Commencement speaker Kevin Williamson encourages ECU graduates to face fear

Commencement speaker Kevin Williamson encourages ECU graduates to face fear

Although their individual journeys may have had moments of fear, there was nothing but celebration on a sun-splashed morning Friday in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium as East Carolina University celebrated its graduates during spring commencement exercises.

The class of 2026 totaled approximately 4,028 graduates from 39 states and 94 of North Carolina's 100 counties, along with 41 countries. The class included 45 Project Kitty Hawk graduates in ECU's Flight Path programs as well as 78 Brody School of Medicine graduates and 49 School of Dental Medicine graduates.

"Today we recognize you for your many successes and accomplishments," said ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers. "The journey to this day required a great deal of personal sacrifice. You have persevered, and today we celebrate."

At ECU, he majored in theatre arts and found his comfort zone acting and getting a job as an usher in the former Mendenhall Student Center theater, where he could watch movies over and over. Following graduation, he went to New York City in search of acting roles but didn't find success. Just before giving up on his dream and pursuing a different route, advice from his father changed his trajectory.

"He said to me, 'Kevin, nothing changes if nothing changes,'" Williamson said. "The lightbulb went off. I knew at that moment I had to change. I was my problem, but I was also my solution."

Williamson remembered that he had written the opening scene for a play while a student at ECU but never showed it to anyone because "your voice should not be heard." It ended up being the opening scene of "Scream."

"Be your change. Take action, take risks, take responsibility," Williamson said. "Don't wait for your life to start. Don't be paralyzed by fear. You are the writer. It is your movie now and you control the narrative."

With the rise of artificial intelligence, Williamson noted that AI is trying to take his writing career, but he doesn't believe it can because of AI's inability to replicate the human experience and human connection. He encouraged graduates to stay human and authentic and not compare themselves to others.

"In a world of filters, be authentic. Never compare your insides to other people's outsides. Your insides are uniquely you," he said. "The world needs your uniqueness. It needs the part that's different. It needs your point of view that is different from my point of view. It needs the story that only you can tell."

He concluded by encouraging the graduates to trust their instincts, which is how most characters survive a horror movie.

"Trust that little voice inside, that inner compass we often ignore. Don't ignore it," he said. "Remember, your truth and power will always come from within."

After Williamson's remarks, Eric Rivenbark, ECU alumni chair, recognized this year's recipients of the Robert H. Wright Leadership Award - Kooper Ashmore, Katie Council, Cole Fuqua, Whitley McCoy and Majoie Mendouga Ngandi.

By Mom's Side

Sisters Jaelah and Aniyah Teel are both part of the ECU class of 2026.

Jaelah graduated in biology and Aniyah, the mother of 11-month-old Braylon Golden, in environmental health. Braylon already has been a frequent visitor to campus, which now includes joining his aunt and mother for graduation celebrations.

"Being his mother is the best thing that's ever happened to me," Aniyah said. "Braylon has been my motivation and strength to get up every morning and go to class and finish this last semester off strong. He was in class with me the majority of the time. Knowing that I'm graduating with him on my side, because I'm walking the stage with him, and it's Mother's Day weekend, it means the world to me."

Teel is appreciative of the support she received as a student-parent.

"I'm very blessed and grateful to the wonderful professors at ECU who supported me through this time," she said. "Everyone has been there for me during pregnancy and worked with me being able to bring him to class with me. I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart, because I wouldn't have been able to do this without them. Overall, my experience at ECU has been nothing less than positivity and success. I absolutely loved it."

Next Steps

Riley Allen's next steps will keep him at ECU and closer to his goal of becoming a physical therapist.

The Honors College student is returning for a doctoral degree in physical therapy after earning his bachelor's in exercise physiology in the College of Health and Human Performance.

Allen said his undergraduate experience has prepared him well through challenging coursework that helped him to think critically and allowed him to apply that knowledge in different settings and assignments.

It was those opportunities for hands-on learning through undergraduate research and immersive coursework that helped him choose ECU, along with the support and care from faculty and staff that he felt the first time he stepped on campus.

"I have grown a ton during my time at ECU," said Allen, who is from Princeton, a small town in Johnston County. "I have learned many valuable skills well beyond the classroom that will be helpful throughout my life. The most important area of growth for me was in patience. I have grown to understand that not all things can be accomplished immediately. This has been applied to all aspects of my life, including academics, social settings and professional interactions."

Some of his favorite memories have been Saturdays in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium watching football with friends. "Those days felt so rewarding following a long week of studying. Other great memories were the late nights in Joyner Library preparing for exams with my classmates. Although the work was hard, there was also a sense of joy in being surrounded by such great people," Allen said.

