It was an especially tough blow for the Class of 2020 who didn’t get to celebrate the end of their final year as Cardinals with a traditional Commencement ceremony or even get a chance to bid farewell to their favorite campus spots.

A new space near the center of Belknap Campus now stands in their honor; the fulfillment of a promise made by the university to the Class of 2020. It’s an oasis from the regular hustle and bustle, where all students can reflect and relax and where the Class of 2020 can return to celebrate their place in UofL’s history.

The university dedicated the 2020 Pavilion on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The space was designed “in honor of the Class of 2020 whose dynamic blend of passion, innovation and resiliency sustained them on their academic journey and through their final days as students, which were irrevocably altered by the COVID-19 pandemic and its historic impact on our world.”

Plans for a commemorative space were announced in May 2020 to mark sacrifices made by students after the pandemic forced the university to deliver all classes virtually during part of spring 2020 and to offer commencement as a virtual rather than in-person experience that year.

Jasper Noble ’20 served as 2019-20 Student Government Association president and well remembers the jarring effect the pandemic had on his senior year.

“The Class of 2020 got hit in a very strange way with [the pandemic]. It came out of nowhere and completely changed how we were going to school and how were living our lives. We were the first graduating class to deal with this new problem,” he said.

The pandemic, while a struggle, did also provide a chance for UofL to truly show it is a Community of Care and to demonstrate its resiliency.

“I think there were a lot of lessons we learned,” Noble said. “How to be flexible, how to be a little more empathetic to those around us. In my experience, people were very patient and very caring right there at the end of the semester. It was a time when we were all very far apart, but we all came together. I think it’s great that there’s a place we can come back to and celebrate the time we had at UofL and, I bet for a lot of people, get that closure that they’re looking for and maybe never got.”  

The original idea to honor the Class of 2020 began with a renaming of the grassy area bordered by the Belknap Academic Building, Lutz Hall, Shumaker Research Building and Schneider Hall to the “2020 Quad,” but with thanks to University Planning, Design and Construction (UPDC), planners began to think bigger.

“We talked about creating a structure with seating so students could use the space to socialize and be on campus – exactly what students in 2020 could not do at the time,” UPDC assistant director Mike Materna said. “We all believed in the vision of making sure students felt heard and supported after a time when that voice was not able to be present.”

Along the way primary donor Messer Construction Co., and supporters Whittenberg Construction Co. and ID+A Inc., along with the Office of the President, provided funding to make the pavilion come to life. With K. Norman Berry and Associates as the architect and Miranda Construction as the contractor, construction began in earnest during the summer of 2022 and was completed at the start of the fall semester.

Embracing the idea of a comfortable gathering space was critical in the design process, Carrie Whitmore, project manager with UPDC, said. “So we specifically picked furniture that would encourage people to stick around – like lounge chairs and communal tables.” Along with the furniture, the pavilion also includes a living wall “so the legacy can live on,” Whitmore added.

The backside of the living wall features a Cardinal logo that can be used as a spot to take a UofL-inspired photo, designed in part to give the Class of 2020 an opportunity to take a picture that could replace the traditional shot they would have taken as they walked across the stage at graduation. And of course, there is a plaque with the dedication to the Class of 2020. Since its completion, students and other members of the campus community can be found lounging in the chairs, studying or grabbing a quick bite.

Noble, who is currently in his second year of law school at Georgetown University, was able to return to UofL last year when his sister was a freshman. He visited as construction was beginning on the recently completed Belknap Village South residence hall and his sister has been keeping him up to date with all the latest campus improvements. As an alum, Noble is proud to see where UofL is going and is honored that through the pavilion, the Class of 2020 is able to  share what makes UofL so special with the classes that followed them.  

“I think one of the points of being a part of a community like UofL is that you put all this work in, you donate so much of your time to the community because you’re grateful that other people have come before you and done that,” he said. “I’m very excited there’s another place for people to relax and really soak in being in this place.”

Dancy now serves with Lockheed Martin as a Talent Acquisition Sourcing Recruiter, where he assists Lockheed Martin hire Electrical Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Cleared Technicians and Veterans with the Space Military Relations Team.

