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. 

The Class of 2020 was commemorated on their formal commencement date, May 9, with a virtual celebration facilitated through a digital microsite: .

The site includes a bevy of messages to the seniors from a who’s who list of Kentucky dignitaries – , , and Louisville among them. It also includes a few special announcements for the graduates.

Notably, Mayor Fischer proclaimed May 9 as their day, stating: “The Class of 2020 has made our community stronger through the engagement, leadership, service and innovation that are hallmarks of UofL students. They have persevered through a time of unprecedented uncertainty and will continue to make their own unique contributions here and beyond.  To celebrate their achievements, we hereby proclaim May 9, 2020 as UofL Graduates 2020 Day in the city of Louisville.”

Also, UofL announced that the space in the middle of the Belknap Academic Building, Lutz Hall and Shumaker Research Building will be named the “2020 Quad,” with a permanent marker to be installed at a later date. And, Student Government President announced the SGA will commission a mural in the Student Activities Center to commemorate the class.

The microsite is about more than special announcements, however. It also includes messages from deans across campus, , and UofL , as well as a few stories about , virtual performances of “” and the , a and more.

There are also a number of interactive features, such as a that pulls in messages across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook dedicated to the #UofLGrads2020 and a . Users can take a photo with campus’ signature The Thinker statue through an augmented reality feature or create a customizable “Class of 2020” graphic for graduates and share their names via social media.

A number of higher education institutions have held virtual graduation celebrations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have shifted their actual commencement ceremonies online, including readings of graduates’ names and commencement addresses delivered virtually.

Although UofL chose to hold off on its formal ceremony until December, when it’s safe to do so, that didn’t deter the university from making the day special for our graduates. The biggest objective with the commencement microsite was to create engagement – a sort of coming together of the campus and community in support of our graduates to recognize the challenges they have faced and the resiliency they have displayed.

The community certainly responded. On an organic (unpaid) level, the dedicated #UofLGrads2020 hashtag generated more than 1,000 interactions on Instagram on May 9 alone, and a reach to more than 814,000 users thanks to 500 total tweets sent on that day. Collectively, our special commencement stickers on Instagram saw 3,400-plus views. 

On the paid side, our social paid ads drove more than 800 clicks over to the commencement landing page, while paid ads saw more than 800 engagements (reactions, comments, shares, and saves) across Facebook and Instagram. We also added more than 100 pieces of user-generated content to the social media feed on the microsite. 

In addition to engagement, UofL also wanted to showcase its graduates as a signal of solidarity with the global community as we all adapt to cope with the changes the pandemic has wrought.

Indeed, UofL’s virtual graduation celebration is another example of how the university is leading the way in adapting quickly to this unprecedented time. In March, a group of UofL students reached out to Vanity Fair to tout the university’s safe and seamless shift to off-premise operations, as well as its compassion by quickly instating a pass/fail grading system, for example. Provost Beth Boehm was , calling this the “semester with an asterisk.”

That asterisk is applied to commencement as well. 

“I am so proud of our graduates for their commitment and how they responded to this challenge with grit. I am also proud of our entire community for the unity it showed in supporting our graduates as evidenced by the significant levels of engagement on our graduation website. This supports our Cardinal Principle that we are a ‘Community of Care,’ ” Benadpudi said. “We know that a post-COVID world will be one in which there is a much higher reliance on digital platforms and we are working to adapt now, to better meet students where they are and where they will be.” 

Also of note, the microsite subtly introduced new design elements that will be a part of UofL’s refreshed identity. The new brand campaign will lean in heavily to who we are as a university – a community full of vitality and resilience.

“This is perhaps best evidenced now, during the coronavirus crisis, when we have to rely on our collective vitality to get us through these trying times. So, we decided to soft launch our new look and messaging reflective of how the Cardinal Family perseveres in order to make meaningful and lasting impacts,” Benadpudi added.

In her to the spring 2020 graduates, Benadapudi summed up why now was the right time to introduce these elements:

“Through your vitality, through the fact that you’re full of life, you have persevered. You have persisted. You have overcome, and you have succeeded. You are a college graduate.”

These are unprecedented times, indeed. Many of us haven’t left the house or seen our friends in literal weeks. The economy has tanked. We have no idea how long it will be until things start to get back to normal again and, when they do, how that “normal” will be defined.

No doubt celebrating in such an environment is a challenge, but we asked our graduates to share their thoughts and accomplishments so that we can at least try our best to do so virtually.