Allen said he was able to make a core group of friends his freshman year in Greene Residence Hall, who were like-minded and motivated with high aspirations.

"I am extremely proud to say that this group has stuck together throughout the past four years. During that time, we have all continued to push each other to achieve our goals!" he said.

Angie Allen, Riley's mom, said it's hard to put into words what the day means to their family.

"To have seen him not only grow, but thrive, all while making a difference in the lives of others these past four years has been the most rewarding experience for me as a mother and I couldn't be more proud," she said. "Riley's commencement ceremony taking place on Mother's Day weekend couldn't be more perfect. For him to graduate this weekend from ECU is the absolute best gift he could have ever given me."

In the Classroom

Olivia Umphlett, who graduated with a degree in elementary education, is substitute teaching at Eastern Elementary, the same school where she completed her student internship teaching fourth graders this year.

She'll be back in the classroom on Monday but took time to celebrate today.

"I'm just so happy that I am going to get to call myself not only a proud Pirate teacher but a Pirate alumna!" Umphlett said. "I truly believe choosing to go to ECU has made me a better future educator."

Her students signed their names in brightly colored purple, pink, orange, lime green, blue, red and yellow on a white stole that she wore over her robe, along with more than a half dozen cords representing achievement and affiliation during her time at ECU.

"I feel that through my time here at ECU I have grown not only as a leader and educator through different opportunities but as a better person," she said. "At ECU you get to meet all kinds of people with all different backgrounds in life. Because of this I have been able to sit back and learn about others, which has helped me in my classroom experience so far."

She has already accepted a full-time third-grade teaching position this fall at Ayden Elementary School in Ayden.

"Because of my professors and my experiences through practicums at ECU, I wanted to give back to the local community. I truly do stand on ECU being the best teacher program in the state! Starting my full-time internship this year was a lot easier with the support of professors and experiences with practicums along the way," she said.

Umphlett is joining a long line of Pirate alumni in her family, including three sisters who each earned bachelor's and master's degrees at ECU.

She said the Honors College, College of Education and its Living Learning Community made the transition from her hometown of Elizabeth City to college a lot easier. "I got to meet new peers who were going to be in the same classes and starting on Day 1 we began building a community amongst ourselves," she said.

Her favorite memories include going to the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta for professional development for beginning teachers, where she learned different techniques and strategies that will allow her to create a compassionate and engaging classroom. The other: ECU football's victory over Memphis when the student section stormed the field after the game.

"If there is anything true is that it's always a good day to be a Pirate especially when you win!"

Patient Advocate

Uma Gaddamanugu's passion for public health took root as an undergraduate at UNC-Chapel Hill. That's where she saw how profoundly the conditions of someone's life shape their health - long before they ever see a doctor.

That perspective followed her as a Brody Scholar in the Brody School of Medicine, where she earned her medical degree today, and included a gap year between her third and fourth year of medical school when she completed a Master of Public Health at Harvard.

During her time at ECU, she cofounded a volunteer doula program alongside close friend and classmate Shantell McLaggan. In four years, ECU Birth Companions has provided free volunteer doula support to over 1,000 birthing patients - "something I'm incredibly proud of. Building it from scratch taught me what community partnership and coalition building actually look like in practice, and it deepened my commitment to health equity in a way that no classroom could. That experience is something I'll carry with me for the rest of my career," she said.

Her decision to earn her MPH grew directly from her experiences witnessing health disparities in eastern North Carolina. The program allowed her to explore reproductive health access and oral health policy and provided a framework for thinking about the structural forces that shape health outcomes.

"For me, public health and medicine have never been separate - they've always been part of the same calling. Brody understood that, and it's a big part of why this felt like home," Gaddamanugu said.

She said the clinical training at Brody is exceptional because students care for such a large and diverse patient population.

"Beyond the clinical foundation, what Brody gave me was a way of practicing medicine. I learned to be a grounded physician - someone who advocates for her patients, pays attention to the full context of their lives and helps them navigate the social barriers that so often stand between them and good health."

She said that approach became instinct here and she will take it with her Montefiore Hospital in New York City for her OB-GYN residency.

"I'm leaving not only as a physician, but as someone who believes deeply that changing systems is just as vital as what happens in the exam room. Eastern North Carolina shaped who I am as a doctor, and I'll carry that with me everywhere I go,​​​​​​​​​​​​​​" Gaddamanugu said.

Setting Sail

Hannah Watters will be moving from her ECU flagship to an actual cruise ship after earning her bachelor's in musical theatre and a minor in international studies at ECU.

Watters will be working in a dream job as a vocalist on the Seven Seas Explorer, part of the Regent Seven Seas Cruises fleet.