He started his military career as a field artilleryman, serving at Fort Riley, Kansas, and Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He then transitioned to being an Army Recruiter and served at Recruiting Battalions in Atlanta, Dallas and Oklahoma. Following these tours, he was chosen to be an instructor for recruiters and recruiting station commanders at the U.S. Army Recruiting and Retention College, Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Among the many awards Dancy earned during his career was the prestigious Glen E. Morrell Award, the highest recruiting award in the U.S. Army. He is also the recipient of several Meritorious Service Medals, which are presented  to individuals who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States.

Dancy chose UofL due to its unique partnership with the U.S. Army Recruiting and Retention College. Through this partnership, soldiers and instructors at the U.S. Army Recruiting and Retention College are offered an opportunity to pursue their master’s degree at UofL. The program is designed to help advanced instructors enhance their facilitation skills with adult students. Although the program is offered to every soldier, the U.S. Army Recruiting and Retention College has a screening process designed to identify soldiers most likely to succeed.

Prior to choosing UofL, Dancy had an opportunity to talk with previous students of the program. They all stressed how the faculty made themselves available to students even if the students contacted them late in the evening. 

Although he was a UofL student during the COVID epidemic, Dancy said the Department of ����ֱ��al Leadership was ready to meet the challenges and restrictions of COVID, while ensuring students were challenged. He intends to use the skills acquired in his master’s program to help him grow his second career with Lockheed Martin.

UofL is proud to call Dancy an alum, and also to celebrate the 246th birthday of the United States Army on June 14. 

Story submitted by Kyle Hurwitz, UofL’s director of Military and Online Initiatives.

“Each of you has made a choice to be a part of something bigger than yourselves,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, commander of U.S. Army Recruiting Command at Fort Knox, who was the featured speaker. 

Each Army cadet received a commission certificate, then family members or friends pinned bars to the service members’ uniforms. The new second lieutenants also received their first salutes.

UofL’s Army ROTC has commissioned almost 600 officers since the program began in 1982.

The following were commissioned: Brenden Becker, criminal justice; Seth Conte, political science; Annie Garcia, political science; Ethan Center, sports administration; Demetrio Cervantes, occupational leadership and learning; Drew Clements, occupational leadership and learning; Ivanna Duran, health and human performance; William Hahn, occupational leadership and learning; Thomas Kotz Goodenough, occupational leadership and learning; Sawyer Mattingly, marketing; Nicholas Nuccio, finance; Daniel Rees, finance; Jerry Watkins, finance; Jacob Newberry, mechanical engineering; Kevin Orr, interdisciplinary graduate school, political science; and two Bellarmine University students.

Check out the Cardinal Battalion’s for more.

In a separate ceremony, the four Air Force Cadets commissioned were Robert Bieshelt, Gabrielle Cohn, Justin Cooper and Alexander Mindrup.

The ceremonies on May 7 and May 8 were held for the first time at Cardinal Stadium. They included not only Spring 2021 graduates but members of the class of 2020, whose commencement exercises had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each graduate was allowed to invite eight guests, whose seats were scattered around the stadium to allow for recommended social distancing. Graduates sat on the field in chairs set 6 feet apart.

Although there was no student procession and no handshakes were allowed, graduates and their guests cheered, waved and took photographs to mark the occasion. Graduates were each individually recognized as they walked across the stage, many flashing their “Ls” and waving at the livestream camera that allowed the ceremonies to be broadcast around the world on UofL’s YouTube channel. 

UofL President Neeli Bendapudi told the audiences the period that started in March 2020 put resiliency to the test.

“To many, this has been the longest year, the longest year,” she said. “The time when time stood still. When days became indistinguishable from one another and when screen fatigue became real.”

Planning for the outdoor ceremonies began in January. The Commencement Planning Committee met weekly to ensure the ceremonies would celebrate achievements while adhering to safety standards recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All plans were approved by the governor’s office.

“You are among less than 7% of the population of the world that has at least a bachelor’s degree,” Bendapudi told the graduates. “That’s an achievement and a reason to be grateful. Your degrees are from a Research 1 university, that puts you as graduating from a college that is in the top 3% of all colleges and universities in the country. Your degree is from the United States of America. For all its flaws and shortcomings, this is still the beacon of hope around the world.”

Each ceremony, led by University of Louisville President Neeli Bendapudi, will include one student speaker.

