TU grads: Unapologetically persistent

By Kyle Hobstetter 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.

In addition to Flint water crisis activist Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who will address Fisher College of Science & Mathematics (FCSM) and College of Fine Arts & Communication (COFAC) graduates on May 25, undergraduate students representing each college will also take the podium to share their wit and wisdom with their fellow graduates.

Meet this year’s spring Commencement speakers for FCSM and COFAC.

Jacob Damrow

Jake Damrow originally came to TU to major in music education. But when he graduates on Wednesday, May 25, he will be earning a degree in environmental science.

And while he’ll still receive a minor in violin performance, Damrow is now focused on becoming an aquatic chemist and studying aquatic pollution.

For many, moving from the world of music to studying samples in a lab may seem like a bit of an adjustment. But for Damrow, there are a lot of similarities between the two.

“Classical music you have to be analytical,” he says, describing the many hours he’s sat in the music practice room, staring at his elbow and making sure he gets the right angle.

“Music is an expression of emotion, but getting the technique down is very technical. I loved learning the minutia of how to make that instrument sing in a certain way. It’s a science in a way.”

Instead of focusing on the science of music, Damrow has been doing research that focuses on the environmental applications of analytical aquatic chemistry, working with his research mentor John Sivey, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry.

After graduation, Damrow is returning to TU to work on earning a master’s degree in environmental science and will be working on a thesis with Sivey.  

Damrow, who is neurodivergent and has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, credits Sivey for helping him find the right balance between academic life and his personal life.

“It’s good having someone in your corner, especially when you’re struggling with something like being neurodivergent and bipolar disorder,” Damrow says. “It’s good to have a faculty member [who] knows my situation, understands, believes me, listens to me and is able to advocate on behalf of me to others.”

Through working with Sivey, Damrow was able to find a passion for research. This spring, he presented at the National American Chemical Society Conference in San Diego.

There he was one of the few undergraduate students who presented their research.

“[Other presenters] were just getting started in their research, and I felt so privileged because I had more experience than some of them had,” he says. “I wouldn’t have got the experience I’ve had if I wasn’t at Towson University. It’s been such a blessing, being able to work and use what I’ve been learning in classes in order to expand the body of knowledge.”  

Kobe Highter

When asked about the different organizations and programs he’s been in during his time at TU, Kobe Highter can’t help but smile before he asks a question his own.

“Do we have enough time in the day to talk about what I’ve been a part of?” he asks, laughing.

When he was a kid, Highter toured TU’s campus and couldn’t help but me impressed by the tall buildings that were surrounding him. As he got older, he saw the diversity that TU had to offer. It was through that diversity he knew TU was where he wanted to be.

“These past few years at TU have been magical,” Highter says. “I know it sounds cliché, but it’s been very magical to go here and meet the people that I’ve met, because I feel like they helped me evolve and adapt into who I am today.”

During his freshman year, Highter admits that he was miserable. He would come to campus just for class, and then go home without really talking with anybody else. After his first year, he set a goal for himself to talk to new people.  

That’s when he walked into the Black Student Union, where he was welcomed with open arms. That first instance of reaching out felt good and made him want to try new things.

That initial interaction with the Black Student Union led Highter to get involved with Brotherhood; In The Life; XTSR, TU’s student run radio station; The Towerlight, TU’s student run newspaper; the TU A capella Council and the a capella group Purrrfect Pitch; and TU's Multimedia Production Club. He also served as an orientation leader for New Student and Family Programs.

“I can’t stress how important getting involved on TU’s campus is,” Highter says. “You want to immerse yourself into the culture, and the only way you’re going to immerse into the culture is by talking to other people and getting involved by opening yourself up to new experiences. The point of college is to evolve into the next chapter of the life.”

On Wednesday, May 25, Highter will graduate from TU with degrees in both electronic media and film and mass communications.

As he gets ready to cross the Commencement stage, he can’t help but look back at the family he’s made, both through the organizations he was a part of, and those he’s spent time with in the classroom.

In fact, when he found out that he’d been nominated to give the Commencement speech for the College of Fine Arts and Communications, he couldn’t help but remember how introverted he was his freshman year. He’s amazed by where he is now.

“Towson has been the jetpack that I can put on and skyrocket to where I want to be,” he says. “Towson is a safe space where I can be myself unapologetically. It’s been home.”