"Performing in various musicals and plays with different casts and different directors during my time here has taught me so much just from watching people do their thing," Watters said. "My professors have given me so much advice and knowledge that I feel readier than ever to enter my post-grad job."

She credits her School of Theatre and Dance classmates and professors for helping her grow at ECU.

"During my four years here at ECU, my confidence has grown exponentially," she said. "During my time here, I have learned so much about myself and with the help of my peers and professors, I've grown to be the person I am today!"

As a high schooler, her biggest fear coming to ECU was finding connections. "Fortunately, I was blessed to have found lifelong friends in all my classes. Things weren't so scary once I found my footing and realized we're all in the same boat."

She said she chose ECU because the school fit her needs as a determined, young performer.

Freshman year, she got to sing for Laurence O'Keefe, the composer of "Legally Blonde" during a master class at ECU. Her sophomore year she was selected to go to Croatia on a study abroad trip to perform in the musical "Vanities." And this fall, in her senior year, she portrayed Brooke Wyndham in ECU's sold-out production of "Legally Blonde." "It was an awesome full circle moment!" she said.

"I'm so excited to finish and celebrate my time at ECU surrounded by my friends and family. I hope to make Pirate Nation proud as I begin my next chapter as an alumna," she said.

A Day of Celebration

Jasmine McNair and Janna Powell, teachers at Pactolus Global School in Pitt County, brought a group of students to cheer on their principal, Kimberly Taybron Lucas, who earned her doctoral degree in educational leadership.

"She is all about setting positive examples for our students, and what better example than to see their principal live her dream of becoming a doctor - what an awesome example for them," said McNair, eighth grade science teacher at Pactolus.

The students chose the top row in the upper deck of the stadium to stand with their handmade signs reading "We love you Dr. Lu" as the degree candidates were announced making their way to seats on the field.

Camila Flores of Statesville graduated with her Doctor of Nursing Practice. Graduation day marked the closing of one door and the opening of another.

"This day means starting a new legacy for my children and opening new doors for my family as a first-generation graduate," she said.

Flores was joined by her children, husband and her parents and said the completion of the three-year program was a shared goal.

"They supported me throughout this program," she said. "This was not just a goal for me, but it was a goal for them. We all did it together."

In addition to the support from her family, there was another group that was paramount to her success.

"I'll remember the wonderful, wonderful classmates I had throughout the program," she said. "I wouldn't have done it without them."

Flores plans to work at a pediatric clinic in Statesville.

A week after turning 49, Eric Elder walked into Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium with fellow graduates, many of whom are more than half his age. And he didn't mind one bit.

"I've chased this dream for a long time," said Elder, graduating with his bachelor's in industrial technology. "It's really, truly been my life goal."

The distance education student from Monroe works as a mechanical technician for Collins Aerospace and believes his degree will boost his career.

"It opens a lot of doors," Elder said.

Elder said he appreciated the support of faculty who helped him reach his goal and said he's not done yet.

"I'm going to be starting my master's, going into technology management," Elder said. "I've always had this philosophy: You just don't stop. Somebody opened the door for me, I said, 'Alright, let's just go ahead and get the master's too.'"

Elder offered some advice for his younger graduates.

"Just buckle down and work hard. Enjoy the ride," he said.

In front of the stadium, Terry Jackson Jr. hugged friends and family who were heading inside for the ceremony.

Jackson of Raleigh received his bachelor's in criminal justice and is pursuing a law enforcement career. He has a job interview with one department on Tuesday and an exam with another department on the 16th. But today he looked forward to celebrating his graduation with friends and family.

His mom, brother and cousin all attended ECU, and it always felt like home to him. It was only a matter of time before he became a Pirate too, he said.

He said ECU prepared him well, especially in making connections.

"One thing I truly learned is it's not about what you know it's about who you know, and while I was here at ECU I made a lot of connections, whether it was with my professors, whether it was with my friends or in my fraternity as well. It made me become a bridge-builder to others, so that's why I really say connections is the most important thing preparing me for the future."

His mom, Sonya Jackson, said she is proud of how resilient her son has been while earning his degree.

"Like all college students he has had ups and downs, trials and tribulations," she said. "He has pushed through and just overcome so many obstacles and we're just so proud of him today."

She said for commencement to fall on Mother's Day weekend was the best present.

"Whenever he was asking, 'Well, mama, what do you want me to get you for Mother's Day?' I said, 'Nothing. I just want to see you walk across the stage and that's all that I need,'" she said.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Walker and Brandon Frye, vice chancellor for student affairs, oversaw the traditional turning of the tassels. Bachelor of Music Education graduate Crystal Robertson led the singing of ECU's alma mater.

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