Aliyah D’Rae Brutley, College of Arts & Sciences

Brutley will speak at the first ceremony of the weekend May 7 at 7 p.m. She is receiving a bachelor of science in theatre arts and a bachelor of arts in psychology.

A , Brutley is this year’s recipient of the Woodcock Medal, the most prestigious recognition of accomplishment by an undergraduate student in A&S. The Woodcock Medal is awarded each year to “an outstanding senior whose personal characteristics and superior scholarship give promise of constructive leadership in society.”

As an undergraduate student, she was cast in UofL’s Repertory Company, which is a small ensemble usually reserved for graduate students that tours Jefferson County Public Schools. 

“I had the pleasure of … seeing the look on young Black girls’ faces as they saw themselves reflected on stage,” said Sidney Monroe Williams, assistant professor in theatre arts, who nominated Brutely for the Woodcock Medal.

Brutely is graduating with a 4.0 GPA and is currently employed in a National Science Foundation-funded project to retain underrepresented minority women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). She previously worked at UPS loading and unloading delivery trucks. 

Brianna Marie Blasi, College of Business

Known as Bree to her friends, Blasi will receive her bachelor of science in business administration at the second weekend ceremony May 8 at 10 a.m. The marketing major said she wants to send a positive message to the class of 2020, whose ceremony last year was abruptly cancelled because of the pandemic, and the class of 2021.

“As we celebrate the classes of 2020 and 2021, let us live in the moment and remember how far we’ve come,” she said. “The struggles and the changes we went through have made us more resilient, made us more equipped for the unknown, and most importantly, showed us our strength.” 

Blasi, of Louisville, said UofL has felt like home to her from the moment she arrived for freshman orientation. 

“From the professors, lovely staff members and education resources to all the supportive classmates I have encountered over the last four years, I was truly able to excel at UofL and reach my goals,” she said. “When Covid-19 hit, my world, and so many others’, was shook to its core. It sometimes seemed like I was travelling through this never-ending dark tunnel with no sign of light. What helped me get through it all was the continuous support from classmates and understanding professors.”

Murphy Lamb, School of Music

Pianist Murphy Lamb will give remarks at the 4 p.m. ceremony May 8, the final ceremony of the weekend. The Campbellsville, Kentucky, native is graduating with a bachelor of arts in music and a minor in physics.

“I hope to relay to guests and fellow graduates that graduation is a time to reflect on our experiences, look forward to the opportunities ahead of us, but most importantly, it is a time to connect with one another in the present. It is a time to celebrate our accomplishments and live into the fullness of the moment,” Lamb said.

Lamb developed chronic tendinitis in his wrists and elbows during his first year in the School of Music and feared he would have to abandon his dream of a music degree.

“As a pianist this was an incredible obstacle,” he said. “At my worst I was almost forced to make the decision to leave my major. How could I complete a music degree if playing my instrument was a serious health risk? I would not have been able to find a solution had it not been for the empathy and flexibility shown to me by my close personal mentors and beloved faculty in the School of Music. They gave me space to rest when needed, time to develop ways to work around my condition, and a never-ending stream of words of encouragement.” 

While at UofL, she had a baby born in 2000 who today is a sophomore at UofL. She met and married her husband, Jeremy. From 2000 to 2004, five close family members died, and the grief was overwhelming. In addition, Burrell was diagnosed with a condition defined as “like multiple sclerosis” that had her moving from class to class in a motorized wheelchair.

But at that 2004 commencement, Burrell was so excited. She steadied herself with a cane while her then-3-year-old son, Lorenzo, toddled along beside her. When her health took a sudden downturn, she had to put off the one class she still had to take to earn her degree.

Slowly, as the years passed and her family grew to four children while she worked full-time at Humana, her last class “turned into many,” she said.

Still, she was determined to finish. “I kept going back over the years.” she said. “As requirements changed, I kept going. When I owed tuition, I paid what I could until my balance was fulfilled and immediately, I re-enrolled.”

After all, when she arrived at UofL in 1999 as “an 18-year-old full of promise,” she was the recipient of a prestigious MLK Endowment of Peace award and a Woodford R. Porter Scholarship. She joined Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. in 2002. Her father, Kenny Rowan, had “put Cardinals in my crib,” she said. 

