Remarks as prepared
Delivered on Friday, May 16, 2025
President Anderson –
Board of Regents –
Board of Visitors –
Distinguished past presidents of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore –
Distinguished faculty, staff, trustees, and members of the platform party –
Family, friends, and alumni –
I am honored to be with you today.
Can we please give another big round of applause to the great UMES Class of 2025?
I’m so proud of you. Because I know graduations are not given.
For those who started four years ago and for those who started even before that;
For those who were trying to juggle two majors and for those who were trying to juggle two jobs;
For those of you who have your parents here and for those of you who have your children here;
This is your day.
But it’s not lost on me that twenty-four hours from now, you will go your separate ways.
And the same people celebrating you today will be asking: “So, what are you going to do with that degree?”
And you might not have a good answer.
Will I be an artist or an entrepreneur?
Will I take the job in Maryland or the job in Maine?
Will I take a job that aligns with my expertise or will I try something new?
I’m here to tell you that those same questions – questions that might feel impossible right now – are going to fade.
The question that sticks in life – the one that matters – isn’t “what will you do?” It’s “what did you do?”
And you already know what I’m talking about because you’ve lived it.
When you were applying to UMES, you were asked: “What will you do if you are accepted to this storied institution?”
And you had clear answers.
You knew the programs you wanted to study. You knew the professors you wanted to meet.
You knew everything you could know after looking up this school online – and maybe visiting one or two times – or scrolling Wikipedia.
But now, when someone asks: “What did you do at UMES?” you probably aren’t going to spend much time talking about your degree.
You’re going to talk about the way you made this place better. You’re going to talk about the campus organization you started.
You’re going to talk not about the awards you received, but the work that earned you the award.
You’re going to talk about how you were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study at one of America’s great HBCU’s, and how you used that opportunity for good.
There’s a lesson in that. And it’s a lesson I’ve had to relearn quite recently.
I spent two and a half years of my life running to be the governor of Maryland.
I knocked on doors, organized rallies, debated rivals – did everything I could do to tell the people of Maryland, “Here’s what I will do as governor.”
I was the outsider. Nobody knew who I was.
We did one of our first polls, and “I’m not voting” was doing better than “Wes Moore.”
So I had to push really, really hard. But we fought. And we won.
And after two and a half years of campaigning, I was elected the 63rd Governor of Maryland and the first Black governor in the history of our state.
Yes, that’s how I felt too. Then I was sworn in.
And I realized those two and a half years telling Marylanders what I will do would be wasted if – in eight years’ time – I can’t say what I did do.
Making history was never the assignment.
As young Black men and women, you will often be told your achievement alone will be enough:
Being the first Black partner in the history of the firm will be enough;
Being the first Black board member will be enough;
Being the first Black tenured professor will be enough;
Being the first Black governor will be enough;
But those are all answers to what you will do – and actually say very little about what you did do.
I don’t want the answer to what I did in life being: “He made history.”
I want the answer to be: “He made child poverty history.”
I want the answer to be: “He made food and housing insecurity history.”
I want the answer to be: “He made inequitable pay between men and women history.”
That is the difference between a mindset of “I will” and a mindset of “I did.”
And as governor, I’ve tried to act accordingly.
One of the biggest things I hope to look back on and feel proud of by the time I leave office is our work to close the racial wealth gap in Maryland.
In our first year, Black-owned businesses received more than $816 million in procurement awards.
That’s more than double the amount awarded in the previous year under our predecessors.
Last year, I issued the largest state pardon in our nation’s history, pardoning 175,000 Maryland convictions for cannabis possession.
It’s a step that will create more pathways to prosperity for Black Marylanders, who have been disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.
We’ve boosted the number of mortgages offered to first-time homebuyers and helped nearly 1,500 Black Marylanders pursue homeownership.
Our administration increased funding for HBCUs by nearly 60% – and today, we have invested $1.34 billion toward Maryland’s historically black colleges and universities, including UMES.
We have made real progress.
But I want to be clear: We are only just getting started.
And I want to say, right here and right now, that I am going to be back on the Eastern Shore on Juneteenth to announce the next chapter of our work to end the racial wealth gap in Maryland.
It’s only right that we continue this story here, on the Shore:
The birthplace of Harriet Tubman;
The birthplace of Frederick Douglass;
And the home of one of our state’s great heirlooms: The University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Class of 2025: If there’s one thing I know, it’s this:
The ones who obsess over answering “what will you do?” are often the ones who lose sight of answering “what did you do?”
The ones who stay focused on answering “what did you do” are the ones who will never waver in their convictions, and will always continue the work.
And many of you already know this because you’re doing it.
I’m talking about graduates like R.J. Tull.
R.J. picked UMES because of its criminal justice program. But once he got to campus, R.J. realized his real passion was building community around athletics.
He ran track for two and a half years, he’s been the host of “Hawk Hysteria,” and you’ve probably listened to his live commentary at basketball games.
R.J. fell in love with the power of community here at UMES.
And now, he is ready to take his next steps and pursue a career in teaching and mentorship.
RJ: You did that.
I’m talking about graduates like Kaleigha Hayes.
She’s a Computer Science major, with a focus in data analytics, from Calvert County, Maryland.
Now, even before she came to UMES, she knew she wanted to study technology.
But on campus, she earned much more than a degree.
Two summers ago, she was chosen for an internship with the Department of Homeland Security.
And through that internship, she was selected to attend DEF CON. It’s a major convention for computer hackers.
She is now graduating as one of the most respected young Computer Science minds in the nation.
Kaleigha: You did that.
I’m talking about graduates like Kenesha DeShields.
Kenesha enrolled at UMES in 2003. She had everything all planned out.
But then, life got in the way. She left after a semester and started her own family.
In 2020, she came back – this time, as a full-time mother, a full-time wife, a full-time employee, and a full-time student.
Today, she graduates with a degree in sociology and social work, and is ready to earn a Master’s Degree.
Kenesha: You did that.
Class of 2025: Your lives will take many twists and turns.
But things we plan to do often don’t last. It’s the things we do that matter.
So when someone asks you: “What are you going to do with that degree?” It’s OK if you don’t have a good response for them.
Because when you look back many years from now, you aren’t going to say to yourself: “I wish I were more certain about what I wanted to do right out of school.”
You’re going to say: “I’m proud of what I accomplished.”
And you know who else will be proud?
Each and every one of us.
Thank you so much –
Go out and win –
And never ever forget the assignment.
Congratulations, Class of 2025.