Amid cheers, applause, and heartfelt reflections, the University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies honored its newest cohort of doctoral scholars during the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony on May 21. The event celebrated the academic success and resilience of more than 80 graduates from UMB’s professional schools.
“Today is a day to celebrate your achievements — all that you have accomplished, all that you have persevered through,” said Kenneth Wong, PhD, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the School of Graduate Studies. “We are thrilled to be here, as a university community, to celebrate this moment with you.”
The ceremony marked the culmination of years of research, collaboration, and personal growth for graduates in disciplines ranging from neuroscience to social work. It was also, Wong noted, a celebration of the mentors, families, and peers who supported students along their academic journey.
Attendees, including graduating students and faculty, during the 2025 Doctoral Hooding Ceremony.
University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, welcomed attendees with a message underscoring the vital role they play in society. “We need you more now than we ever needed you before. That goes for the faculty. That goes for the students and all of the families out there,” he said. “We need you to advocate for science. You need to make it so these terrific young people will have an impact on this country.”
That call to purpose resonated throughout the ceremony. As each student was hooded by a faculty mentor, program directors read personalized statements highlighting the graduate’s research and academic path. These introductions illuminated both the scientific rigor and personal stories behind each dissertation.
Among those honored was Jennifer Mariano, whose research in biochemistry and molecular biology sheds new light on a rare muscle disease known as myotrem. Mentored by Aikaterini Kontrogianni-Konstantopoulos, PhD, Mariano joined the program in 2019.
“Jennifer’s work spans several levels of investigation, including molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, and biophysics,” her mentor wrote. “She’s diligent, organized, self-motivated, hardworking, and has a strong intellectual curiosity. Moreover, she’s an excellent team player, highly collaborative, and has an intrinsic ability to train her more junior colleagues.”
Mariano, who presented her work internationally and earned multiple honors during her time at UMB, including the 2023 and 2024 Graduate Research Conference Outstanding Presentation Awards, said the ceremony gave her a rare chance to slow down and appreciate the significance of the moment.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” she said. “Science is very exciting and very fast paced, so to have these moments — where you can not only celebrate what you've done, but what all of your colleagues have done, and celebrate it with your family and other people who aren't necessarily in the everyday of science — I think it's very special.”
The interprofessional nature of Graduate Studies was on full display during the event, with faculty mentors from the Schools of Dentistry, Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Social Work joining the stage to celebrate their students. As Wong noted in his remarks, doctoral training is guided not only by rigorous standards but also by trust, mentorship, and collaboration.
“We sometimes say that it takes a village to raise a child, and by the same analogy, it takes an entire university community to graduate its students. This is the core of who we are as a university,” he said. “This is essential to what we do — to provide education, to train the future generations, and to pass on the enormous gift that is human knowledge to the next generation of scientists who will continue to advance it.”
Graduates were encouraged to carry their sense of responsibility beyond the University. In his remarks, doctoral student Jonathan Lawton, who earned his PhD in epidemiology and served as president of the Graduate Student Association, urged his peers to embrace the urgency of their work amid unprecedented uncertainty in institutions of health and science.
“Uncertainty is our expertise. Sure, we’ve earned our stripes in epidemiology, biochemistry, neuroscience, pharmacy, social work, and more. But in reality, a PhD is actually a crash course in facing the unknown,” Lawton stressed. “It teaches us to be creative, to embrace challenge, and to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”