Welcome to a special edition of Unstoppable Stories. May is a special time of the year for students – especially those who will earn their degrees and officially graduate. This week, we’re excited to share interviews from several UMGC graduates from around the globe as they tell their stories and offer advice on what made their journeys a success. As with most of our students who manage work, family life, military service, and more on the road to earning their degree, you will love these genuine clips of these graduates from UMGC locations worldwide.
From Asia and Europe to here stateside, these unstoppable stories will give you insights and inspiration as you pursue your own educational goals.
Episode Information
Lauren Cardillo
Welcome to the special edition of, drum roll please, "Unstoppable Stories".
Nathan James
This week we're bringing you an exciting edition that's all about graduation. And we're not stopping until we visit UMGC locations around the globe.
Lauren
From Tokyo and Okinawa, to Germany and the United States.
Nathan
"Unstoppable Stories" from our students who are now graduates, who manage their work, family life, military service, and more on the road to successfully earning their degree.
Lauren
So let's get started.
Narrator
Here's our first student from UMGC in Asia, MBA graduate Kiwamu.
Kiwamu
I'm so grateful for Maryland to offer this program throughout globally, especially to people been out of school or maybe, you know, who are changing their careers. And, you know, having a degree certainly helps to excel people's careers. And, you know, it's never too late.
Kiwamu
I graduated as an associate 30 years ago in 1995, right here in Usana. It was very different, obviously, from 30 years ago. It was a classroom setting, and now it's a hybrid. I completed all my classwork remotely, and, you know, the class was more of a project-based rather than class, you know, a traditional classroom setting.
Kiwamu
I had really great classmates and professors, learned a lot, a lot of refreshers, and, you know, learning a lot about the academic fundamentals, as well as the, a lot of business knowledge that I can apply in real life real quickly.
Kiwamu
My son actually started his associate program. He went to high school, up to high school here in Japan, and he wanted to study in the US, and now he's transferred to City University of New York, and he's studying criminal justice there. So, you know, it's never too late. And, you know, it's always good to probably do it with a family member so that, you know, there's a little bit of a peer pressure.
Narrator
Up next for Asia is our UMGC graduate, Ashley.
Ashley
So I earned this degree in, gosh, it took me a long time, about five years I want to say. In those five years, I had two children and moved across the world. I zigzagged, I went from Korea to Germany and then back to Korea again. So I did quite a lot in between getting this degree. And UMGC offered a lot of opportunities for military spouses.
Ashley
I am first generation in my family to complete a degree. No one in my family, I think on either side, my mom's or my dad's, has a degree. I just want to say this is definitely a very big deal for me. I never thought I would actually have a college degree. I didn't even get a G, I dropped out of high school at 15 and I didn't receive my GED until I was 24 years old. So, this is a very big accomplishment in my life and I'm real excited.
Narrator
Here's another graduate from UMGC in Asia, Frederick.
Frederick
So I joined the Air Force, and in about 2006, I took my first course with UMUC back then, pretty much just to go ahead and get myself situated and start achieving that goal. So, all the way from 2006 until here we are now in 2025, I finally go ahead and I've accomplished this goal, and I'm so happy that I did it. Along the way, I had a lot of professional challenges, personal challenges, definitely with the job, you know, having to deploy to places like Kandahar in Afghanistan.
Frederick
Constant TDYs, a lot of late nights, early mornings, a lot of personal sacrifices just to make sure the mission got done, and even sacrifices for my family, you know, along the way. So as a child, it was very important for my grandmother and my grandfather to see me get a college education.
Frederick
And for me, it is definitely a promise kept to them and a promise kept to myself that I was going to go ahead and I was going to complete this. And I've met so many just awesome people along the way, you know, students, faculty.
Frederick
It's been a really enriching and just a blessing to be able to go ahead and do what I've done these last 20-some odd years. Because even with all the challenges and adversity, I still had so much fun doing it all. Like I say, it almost took me 20 years. But still, that's 20 years that I kept learning, kept trying, and I kept doing.
Narrator
And now our next graduate, Donald.
Donald
One of the things that motivated me also to take classes was because I have kids. My daughter, I have a son. When I asked my daughter to go to college, she said, Daddy, you don't have a degree, so why do I need to go? So it was motivation is if I want my kids to go to college, I should get my degree.