In 2019, she arranged with her College of Arts & Sciences advisor to take her final three classes. “I completed all the steps to start classes in January 2020,” she said. “During that first class, Covid-19 hit, and we had to move quickly to virtual classes. Including that class, I have taken the last three classes I needed to graduate, one per term, during Covid.”

And she did it despite working from home and having four children at home who  each had individual virtual learning needs: A freshman in high school (14-year-old Ajani Nicole), a second-grader (8-year-old Hayden Reese), a pre-schooler (5-year-old Katherine Joy) and Lorenzo, who lived both on campus and at home.

In addition to her parents, Burrell, who grew up in Owensboro, found inspiration in Ricky Jones, chair of the Pan-African Studies department, who was her first Black teacher.

“I took every single class that he taught,” she said. “Now my son has started taking his classes and it makes me proud that Dr. Jones sees me in Lorenzo — my legacy.”

Burrell’s next challenge will be a master’s degree (first she has to decide among public health, Pan-African Studies or Women and Gender Studies) and eventually a Ph.D.

“UofL helped prepare me for life,” she said. “Over the last 11 months, UofL has helped me show my children that Mommy, now 39, never gave up, no matter what.”

Unsurprisingly, however, the ceremony will be delivered virtually, a product of a relentless pandemic that has gripped the world for nearly a year now. While the in-person commencement ceremony in May was canceled – replaced with an online celebration – this time around seems tougher. The tunnel seems much longer than most of us expected. 

Still, despite some pandemic weariness, our graduates are also tougher, and they’re not willing to let this lingering crisis rain on their milestone.

“It’s been a wild ride. I’m grateful for this experience and I believe this has made me mentally stronger,” said Charice Johnson, a Louisville native graduating with a communication degree. She notes that the beginning of 2020 was a bigger challenge, particularly the transition to work-from-home in March. She balanced her job with Student Affairs, with her education, with raising a fourth grader, who is also learning from home.

Johnson leaned on the positives; for example, being at home allowed her to accomplish tasks she would have otherwise been too tired to do in the evenings. UofL HR’s Learning Cafes also helped keep her optimistic.

“Often, employees may feel besides themselves in certain situations, but those workshops have maintained a sense of community,” she said. “I’ve been able to seize opportunities to grow and learn as both an employee and a student.”

Johnson plans to continue working for UofL as a program assistant, senior for the University Career Center, while expanding her education by taking online courses provided by various institutions.

Meherunissa Naseem, a biology major/psychology minor from India, also believes she is graduating with sharpened resiliency.

“Though finishing my degree in the middle of a pandemic and not having a traditional ceremony or celebrating with friends and family is not what I have expected, I still feel fortunate to be able to accomplish the biggest dream of my life,” she said.

Naseem identifies bigger challenges, such as graduating debt-free and transitioning from India to the United States.

“When look back at it all, the decision I made and all the challenges I faced, I feel blessed and grateful,” she said, acknowledging her strong support system in her family.

Naseem chose to endure those challenges and attend UofL because of its diversity and research opportunities. When asked what she loves most about her soon-to-be-alma-mater, she simply answers, “Everything – the infrastructure, the buildings, the professors, the faculty, the staff, the students.”

Next, Naseem plans to move to a different state and gain some experience in biology before choosing a grad school to attend.

Kendall Ruber, a graduate student from Butler, Kentucky, describes the experience of finishing her degree in the middle of a global pandemic as simply, “surreal.”

“At the beginning of the pandemic, when we had to convert to online instruction on a whim, my classes seemed like a blur, and time seemed to move both fast and slow at the same time,” she said. “As the months have passed, it still seems like the concept of time doesn’t exist anymore. I still have trouble processing the fact that my graduation occurred and that eight months have passed since we were last in the classroom together.”

Adjusting to online learning has been a challenge for Ruber, particularly as she also works a full-time job.

“It was grueling to be sitting at my desk alone for upwards of 14 hours a day without any human interaction,” she said, describing herself as a “people person.”

She is trying to keep herself positive by remembering what she is grateful for. That includes a field – business analytics – where she can work remotely, watching her friends and classmates chasing their dreams and staying healthy.

Ruber, who also earned her undergraduate degree at UofL, chose to the school because of its diversity.

