.”

One of Gizaw’s professors, the Department of Computer Science of Information Technology’s Undergraduate Program Director Dr. Dong Hyun Jeong said, “Being a mom and a student is not easy because continuous efforts and effective time management are needed. As a mother and a computer science student, Rahel showed exemplary skills in digesting all course materials with raising children while in college. She has also made a sincere effort to get to know many other members of the UDC community by attending many university and school events. I am confident that she wants to do all that she can to make this school a better place for herself and the people around her.”

Gizaw credits Dr. Jeong and other professors for their steadfast support during the pursuit of her degree.

“Along with my family, my professors and the UDC professors and staff will always be special to me,” she said. “They were rooting for me all along and were constant cheerleaders. They have prepared me for the best possible future. To anyone struggling, whatever you are facing in life, believe in yourself and keep going. Don’t ever give up and surround yourself with people who truly care about your success.”