The World Needs

THE BEST YOU

Mackenzie Lookingland will be graduating early from NDMU, needing only three years to complete the undergraduate portion of a program which will allow her to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in elementary education. Despite the shortened timeframe, Lookingland has filled her schedule with more activities than most students could manage in a typical four-year experience, serving as vice president of NDMU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, president of Gators Teach, and a Resident Advisor in Doyle Hall. In recognition of all her efforts on campus, she was the recipient of the University’s Legacy Award in February.

Alyson Geckle was academically driven throughout her time at Notre Dame, and an internship with the Maryland State Police last summer helped confirm that she had chosen the right path as a criminology major. Outside of the classroom, Geckle was a two-sport athlete who successfully transitioned to tennis this spring after two years on the field hockey team. She filled her remaining hours as a member of Omega Phi Alpha, NDMU’s service sorority, serving as the organization’s president for the 2023-24 academic year.

Lavorette Preston ’00, M’03, D'25 describes her college journey as “an emotional rollercoaster ride unlike any other found in an amusement park that ended up being the most rewarding ride of my lifetime.” That ride began years ago in NDMU’s Weekend College program, where she balanced a full-time job with her coursework. A human resources professional for more than two decades, she has spent much of her career hiring and mentoring young workers. It’s this experience that fueled her doctoral research in youth workforce readiness.

For close to three years, Amelia King worked a 4:30 to 9:30 a.m. shift at Amazon before heading to NDMU for her classes. She also mixed in a second job selling insurance for State Farm on the side. All in all, King worked six days a week for a majority of her college career, using her one “off day” to catch up on coursework and her personal life. Her perseverance, however, paid off in the end, as she already has a full-time job lined up at an accounting firm downtown where she interned this semester.

After working for several years as a community pharmacist in her home country of Jamaica, Jodi-Ann Gayle decided to expand her career potential by earning a Pharm.D. degree in the United States. The personalized support provided by professors in NDMU's School of Pharmacy was particularly important to Gayle as she gave birth to her first child midway through the program. The help and flexibility demonstrated by both her professors and her peers allowed her to continue to excel as she balanced her major academic and personal responsibilities.

Sara Morales had two top priorities when she first began her college search: a well-regarded education program to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a teacher, and an opportunity to play both lacrosse and soccer. NDMU checked both of those boxes, and Morales will walk across the stage for a second time during the 2024 Commencement Ceremony at the Baltimore Convention Center after completing the School of Education’s five-year bachelor’s and master’s degree program.

Neena Rodriguez is set to become the first nurse in her family after graduating from NDMU later this month. Rodriguez was drawn to the profession due to the kindness and compassion demonstrated by nurses during several hospital stints as a child, including one which required an extended stay over Christmas. She will soon have a chance to provide that same type of care to patients at Mercy Medical Center, where she will work in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

After 10 years working in early childhood education, Marissa Vaughn was ready for a career change. She felt that she had gone as far as she could in the profession, and she was ready to try something new. That desire to shake things up led Vaughn back to a previous childhood desire to become a nurse. Fast forward four years, and she is one step closer towards achieving that goal when she graduates with honors from NDMU with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing later this month.