“UofL has exposed me to various cultures, identities and ideologies and I have come out a better person and professional because of it,” she said. “UofL has pushed me to challenge everything I had previously experienced coming into college. Growing up in an extremely homogenous community, I had a very narrow view of the world. UofL broke down many of those barriers and continued to introduce me to people and places that would allow me to grow.”

Ruber is currently assisting teaching statistics for UofL’s Online MBA program and hopes to one day become a data scientist.

From surreal to “overjoyed.” That’s how Tony Hobson, who is graduating with an organizational leadership and learning degree, describes finishing his degree amid this unusual environment. 

“I am so overjoyed it’s actually happening,” he said. Hobson, who started his college experience in the early 1990s, keeps himself optimistic by looking for meaning behind these challenges.

“At the end of the day, if we’re going to get through these tough times, there has to be a purpose,” he said.

Hobson’s post-graduate plans are to pursue management-based positions, possibly in transportation, and to further his acting career.

Christian Loriel Lucas reflects on her time at UofL with a deep sense of pride and relief. The 35-year-old mom juggled attending school amid a pandemic with working full-time at the School of Medicine with having a child learning from home and another child whose daycare was closed.

“It was a lot to deal with. I cried a few times. I laugh about it now,” she said.

Lucas recalls one night in particular when her children were running around upstairs and her husband was on a work call. She was hunkered down in the basement trying to focus on a literary theory question for class.

“I ended up sobbing over one question. My brain just couldn’t focus,” she said. “But I survived it. The biggest challenge has been trying to keep it all together – family and work came first, school came second.”

Still, at times, she had to swap priorities and leave the house to get some peace and quiet for her schoolwork. Other times, she couldn’t bond with her cohort because she was with her family.

“I had no time for life outside of work and home, but I utilized every moment I had to get things done,” Lucas said. “I knew I couldn’t do everything, but I managed to keep myself and my family afloat.”

Her family, and the support they provided, is what sustained and motivated her. She also acknowledges a strong support system among her coworkers, friends and professors.

“Knowing that somebody was rooting for me was the positive energy I needed to keep going,” Lucas said. “I really felt bad at times for taking my family through this just so I could get my degree. But they are so proud of me.”

Lucas’ post-graduation plans are to continue her creative writing career and she plans to write “a lot.” Her work has already been published, ,” a publication that celebrates Black women writers.

There have been many hurdles on the path to commencement for spouses Diane Endicott and Kim Clark. But this month, they both achieve their long-held dreams of graduating from UofL.

Clark received her cap and gown days before she turned 50 this month. “It’s a really big thing for me. I took it out of the box and started crying,” Clark said.

Then she posed in the regalia and sent jubilant selfies around to relatives, teachers and former UofL co-workers.

“It’s almost surreal that it’s going to happen,” Endicott said, pausing from working on her last paper in the library in late November. The registered nurse started pursuing her master’s degree in exercise physiology in 2015 after a health diagnosis made her think more strategically about wellness and aging in considering her next steps.

She took a few classes and did OK, in her words, although she felt “way in over my head,” and was set to resume in 2018 when her mother fractured her hip the day before the start of classes. So Endicott sat out a year in caring for her and then for her father, who became ill. She returned determined to stay the course.

The faculty and staff in her College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development program permitted her flexibility to deal with what life dealt along the way – “yeah, family stuff comes first” – and encouraged her success. “I appreciate it when the professors are really about you learning things,” she said.

Then when it was time to do her required clinical internship this spring, COVID-19 interfered with the most likely in-person opportunities so she had to figure out with the help of her internship adviser how to make that work. She took an extension and put together a summer project expanding on research into a motivational interviewing tool for workshops to approach mental health, exercise, alcohol addiction and disease processes.

“You can tell people what to do but if they’re not motivated, it’s just wasted air,” Endicott said.

Motivation is clearly abundant in the Endicott-Clark household. Endicott already had begun her graduate studies when they married in 2016, and Clark always intended to continue her education. But 20 years after earning her associate degree in Paducah, Clark had “major anxieties” about seeking her bachelor’s despite having worked at UofL since 2014.

However, she applied UofL’s tuition remission benefit to afford her classes – two every spring and fall semester and one last summer – that led to her new degree in organizational leadership and learning. She left her Physical Plant job as a program assistant senior and then service coordinator about three months ago to become a facilities coordinator for LG&E.

