TU grads: Leading for the public good

By Rebecca Kirkman on May 26, 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 Friday, May 27, we'll hear from student speakers representing the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) and College of Education (COE).

Meet this year’s spring Commencement speakers for CLA and COE.

Taryn Painter

CLA student Commencement speaker Taryn Painter has worn many hats over her TU career, from Honors College student to member of the Undergraduate Research Club, Model United Nations, Student Government Association and TU Marching Band.

But the first-generation college student points to one class as the most impactful experience: Contemporary International Affairs with Alison McCartney, professor of political science.

“It inspired my passion for research,” Taryn says, noting that the paper she wrote for the course was awarded the Dan Jones Writing Prize for Social Sciences by CLA. “I walked away with a lot of good experience and a passion for what I do now.”

A history and political science major, Painter is among the first graduates with a minor in human rights and history, a new program in 2019.

Her interest in human rights was inspired by her mother, who immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam in 1994. “Her whole migration story started 20 years earlier with the Vietnam War, so I was inspired by her story, the pathway she had to take to come to the U.S. and wondering what the world could have done to assist her better.”

Through the minor, Painter deepened her passion for research and experienced real-world applications. Kimberly Katz, history professor and program coordinator, oversaw her internship with United Stateless, an organization advocating for people experiencing statelessness. “With that experience I [was] able to apply my knowledge in the classroom to real-life experiences.”

With the support of mentors like McCartney and Katz, Painter has presented her research at conferences including this spring at the Northeast Regional Honors Conference in her hometown of Philadelphia.

“It was a really great experience being able to share my passion and the work that I've been doing with other likeminded people,” she says, noting that it wouldn’t have been possible without TU professors, who are “really invested in their students and their future, and they want to help you build yourself into the best person that you can be.”

Painter, who will begin a term of service with AmeriCorps in the fall, describes the opportunity to speak with her peers during the Commencement ceremony as “surreal.”

“I don't think of myself as an exceptional person, I just think that I've had exceptional opportunities,” she says. “I'm very grateful for this opportunity to speak with the rest of my class and share memories with them.”

Mikayla McCall

Second-generation Tiger and COE student Commencement speaker Mikayla McCall says her Towson University experience has “molded me into the person I am today.”

Campus diversity, she says, made her TU experience unique. “Towson is just a melting pot of so many different people,” McCall says. “Coming to Towson and knowing that this is a welcoming space has just been the most unique thing that I haven't been able to find at other universities.”

Getting involved on campus—as an orientation leader, resident assistant, member of the COE Dean’s Advisory Council and president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority—helped McCall build her confidence and her leadership skills.

“These experiences have made me a lot more outgoing and have helped me a lot with patience, growth and discipline,” she says. “I feel like having Towson University on my diploma sets me apart, and that the possibilities are endless.”

The middle school education major was called to teaching because she’s passionate about everyone having the same opportunity and ability to learn.

“Knowing that students are taking away what I'm trying to instill in them, not only with the learning but that invisible curriculum we like to talk about—making connections, building relationships, things like that—that's why I keep going every day,” she says.

As a middle school STEM teacher, McCall hopes to make a difference in students’ lives.

“My teachers in middle school to this day have the greatest impact on me,” McCall says. “Knowing that the connection I make with a student can last a lifetime is the best thing about teaching.”

More TU grads: Meet the student Commencement speakers for the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics and College of Fine Arts & Communication and the College of Health Professions and College of Business & Economics.