Donald
So at the age, I believe it was 55, 56, I decided to get my degree. And now I'm a graduate. I have a degree in East Asian Studies. Well, as I said, I started at the age of 55, and my classmates are the same age as my daughter and my grandkids.
Donald
So, it's a difference between age, difference between myself and a classmate, which was challenging. But I found it was good because I was able to share my experiences with them. So it feels good to be able to say, hey, I have my degree and to say to my kids, okay, I done it, now you can do it.
Narrator
And now our first graduate from UMGC in Europe, Abigail.
Abigail
When I first enrolled in college after high school, I was repeatedly failing grades. I came to a point where I didn't think that I was, I didn't think that I was able to graduate college or have an education because it was just so difficult for me. But when I finally found something that I was passionate about, which is actually in the medical field, I started pursuing that and going further with it.
Abigail
But as I was finishing my degree at my community college back home, I had to move overseas to Germany with my husband who is active duty. And once I came to Germany, it was kind of difficult trying to figure out what I wanted to do, especially with school, being far away from home.
Abigail
I found out the University of Maryland Global Campus was on base, so I decided to check it out. I applied for school, and I realized that I could complete my associate's degree, even though it wasn't in what I was pursuing initially. And I was able to get it. So now I'm here. I truly didn't believe in myself.
Abigail
But as I continue to pursue school, to pursue something that I love to do and found that what I wanted to do in the future, it helped me push through and gets me to where I am today. Don't put yourself in a box. Even though it seems hard, it will be hard and it will continue to be difficult. But if you keep pushing through, keep remembering your goals and remembering where you want to be, then you will make it.
Narrator
Up next from UMGC in Europe is Scott.
Scott
What makes my role unstoppable is the gender barriers that myself and the soldier that I caregive for were able to break through and continue to operate in a society. The reality is that women are deploying, serving downrange in operations that endure freedom, and many times
Scott
when they return, transitioning with healthcare issues into a modern day to prepare for our workforce, reintegration into society. I'm very proud to have served this role for my family, and as I had two younger children, to dedicate time at home to raise young children, continuing professional development, and using education as a tool to strengthen a skillset to carry my mission into the next level.
Scott
There are times where our light is dwindling. We're not alone. and you not only represent yourself but everybody out there, and there's a community fighting for you and just don't give up.
Narrator
Here's our next graduate from UMGC in Europe, Jackie.
Jackie
It is a tightrope that you have to play with balancing your career and your education. But it is not something that is unique to just me. Many people are doing this all around us in the different bases and also in various areas back home. So, you need to understand what you're doing it for. What's your why? What's your focus?
Jackie
And if you understand that, then you find a way to make it work. Military education programs are a way for you to move forward. It's an opportunity for military representatives to see that those benefits are designed to keep them in mind and is designed to help them to be more agile, smarter, more resilient, and also be able to contribute to the community.
Jackie
So when it happened for me, it gave me this wonderful benefit, this wonderful pride, and being able to expand my horizons, do something I was kind of scared of. Don't hesitate anymore. It's okay. Yeah, it wasn't perfect the last time. Or maybe you were in high school, you thought, oh, college is not for me. It's okay. You know what I found out?
Jackie
Military people tend to be the best students, because they understand obligation, they take responsibility, and they know how to work together as a team. So if there's anyone out there thinking, I kind of want to take some classes or I kind of want to get a degree but I'm not sure, do it. It's okay. We're here to help you. That's what it's all about. Taking one step at a time, faith at a time. And I'm telling you, step by step, you're going to achieve.
Narrator
First up for graduates from UMGC stateside is Pamela.
Pamela
So I'm 45, and I am graduating with my business administration from UMGC. I'm very excited about this because I have come through COVID in a household with an elderly mother who I care for. She's bedbound. I had a graduating college student in the house. I had a nine year old.
Pamela
So, I had elderly, babies, and college student all in one household, and I literally thoughtI was going insane. And it was hard for me to continue my studies. I kept trying. I even tried one course four times. I just couldn't focus. But, times changed. COVID's over. I got back at it.
Pamela
I took that class and I want you to know I passed that class with an A. I just want you to know that, because I was so ecstatic. I finally found my focus again. I overcame and I'm excited to be here today. I'd never let anything really stop me. Even if I fall, and I do fall, I get up and I do try it again because I don't like to feel defeated.