Along the way the two have encouraged each other, quizzed each other before tests and helped with technological struggles.

“It’s been challenging – just to write a paper in its proper form” when starting out,” Clark said. “My first paper – I gave it to my wife – and she said, ‘Oh, honey, this needs a lot of work.’”

But then, through determination, discipline and the support of helpful advisers and faculty members, things got easier.

“Her confidence grew so much,” Endicott said. And Endicott felt less guilty about the family time spent on studies.

“It really has been helpful because we both pushed each other,” Clark said. “It’s nice when you have a cheerleader who lives with you.”

So what’s next, now that the couple can reclaim the home study spaces and think about the future? The two will have another graduation to celebrate when Endicott’s daughter, Jordan, earns her Spalding University bachelor’s degree in 2021.

Endicott, who confesses to having too many interests, continues her nursing work but will explore various ways to help others improve their well-being. “I know I’m going to use it, but it’s also about personally achieving this goal.”

“There’s going to be a whole sea of people after the pandemic who need help with their health,” Endicott said.

“Meanwhile, I want to develop a free exercise program for my church,” she said, hoping to figure out a combination exercise program and health and wellness instruction.

Both have “it’s never too late” advice for others who are pondering whether they can pursue an academic degree.

Endicott said to not give in to fear, to not let technology hold you back, to use the Writing Center’s helpful services, take courses related to research areas and to befriend librarians.

“Just try it – one baby step after another,” she said.

“No matter how long it takes you, you can reach that goal,” Clark added. “It’s huge for me. It’s just something I’ve wanted to do. I’m smiling from one ear to the other.”

Gaunt, a Pikeville, Kentucky, native, has completed three co-op rotations at Midea America Research Center where, among other tasks, he led projects including innovative new feature design and laboratory planning, applied CAD design, FMEA analysis and data management skills, and communicated with both local and Chinese teams to ensure project needs were met. He is currently employed at Midea as a part-time consumer appliance R&D engineer.

Phil Hombroek, his co-op supervisor, called Gaunt one of the best students he has ever worked with in 30 years of engineering.

“He demonstrates all the necessary attributes that are expected of a seasoned engineer and surpasses expectations by over-delivering on projects he worked on,” Hombroek said. 

Gaunt participated in the 2018 UofL International Service Learning Program in Cusco, Peru. During the trip, the students inventoried and mapped the irrigation systems for high altitude farming communities, said Thomas Rockaway, Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering. 

“Michael helped lead the assessment teams and coordinated the student work efforts,” he said. “Being fluent in Spanish, he was instrumental in integrating the students into the Peruvian community, making the trip a positive experience for all.”

Gaunt has been involved in several activities at UofL and the Louisville community including Engineers without Borders, Cardinals for the Appreciation of Musical Theatre and Singing Cardsmen.  At Sojourn Community Church, Gaunt has been a “SojournKids” volunteer for events hosted by Student Government, Engage Lead Serve Board and Student Outreach Uniting Louisville. 

Story written by Holly Hinson. 

Unsurprisingly, however, the ceremony will be delivered virtually, a product of a relentless pandemic that has gripped the world for nearly a year now. While the in-person commencement ceremony in May was canceled – replaced with an online celebration – this time around seems tougher. The tunnel seems much longer than most of us expected. 

Still, despite some pandemic weariness, our graduates are also tougher, and they’re not willing to let this lingering crisis rain on their milestone.

“It’s been a wild ride. I’m grateful for this experience and I believe this has made me mentally stronger,” said Charice Johnson, a Louisville native graduating with a communication degree. She notes that the beginning of 2020 was a bigger challenge, particularly the transition to work-from-home in March. She balanced her job with Student Affairs, with her education, with raising a fourth grader, who is also learning from home.

Johnson leaned on the positives; for example, being at home allowed her to accomplish tasks she would have otherwise been too tired to do in the evenings. UofL HR’s Learning Cafes also helped keep her optimistic.

“Often, employees may feel besides themselves in certain situations, but those workshops have maintained a sense of community,” she said. “I’ve been able to seize opportunities to grow and learn as both an employee and a student.”