Here’s what we’ve learned from collecting such feedback for this sort of digital time capsule, if you will. Although many of them are admittedly (justifiably) sad that a formal ceremony isn’t happening this spring, our graduates are excited nonetheless. They’re resilient and gritty. Many of them are first-generation college students who are expressively proud of what they accomplished. They’re optimistic about their future, no matter how uncertain things may be right now. They’re ready to put their heads down and do the work and chase their dreams.

Here’s what some of our grads had to say about their time at UofL, their current circumstances, and what we can expect from them next (hint: big things).

Ogechukwu Tabugbo, who is receiving a bachelor’s degree in French with a minor in Pan African Studies, reflects on how she’s come to earn a degree. 

“I’m proud of all the accomplishments that I’ve made here at UofL and I will continue to keep my head held high,” she said.

Brooke Shields, a School of Nursing graduate, said she is sad to be missing out on “senior things,” and is scared about the uncertainty of the coronavirus as she enters into the nursing profession. However, that hasn’t diminished this moment for her.

“I had a lot of my lasts without realizing it. That’s the really sad part about it is I didn’t get to see my friends or graduate with them,” she said. “[But] I’m so excited to be graduating from UofL because it’s a big accomplishment.”

Bayley Amburgey is graduating magna cum laude with a degree in global politics and international relations. Right now, she feels a tremendous amount of pride, both for herself and her classmates.

“I’m proud of all the accomplishments I’ve been able to make at UofL. I have learned and grown so much over the past four years and, to be honest, I’m an entirely different person,” she said. “Not only am I proud of myself, but I’m so proud of my classmates. It’s been amazing to watch their passion and their work. Regardless of the circumstances, we still made it.”

Robert Carter is earning his master’s degree from the Kent School of Social Work at age 48 and with a full-time job and a family at home. It was difficult, he admits, but he was able to do it after overcoming hurdles of self-doubt.

“I always felt that my life was already set for me. My way of thinking was that I had to give up my future so that my children would have one. Changing my way of thinking, I realized that the best way to groom my children into prominent figures in today’s society was to lead by example. I wanted to show them that regardless of a person’s circumstances or choices, as long as they believed in themselves and their abilities, he or she could achieve greatness,” Carter said.

Despite having to navigate days in which he did not think he could finish his degree, Carter calls his time at UofL “one of the greatest experiences of his life.”

“I’ve shared my life stories, and I’ve built healthy relationships, I’ve even made a few people laugh along on my journey,” he said. “But the best thing of it all, I’ve obtained everything I could to make a positive change for at least one person it this world – my way of giving back and promoting good humanity.”

Sherrika Denise Howell, who is receiving her bachelor of science degree, is one of those first-generation graduates.

“I will be forever grateful for my time here at the university – the people I have met, the lessons I have learned, and everything in between,” she said. “Though my commencement ceremony isn’t until December, I still have an amazing accomplishment to celebrate. I have worked harder than I ever have before to complete this degree. I have grown both as a person and as a student. I am a proud UofL alumna.”

Howell will spend the summer studying for the MCAT to achieve her next goal: medical school.

Joey Breckenridge, who is earning his degree in bioengineering, also reflects on his growth while attending UofL.  

“It’s really easy to get discouraged in college and the biggest thing to remember is to keep pushing,” he said. “The past four years of my life have changed me for the better in ways I could never imagine. I’m thankful for all the help that’s [gotten] me this far, all the memories I’ve made, all the knowledge I’ve gained, all the lessons I’ve learned, and all the people I’ve formed bonds with along the way.”

Breckenridge also plans to continue his education, with a goal of earning a master’s degree in bioengineering at UofL.

We also received a bevy of anonymous comments, with graduates talking about their “indescribable opportunities.” Here’s a sampling:

• “Although this chapter didn’t end the way we had planned, we still persevered. I met some incredible people and expanded my heart in ways unimaginable.”
• “I have had an amazing four years full of unforgettable experiences and even more unforgettable people. I hope that in my time here, I have had half the impact on our campus community as it has had on me.”
• “When I started this journey, I had a dream. I was confident that UofL could lay the foundation to help me reach my goals. After listening to a talk on social workers being superheroes, they asked us to write down our superpower on this poster. I wrote ‘Resilience.’ As I reflect on everything I’ve overcome, I know this couldn’t be more true.”

Speaking of resilience, graduating law student Alixis Russell perhaps sums up the spring Class of 2020’s experience best: “This has been a lesson in resilience and flexibility. I’m optimistic for the future. That optimism just looks different now.”

“I had heard about UofL’s Speed School program and thought it would be a perfect fit,” he said.

