Frostburg State University Celebrates Achievements of Fall 2023 Graduates

Nov 30, 2023 8:00 AM

Frostburg State University will celebrate the student achievements of its fall 2023 graduating class at the 163^rd Commencement Ceremony at 2 p.m. in a ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 20, in the Cordts Physical Education Center Main Arena.

University System of Maryland Regent Hugh Breslin will confer degrees.

This year’s commencement speakers are Lydia Deneen from the College of Business, Engineering, and Computational and Mathematical Sciences; Maxwell Sykes from the College of Education and Health and Natural Sciences; and Julia Broberg from the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Deneen, of Frostburg, will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in general management and a minor in finance. Her hard work ranks her in the top 10% of all business students and has earned her a spot on the Dean’s List every semester. Deneen received the FSU Excellence Scholarship and the Student Business Leaders Scholarship and was a member of the Sloop Institute for Excellence in Leadership in 2023. She serves as the vice president of the American Marketing Association (AMA) at FSU and is a member of the Student Business Leadership Committee. In addition to carrying a full course load of 15-18 credits per semester, Deneen also works part time at a local restaurant. “Lydia is a person of high character who gives her best in all she does,” said Dr. Sudhir Singh, dean of the College of Business, Engineering, and Computational and Mathematical Sciences. “She is universally respected by the faculty who stated she is a terrific student who supports others.” Deneen plans to pursue her MBA at Frostburg after graduation while working to become an insurance adjuster.

Sykes, of Frostburg, will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry with a minor in biology. He has served as a teacher aide and lab assistant in FSU’s chemistry department and volunteered his time as a student tutor where he was responsible for directing and conducting group tutoring sessions for advanced chemistry courses. Sykes also served as a residential tutor counselor over the summer for TRIO teaching and preparing college-bound high school students in the areas of math and science. While at Frostburg, he has conducted independent advanced research and has made the Dean’s List every semester. Sykes is the vice president of Gamma Sigma Epsilon, the National Chemistry Honor Society, and has earned several accolades including the Paul Hunt Lab Achievement, the T. Adams ’87 and Wyche Adams ’86 scholarship, the Weser Chemistry Achievement, the Roy W. Sonntag Award and the Woodward and Virginia Pealer Scholarship. “Max has a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm toward learning chemistry,” says Dr. Matthew Crawford, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the chemistry and physics departments at FSU. “His devotion to furthering his own knowledge and then sharing it with fellow students will take him far in life. His journey to get where he is today is very remarkable and inspiring.”

Broberg, of Frederick, will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication with minors in journalism and sustainability studies. She has consistently made the Dean’s List, and her hard work has allowed her to graduate a semester early with honors. Broberg has written news articles published in college newspapers and magazines at both the local and national levels. She hosted and edited a radio show on FSU’s student station and an NPR affiliate station which was broadcast throughout the tri-state area. Broberg also served as the social media intern for FrostburgFirst, was a teaching assistant for a professor teaching English to students in China and worked as a store clerk at a local book and video store. “Julia has not only achieved academic excellence during her time at FSU, but she has been highly engaged in professional activities both on and off campus,” said Dr. Sheri Whalen, associate professor of communication at FSU. “She has become a regular contributor to the campus and local community, seizing on the many opportunities our university and region affords students.”

Tickets are required to attend Commencement. For more information, visit the Frostburg State University Commencement website. The ceremony will also be streamed live online. For the livestream link, visit FSU’s main web page.