UNCP Celebrates Spring Commencement, Highlighted by Stories of Resilience and Achievement
Nearly three decades after beginning her college journey, Melanie Locklear Duckstein returned to UNC Pembroke on Saturday to finish what she started.
Duckstein, who has family roots in Robeson County, first enrolled at then-Pembroke State University in 1995 before leaving to serve in the U.S. Army. Over a 24-year career, she deployed around the world before a military-related accident in 2019 at Fort Drum, New York, resulted in a traumatic brain injury that ended her military path.
“Everything I loved and everything that defined who I was –– was taken away in a moment's notice,” Duckstein said, holding back tears.
Returning to UNCP after retirement became more than completing a degree. “It wasn't about finishing a degree — it became redefining who I am beyond a military uniform,” she said.
Duckstein and her husband, Michael, traveled from Alaska, where he is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, to participate in Saturday's commencement ceremony.
“With this academic success, I found my purpose, my direction and my motivation for my next chapter of my life,” she said.
Former NASA astronaut and keynote speaker Dr. John Herrington encouraged graduates to embrace resilience, adaptability and purpose as they enter the next chapter of their lives.
Reflecting on his own journey — from a first-generation college student who once struggled academically to a naval officer and astronaut — Herrington emphasized the importance of perseverance.
“Your struggles are temporary; your success is permanent,” Herrington said.
Herrington urged graduates to trust both their education and instincts when facing real-world challenges.
“Marry your knowledge to your common sense,” said Herrington, a member of the Chickasaw Nation and first enrolled citizen of a federally recognized American Indian tribe to fly in space.
“When things don’t go as planned… be ready and be creative. The feeling of satisfaction in completing the task successfully will last a lifetime.”
“Appreciate where your journey takes you… and be the change maker in a world that so desperately needs your intelligence and thoughtfulness,” he said.
A total of 1,173 students graduated during Spring Commencement, including 656 undergraduates and 517 from The William Howard Dean Graduate School.
Also on Saturday, UNCP celebrated its first full cohort of 14 students graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity. Among graduates pursuing next steps, Morgan Moose will transition to N.C. State through UNCP's partnership with the College of Veterinary Medicine, while Bianka Santos has been accepted into the UNC Chapel Hill pharmacy program.
At opposite ends of the age spectrum, Patricia Brackett and Nick Smith embodied the breadth of journeys celebrated at commencement.
At 74, Brackett fulfilled a lifelong goal, decades in the making. After earning her bachelor's degree in 1974, she delayed graduate school to support her family before returning to pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching.
“It's a relief,” Bracket said. “I've achieved my goal of what I set out to do… I decided it was my turn.”
Now working as an instructional assistant in special education, she said her life experience sets her apart.
“I can relate to the students… I bring life experience,” she said, encouraging others: “Don't listen to people who say you're too old.”
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Nick Smith of Hamlet, N.C., the university's youngest graduate, is already looking ahead to the next step.
“I think it is crazy… I'm proud to say that I am graduating so early,” Smith said.
A criminal justice major who earned his associate degree through early college, Smith plans to pursue a graduate degree in public administration and work in child protective services.
Smith said he wants to help as many people as possible while challenging negative perceptions about those who work in the field.
Cameron Ferguson's graduation marked the start of his next chapter as he commissions as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
“This moment means everything,” Ferguson said. “It's not about me — it's about my family and making them proud.”
A criminal justice major and track and field athlete from Georgia, Ferguson said he found direction through Army ROTC and the influence of his uncle, Lt. Col. Jamaal Kirkland, a 2009 UNCP graduate serving at the Pentagon.
“I didn't want to be a product of my environment,” Ferguson said.
Now preparing to train as an Air Defense Artillery officer, Ferguson credited his support system — including his adoptive parents, Darrel and Niki Morris — for helping him reach this milestone.
“I wouldn't be here without the people who invested in me,” he said.
Crossing the stage signified a powerful milestone for Dayanara Portela-Velazquez — one defined by perseverance, cultural pride and determination.
“It means a lot,” she said. “I am reaching this milestone as a Hispanic. I feel like I'm representing my culture… you don't see many people in my culture graduate from college.”
A nursing major from Shannon and a first-generation college graduate, Portela-Velazquez said her journey required extra discipline after being diagnosed with ADHD.
“Your disability does not define you,” Velazquez said. “You just have to put in more work, and it may take a lot longer.”
Up next for Portela-Velazquez: launching her career as a new graduate operating room nurse at FirstHealth in Pinehurst.
For Gavin Maxwell, crossing the stage marked the culmination of years of perseverance and determination.
Born with congenital bilateral hearing loss and having undergone 12 surgeries, Maxwell refused to let his condition define him.
“It's been a motivator,” he said. “I don't let it define who I am.”
A transfer student who found his footing at UNCP, Maxwell excelled in the kinesiology program, earning Chancellor's List honors every semester while gaining hands-on research experience.
Now a first-generation college graduate, Maxwell will continue his journey this fall in UNCP's new occupational therapy program.
“The best way of overcoming a challenge is to get through it,” he said.