Salisbury University fall commencement celebrated student achievement, highlighted first generation graduates

SALISBURY, Md. – Salisbury University held its fall commencement Wednesday at the Wicomico Civic Center, with 463 students receiving the bachelor of science and bachelor of arts, with 79 students receiving Master’s degrees.

As they proudly made their way on stage and accepted their diploma, students shared their pride in their years of achievements to get to that point.

“It feels amazing, you know, all the hard work,  I did and everything feels great to just be done and working through,’ said teaching school graduate Thelonius Johnson.

Donning their maroon and gold regalia, all new for this year, the students got a chance to show their pride in their accomplishments, but this year the event also had a new focus on the many students who became the first people in their family to graduate from college.

“To see how many of our students were the first in their family ever to graduate, there were a lot of students who stood up when our president asked that, including our student speaker, who was the first in her family to graduate,’ said Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Laurie Couch.

Students say that added focus from those leading the event didn’t go overlooked.

“I got a covid graduation, so this was a lot nicer to be in, but I feel like I graduated and did it, being a first-time student, you know, it’s amazing to be able to sit up there and know that I did it,” said education school graduate  Mikayla Keith.

Now as students begin to look back on their time at SU, they say they’ll have a fond memory and pride in being a gull.

“The friends I made from my classes and just through different curricular stuff, you know, just the memories I made with them creating bonds,” Johnson.