Pamela
And I've learned such leadership skills to advance my career, and I'm really excited about that. Really excited. The communication, the writing skills. I mean, it's just all coming together. How to lead, how to manage. I'm excited. I don't know where I'm going yet, but I'm excited to where I'm going. So I'm like, I feel good in life right now.
Narrator
Next up for our UMGC stateside graduates is Jasmin.
Jasmin
While I did work full-time, or I'm still working full-time, I actually became a mother throughout the process. When I started my master's degree, I actually found out that my husband and I were expecting. It definitely wasn't part of the plan at the time, but it was such a blessing. And I'm just like, how am I going to do this? How am I going to battle having a child, working full-time, and then also trying to further my education?
Jasmin
There were moments where I probably had a little minor meltdown, but I'd like to think in the end, I'm doing this for my family and for my son. And a great thing that I would like to talk about is the support that UMGC actually offered me. There was a time where I just had my son and I thought that I could, oh, I'm going to have time at home. I'm going to be able to do some of my work. I'm going to have more time, downtime.
Jasmin
I'm a first-time mother. I had nothing, like, no idea what it was going to be like. And I actually dropped that class. And it was hard for me, but I was just like, I couldn't do it. But then I, after that process, I actually withdrew. But then I was talking with one of the academic advisors, I believe, afterwards, because a couple months went by.
Jasmin
It was finally, I think my son was around six to eight months, where I was like, you know what, I think I'm feeling a lot better. I'm feeling stronger. I'm feeling more like myself. And I was just talking about the process, calling and asking about, you know, how I can get back into this class. And we just kind of got to talking on the phone, which I've I really love about UMGC.
Jasmin
You kind of just get, you speak with people and they're supportive. And that really meant a lot to me because I felt supported by UMGC at that time. I felt like a really human connection to where it's, yes, you know, we want you to do all these fun, great things. We want you to further your education. But they kind of looked at the human aspect of me too, like, being sensitive to being a first-time mom, going through this process. And it really inspired me to finish, and that's, like, a big reason why I'm able to be here today.
Narrator
Our next graduate from UMGC stateside is Daniel.
Daniel
So my mom, she immigrated to the US from China, and my dad immigrated to the US from Vietnam. So being first-generation US citizen, graduating, it feels surreal, especially with my master's degree. It was no easy feat.
Daniel
I didn't have the experience for my parents to rely on. Because typically when you
grow up, you have your parents to kind of rely on because they kind of forge the path forward. And I didn't have anyone, so it was kind of shooting in the dark, so to speak.
Daniel
But now that I've gone through it, I can successfully say that it's an endeavor, so to speak.
It's many years of hard work, but now when my children grow up, they'll have somebody to look forward to. Both their parents are graduated, so I'm happy to say that.
Daniel
I started this program probably around 2012 or so, on and off again, from different places such as California, Texas, North Carolina, Germany, Cyprus, and even Africa. So I like the fact that UMGC allows me to be able to do work at my own pace, so that way I can get the degree on, that fits for me.
Daniel
This, my master's degree took about 10 years to do just because when I was in California, I was kind of stopped there when I was trying to progress in my degree. And when I re-picked it back up, I had to re-take some classes, and that was kind of deterring for me. But after working through those, I felt like I was unstoppable.
Narrator
Here's our final graduate from UMGC stateside, Nikkia.
Nikkia
Yes, I am unstoppable. I have been going from my AA degree to my bachelors, to my masters, and now as of July, I will be going for my doctorate. So yes, unstoppable is an understatement, so I must keep going. I feel awesome. I feel honored. I feel so blessed.
Nikkia
Even though I'm a mom, a wife, a daughter, I just fit it in. I just fit it in with no excuse. I just make it work. My plans for the future is to start my own trucking business. I always wanted to be the first woman in my family to own my own business, so that way I can set a legacy for my children.
Nikkia
I would love to tell them that Mommy did it. Mommy did it, and she's doing it for y'all, and she's very proud of y'all, setting a role model for y'all for later on in life. I try to be a role model and to tell them anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it. There's no giving up. The only way you can do it is if you just try.
Lauren Cardillo
Congratulations to all of our graduates from around the globe. And thanks to those who shared their inspiring stories with us today on this special commencement edition of the UMGC podcast, "Unstoppable Stories".