Johnson plans to continue working for UofL as a program assistant, senior for the University Career Center, while expanding her education by taking online courses provided by various institutions.

Meherunissa Naseem, a biology major/psychology minor from India, also believes she is graduating with sharpened resiliency.

“Though finishing my degree in the middle of a pandemic and not having a traditional ceremony or celebrating with friends and family is not what I have expected, I still feel fortunate to be able to accomplish the biggest dream of my life,” she said.

Naseem identifies bigger challenges, such as graduating debt-free and transitioning from India to the United States.

“When look back at it all, the decision I made and all the challenges I faced, I feel blessed and grateful,” she said, acknowledging her strong support system in her family.

Naseem chose to endure those challenges and attend UofL because of its diversity and research opportunities. When asked what she loves most about her soon-to-be-alma-mater, she simply answers, “Everything – the infrastructure, the buildings, the professors, the faculty, the staff, the students.”

Next, Naseem plans to move to a different state and gain some experience in biology before choosing a grad school to attend.

Kendall Ruber, a graduate student from Butler, Kentucky, describes the experience of finishing her degree in the middle of a global pandemic as simply, “surreal.”

“At the beginning of the pandemic, when we had to convert to online instruction on a whim, my classes seemed like a blur, and time seemed to move both fast and slow at the same time,” she said. “As the months have passed, it still seems like the concept of time doesn’t exist anymore. I still have trouble processing the fact that my graduation occurred and that eight months have passed since we were last in the classroom together.”

Adjusting to online learning has been a challenge for Ruber, particularly as she also works a full-time job.

“It was grueling to be sitting at my desk alone for upwards of 14 hours a day without any human interaction,” she said, describing herself as a “people person.”

She is trying to keep herself positive by remembering what she is grateful for. That includes a field – business analytics – where she can work remotely, watching her friends and classmates chasing their dreams and staying healthy.

Ruber, who also earned her undergraduate degree at UofL, chose to the school because of its diversity.

“UofL has exposed me to various cultures, identities and ideologies and I have come out a better person and professional because of it,” she said. “UofL has pushed me to challenge everything I had previously experienced coming into college. Growing up in an extremely homogenous community, I had a very narrow view of the world. UofL broke down many of those barriers and continued to introduce me to people and places that would allow me to grow.”

Ruber is currently assisting teaching statistics for UofL’s Online MBA program and hopes to one day become a data scientist.

From surreal to “overjoyed.” That’s how Tony Hobson, who is graduating with an organizational leadership and learning degree, describes finishing his degree amid this unusual environment. 

“I am so overjoyed it’s actually happening,” he said. Hobson, who started his college experience in the early 1990s, keeps himself optimistic by looking for meaning behind these challenges.

“At the end of the day, if we’re going to get through these tough times, there has to be a purpose,” he said.

Hobson’s post-graduate plans are to pursue management-based positions, possibly in transportation, and to further his acting career.

Christian Loriel Lucas reflects on her time at UofL with a deep sense of pride and relief. The 35-year-old mom juggled attending school amid a pandemic with working full-time at the School of Medicine with having a child learning from home and another child whose daycare was closed.

“It was a lot to deal with. I cried a few times. I laugh about it now,” she said.

Lucas recalls one night in particular when her children were running around upstairs and her husband was on a work call. She was hunkered down in the basement trying to focus on a literary theory question for class.

“I ended up sobbing over one question. My brain just couldn’t focus,” she said. “But I survived it. The biggest challenge has been trying to keep it all together – family and work came first, school came second.”

Still, at times, she had to swap priorities and leave the house to get some peace and quiet for her schoolwork. Other times, she couldn’t bond with her cohort because she was with her family.

“I had no time for life outside of work and home, but I utilized every moment I had to get things done,” Lucas said. “I knew I couldn’t do everything, but I managed to keep myself and my family afloat.”

Her family, and the support they provided, is what sustained and motivated her. She also acknowledges a strong support system among her coworkers, friends and professors.

“Knowing that somebody was rooting for me was the positive energy I needed to keep going,” Lucas said. “I really felt bad at times for taking my family through this just so I could get my degree. But they are so proud of me.”

Lucas’ post-graduation plans are to continue her creative writing career and she plans to write “a lot.” Her work has already been published, ,” a publication that celebrates Black women writers.