TU grads: From passion to purpose

By Kyle Hobstetter & Rebecca Kirkman on May 25, 2022

Thousands of Towson University students will cross the stage this week, celebrating their graduation day.

A select few will pause amid Commencement to speak on behalf of their fellow graduates. We'll hear stories of perseverance and success, dreams for the future and recollections of memories created at TU.

Undergraduate students representing each college will also take the podium to share their wit and wisdom with their fellow graduates. On Thursday, May 26, we'll hear from student speakers representing the College of Health Professions (CHP) and College of Business & Economics (CBE).

Meet this year’s spring Commencement speakers for CHP and CBE.

Sydney Baucum

When she was a junior in high school, Sydney Baucum attended an open house at Towson University. Once she stepped on campus, she immediately fell in love.

When she received her acceptance letter to TU, she remembers her jaw dropping, excited for the new journey ahead. Now, Baucum is getting ready to graduate from TU with a bachelor’s degree in sport management.

And after finishing her time at TU, the initial enthusiasm she felt during that first trip to TU hasn’t waned as she gets ready to graduate.  

“It’s been amazing and I can’t event put into words how wonderful my experience at TU has been,” Baucum says. “I came in expecting one thing, and it was something completely different in the best way possible.

“I have had so many opportunities that I was afforded by coming to TU. I met so many wonderful people, I got to be involved with so many leadership opportunities, clubs and organizations.”

During her time at TU, Baucum participated in the Honorables of Color, the Towson Minorities and Women In Sport Club and the TU Women’s Leadership Collective. She also worked as a research assistant in the sport management department and completed an internship in the Towson Athletics’ Compliance Office.

But one of her biggest opportunities came through being a part of the Towson University Honors College. There she served as a student director for the Honors College for both Service and Auxiliary Groups and Recruitment.

During her freshman year, Baucum was a little nervous about being in the Honors College, because she was surrounded by so many smart people from around campus. But thanks to faculty and staff of the Honors College, Baucum learned very quickly that she belonged.

In fact, when she wasn’t satisfied with her initial major, it was an Honors College event that led her to finding the sport management major.

“The Honors College has been one of the most impactful things I’ve been a part of during my time at TU,” Baucum says. “The Honors College faculty and staff really believe in you and support you. Through the Honors College, I was able to serve in leadership positions where I not only grew professionally, but personally.”

Victoria Howard

With the help of faculty in the Towson University College of Business & Economics (CBE), Victoria Howard developed and defined her career goals.

The 2020 presidential election and social justice movements inspired Howard to pursue a career in diversity and inclusion, but the transfer student and CBE student Commencement speaker wasn’t sure where to focus her passions until she found her home as a business administration major with a concentration in human resource management.

“Growing up I never thought I'd end up in HR. I thought of HR as Toby from ‘The Office,’ like who wants to be him? You know?” she adds with a laugh. “And I was like, I think I do want to be him—but hopefully a little more fun.”

At TU Howard got involved in the Black Student Union and the Society for Human Resource Management. She also developed mentors in faculty like management Associate Professor Mariana Lebron, who “went out of her way” to connect Howard with resources and role models, and finance lecturer Lisa Simmons, who shared an internship opportunity in recruiting at Erickson Senior Living.

“What I’ll remember the most about TU are the connections I’ve made with my professors that really wanted us to succeed,” says Howard, who graduates with full-time job in HR operations with accounting and advisory firm CohnReznick.

TU, she says, provides the career resources students need. “It will help get my foot in the door, and then I can take it from there,” she says. “Towson wants you to succeed, and they will do what they can to help you get there.”

Commencement is an opportunity for Howard to celebrate her determination to succeed and her motivation to never give up.

“Once I found HR and diversity, I was like, I might be able to help people, I might be able to make a difference, I might be able to change corporate America—even if it's just a little bit,” she says. “That's where I can channel all of this energy and passion I have.”