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.Ěý

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.”

In addition, the ROTC commissioning ceremony — traditionally held on campus the day before commencement — has been transitioned to a virtual event for the second time this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“My plan is to have my immediate family set up our home for the virtual ceremony,” said Mayah Plucinski, a cadet who is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. “Most likely, (we will) set up an American flag for the background of commissioning over our fireplace.”

The virtual commissioning ceremony begins 10 a.m. Dec. 11 and will be .Ěý

Plucinski said she is grateful that she will be able to have her family by her side for the ceremony, during which the cadets are promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and receive their branch assignments.Ěý

“I am happy that we are able to be with our family while we commission. I was worried if it was in-person, it would only be our instructors and ourselves for the ceremony,” she added.

The other Fall 2020 cadets participating are Marcus Grady (criminal justice), Matthew Seeforth (mechanical engineering) and Mackenzie Wuebbels (nursing).

Additionally, the following cadets who graduated and were commissioned in the spring are being recognized as part of the university’s general commencement ceremony:

• John Gabriel Collins
• Zackary Thomas Golding
• Zachary Michael Hynes
• Paul Thomas Wallenhorst
• Jared Zorade Harper
• Jordan Elaine Temme
• Seth Coomes
• Lisbeth Melchor
• Richard William Goodman
• Akissi A. R. Kouassi

During a commissioning, each cadet receives a commission certificate, then family members or friends pin bars to the service members’ uniforms. There is also a tradition of a first salute, in which the new second lieutenant presents a silver dollar to the first enlisted person who renders a salute.

UofL’s Army ROTC has commissioned 570 officers since the program began in 1982, said Lt. Col. Michael Dargavell, military science department chair and commander of the Cardinal Battalion. The new officers commissioned Dec. 11 will bring the total to 574.

The Spring 2020 Army ROTC ceremony was also conducted virtually in May. Check out the Cardinal Battalion’s for photos (scroll down to May).

UofL is also home to the U.S. Air Force’s 295th Air Force ROTC Cadet Wing. No Air Force cadets are scheduled for commissioning in December.

Welcomed in 2018 on the condition he would keep up his grades, Kridos graduates this month with his bachelor’s in political science. He credits his parents and UofL’s dedication to every student’s success for giving him the second chance he needed to make his dreams come true.

“The only place that even gave me an opportunity to show that I had matured and learned from my mistakes was UofL by admitting me on a GPA-restricted basis,” said Kridos, who transferred from Methodist University in North Carolina. “Granting me this opportunity was a blessing, as I was able to make use of all the programs they have in place to make students successful, such as (Resources for Academic Achievement) and other tutoring services and now will be graduating with a 3.8 GPA. I’m so thankful UofL took a chance on me and I was able to obtain my degree.”

The former Army corporal and Coral Springs, Florida, native served at Fort Campbell as a field artillery operator. He graduated from at the top of his class and earned four Army commendation medals. He worked part-time at The Cheesecake Factory while taking his UofL classes and plans to go to law school in the fall.

In the spring, with a busy schedule of 21 credit hours, the sudden change to online classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions “threw me for a loop at first,” he said.Ěý

“Taking 21 credit hours a semester already presents its own challenges, but then to abruptly move all of that online … was very tough. But I was able to overcome and finish that semester with all As,” he said. “This fall semester has been much smoother and my professors are very accommodating.”

Among his favorite professors was Tami Harbolt of women’s, gender and sexuality studies.Ěý

“She cares about her students and it shows,” he said. “The amount of times she had one-on-one conversations with me after class just to gauge how I was doing or check on my mental health is something I will forever be grateful for.”

Kridos said he is also thankful for his parents, who “worked tirelessly my entire life to make sure I always had a roof over my head and a meal to eat. … My graduation is because of them. They believed in me when no one else did and I can’t explain what it means to have that type of support and inspiration in your life every day.” 

We think you just did, corporal.

Participants will see — via video — many elements of a traditional commencement. Pomp and circumstance will play. Administrators will appear in cap and gown. The president, provost, deans and students will deliver their comments and congratulations.

And every graduate will have their moment — akin to crossing the stage — where their name, degree and honors appear on the video. Names will be announced audibly and, if a photo or special message was submitted before the deadline, that too will appear.

Because the event follows a traditional format and recognizes each student, it differs from last spring’s web-based celebration that honored nearly 3,200 May graduates. Those May graduates, as well as the summer and winter graduates, will be included in the upcoming virtual commencement because organizers wanted to give special recognition to all 2020 graduates.

Some hallmarks of the upcoming event include:

• There will be 12 separate web-based ceremonies, one for each of the university’s colleges and schools. That keeps the ceremonies to a manageable size and enables students to graduate with their classmates.
• Since spring, summer and fall 2020 graduates are all included, it will be one of the largest commencements in university history. More than 5,300 scholars are expected to be recognized.
• 2020 graduates can take part in any future in-person commencement if they wish to do so.

Planning for virtual commencement began months ago after university officials determined an in-person event, even with modifications, would pose a significant health risk. The decision — called “gut wrenching” by one administrator — came after weeks of consultations with students, health and infectious disease experts, government leaders and others.

“First and foremost, we had to protect our students, their families, campus community and larger community,” said Dean of Students Michael Mardis.

Mardis points out that if an in-person ceremony had been planned, escalating COVID 19 cases and new restrictions would have forced a cancellation.

Senior political science and history major Zach Pennington, who is part of the Student Government Association and a member of virtual commencement planning team, said virtual commencement is “the reality of this year.”

Even though he is not one of the graduates, he plans to watch the celebration.

“To me, the most important part of graduation will be the celebratory aspect with friends and family. Virtual commencement provides just that. It is an opportunity to celebrate accomplishments in the safest way possible while also thanking the people who have helped you along the way,” Pennington said.

More information can be found at . Links to the 12 school-based ceremonies will not appear until Dec. 12 and will remain available for viewing after the event.

With COVID-19 restrictions postponing the usual KFC Yum! Center commencement ceremonies, the University of Louisville will provide a virtual graduation celebration at .Ěý

The website will go live at 10 a.m. May 9, the exact time commencement would have started at the downtown arena. Although an in-person commencement ceremony for spring 2020 graduates will be held in December, this Saturday is the day graduates officially earn their degrees.Ěý

More than 3,200 degrees and certificates will be conferred across UofL’s 12 schools and colleges. More than half are bachelor’s degrees, while hundreds of master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as professional and post-graduate certificates, will also be awarded.Ěý

“We cannot be with our graduates physically, we can’t throw up our Ls and pose for selfies with them, but we are a Cardinal family and they are in our hearts,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “We know that our virtual celebration won’t take the place of walking across the stage while loved ones look on, and we are still committed to a formal ceremony later this year, when we are again able to safely gather in larger numbers. What we hope is our newly minted grads will know we share in the joy of their accomplishment. You have done the work, we are so proud of you and this is but one way for us to come together virtually to celebrate this important achievement.”

Visitors to the Spring 2020 graduation celebration website can enjoy special video performances by School of Music faculty and the Cardinal Marching Band and a video message from Bendapudi, which will include a surprise for the graduates. Additional well wishes from university officials and state and local leaders, including a special announcement by Mayor Greg Fischer, will also be included.Ěý

The site also will feature user-generated content gathered from social media posts that use the hashtag #UofLGrads2020, so graduates can share their memories and photos, and loved ones can offer personal words of support and congratulations. Additional content on the site will include: an augmented reality feature, UofL graduate stories, words of advice from alumni, and other fun, interactive components.Ěý