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Mackenzie Lookingland will be graduating early from NDMU, needing only three years to complete the undergraduate portion of a program which will allow her to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in elementary education. Despite the shortened timeframe, Lookingland has filled her schedule with more activities than most students could manage in a typical four-year experience, serving as vice president of NDMU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, president of Gators Teach, and a Resident Advisor in Doyle Hall. In recognition of all her efforts on campus, she was the recipient of the University’s Legacy Award in February.

Sara Morales had two top priorities when she first began her college search: a well-regarded education program to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a teacher, and an opportunity to play both lacrosse and soccer. NDMU checked both of those boxes, and Morales will walk across the stage for a second time during the 2024 Commencement Ceremony at the Baltimore Convention Center after completing the School of Education’s five-year bachelor’s and master’s degree program.

A two-sport athlete who was a key performer on NDMU's soccer and lacrosse teams during runs to the CSAC tournament, Cesia Diaz also excelled academically throughout her time at Notre Dame while majoring in behavioral neuroscience.

Neena Rodriguez is set to become the first nurse in her family after graduating from NDMU later this month. Rodriguez was drawn to the profession due to the kindness and compassion demonstrated by nurses during several hospital stints as a child, including one which required an extended stay over Christmas. She will soon have a chance to provide that same type of care to patients at Mercy Medical Center, where she will work in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

The NDMU School of Pharmacy has a great balance between didactics and leadership/extracurricular opportunities, which has prepared me to enter the real world and impact patients’ lives. The thing I love most about NDMU is the culture and environment the school sets for its students. As a class, we came here as strangers and now we are parting ways as one big family.

Governor Larry Hogan appointed Jenell to the Maryland Board of Nursing as the Registered Nurse-At-Large member. She began her term in February 2018 and will serve for four years by bringing a firsthand perspective of the issues and trends impacting nursing care in Maryland. Jenell has been a registered nurse for five years and works at Johns Hopkins Bayview.

Two things that drew me to NDMU were the opportunity for in-person instruction and the program’s assistance in finding clinical placements. I’ve enjoyed my experience here – the School of Nursing provides students with support and flexible scheduling to allow us to balance full-time job responsibilities and our education.

I have been a nurse for nearly 20 years, including eight years in the ambulatory setting. I hear firsthand how patients are struggling to find primary care providers. As a nurse practitioner, I will be able to work with patients to help meet that need.