In his four years since that decision, UofL has, indeed, been the perfect fit. Crutcher will graduate next weekend with a degree in electrical engineering. He started out with an undecided discipline until his uncle – a Speed alum with a mechanical engineering degree – talked him into taking the same route.

“He convinced me because of the way the world is turning more towards computers and electric-powered machinery,” Crutcher said.

Undoubtedly the field has already offered him an abundance of opportunities. During his undergraduate studies, Crutcher completed three internships at Ford Motor Company’s Kentucky Truck Plant. There, he worked on automating the way employees keep track of inventory by implementing smart scanners and self-designed inventory tags with QR codes. He also created VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) programs to help automate the way scanned inventory is updated into Ford’s databases.

The latter project was presented to the plant manager and a cost evaluation to go plant-wide for Crutcher’s system was about $1 million.

The inventory process Crutcher put in place is still there now, but since he hasn’t officially graduated yet, there is no one to troubleshoot any user issues that may come along. However, Ford extended a verbal offer to him prior to the coronavirus lockdown.

“I am waiting for businesses to reopen so I can put pen to paper,” he said. “If the job is no longer there, I will search elsewhere.”

Crutcher is optimistic about his prospects both because of the experience he gained at Ford during his internships, and also because of his overall experience at UofL.

“It does prove difficult to start a professional career in times such as these, but I feel as though I will make it through just fine. I am sad Covid-19 put a damper on my senior year, but there are people far more affected. I still get my diploma and I still get a commencement in December, so things could have been a lot worse,” Crutcher said. “My time at UofL was the best years of my life. I met some lifelong friends. I moved out on my own and learned what it was like to be an adult, and I would not trade my time spent here or the people I met along the way for anything. Through the good times and the bad, the University of Louisville is a place I will forever call home.”

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Russell and her fellow Louisville Law classmates returned from spring break to a drastically different landscape than the one they had left. All School of Law classes are being delivered remotely. Exams have been delivered virtually. The faculty voted to move to a pass/fail grading system. Graduation has been postponed.

And for Russell, the pandemic has meant something else: as a member of the Kentucky National Guard, she has been called to state active duty.

She explains that this means a unit is “called to do whatever the Commonwealth or the governor needs you to do.”

Russell, whose role with the National Guard has been as a paralegal specialist working with JAG attorneys, was called to pack and load boxes for the Dare to Care Food Bank. Some of her fellow soldiers worked the loading docks and sorted donations.

The nature of these tasks made the call for social distancing difficult, Russell acknowledges.

“I kind of just accepted that there was going to be an increased risk for myself and others,” she says, noting that supervisors took soldiers’ temperatures and checked for symptoms of COVID-19 twice a day and placed tape on the floor to encourage safe distancing.

And she acknowledges that other essential workers — including soldiers who are helping at hospitals or transporting patients — have even more exposure.

During this mission, Russell didn’t attend her law school classes. She says her professors have been very supportive and flexible, as they have been about her role with the National Guard all during law school. 

That support has been invaluable during a mentally and emotionally draining time, Russell says.

“This time is very stressful and there’s a lot of anxiety. Soldiers are not exempt from that,” she says.

And as a 3L during this pandemic, “there is always something to be worried about and grieving,” she says, noting the sadness over missing the end of the semester with classmates and uncertainty about the bar exam. 

Russell, president of the School of Law’s American Constitution Society, had to return to the building to turn in her office key. While there in the empty building, she reflected on her law school experience. Law school wasn’t ending as she had planned, she realized, but in the midst of sadness, she was still confident her future would be bright. 

“This has been a lesson in resilience and flexibility,” she says. “I’m optimistic for the future. That optimism just looks different now.”

• Share your reflections, thoughts or memories about UofL in a short video (no more than one minute). Talk about the unique circumstances surrounding your commencement if you want! There are no content limits here. We simply want to hear from you. Once your video is recorded, submit your video to social@louisville.edu.
• If you don’t want to share a video, but would still like to express your memories or thoughts surrounding the unusual circumstances of your senior year, or just your general memories from your time at UofL, please share those thoughts to social@louisville.edu.
• If you have had a senior portrait taken, we’d like to see it and share it! Send it to social@louisville.edu.
• In the coming weeks, we’ll recognize your accomplishments on social media using #UofLGrads2020. We invite you to engage with us and to share any posts celebrating your own accomplishments, as well as the accomplishments of your classmates, using that hashtag.

We’ll collect and share your memories, along with a few other surprises, on a website dedicated to celebrating you, the University of Louisville graduating class of 2020. The virtual graduation celebration site — ��—�������ܲԳ�������May 9 at 10 a.m.

#UofLGrads2020