2 students selected to address UK December Commencement ceremonies
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 13, 2022) — Per University of Kentucky tradition, UK President Eli Capilouto has selected two student representatives to speak during the UK 2023 December Commencement Ceremonies this Friday, Dec. 15, at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.
The two student speakers are Angela Jamison and Cindy Sossa.
Angela Jamison
Angela Jamison is graduating from UK College of Social Work’s online Master of Social Work (MSW) program.
A nontraditional student, Jamison worked in early childhood education for several years before enrolling at UK. As a foster and adoptive parent to five children (including four teenagers and a 3-year-old), Jamison understood the unique challenges that foster and adoptive parents experience. She decided to pursue a MSW to help support and nurture these families, including her own.
Since 2019, Jamison has served as an adoptive parent liaison for Adoption Support for Kentucky (ASK), in which she conducts trainings and offers one-on-one support for other adoptive, foster and kinship families. She also supports newly-approved foster parents through the Foster Parent Mentor Program. Both programs are training resource centers based at UK.
In 2021, Jamison was named Adoptive Parent of the Year.
“I am an introvert getting a degree in a people's profession and giving a speech to thousands. Quite contradictory, right?” Jamsion said. “We are only limited by what we tell ourselves we can't do. When I walk for my degree and speak on Friday, it is not just for me, but a reminder for my children — and maybe all people — you can do hard things.”
Jamison will give the student address at the 10 a.m. ceremony Friday, Dec. 15. Read more about her and the ASK program here.
Cindy Sossa
Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Sossa is graduating pre-law with a bachelor’s degree in English from the UK College of Arts and Sciences, with a certificate in peace studies.
During her time at UK, Sossa has been an active member of the Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority Incorporated, served as vice president of the United Greek Council and served as community service chair and senior advisor for Underground Perspective. She also served as an intern for UK’s Martin Luther King Center’s Sister Circle program.
Sossa spent her first three years at UK studying animal science as a pre-veterinary medicine student, and spent time working as a vet assistant in clinics. However, she later realized that veterinary medicine was not the ideal path for her unique strengths and sense of purpose. A resounding theme in her speech is that it’s sometimes okay to give up and start a new path.
“As young people, we are expected to have things mostly figured out and this speech is my attempt to free people from that notion,” Sossa said. “Life happens, our minds change all the time and plans falling through not only should be normalized, but embraced, because there is so much more out there in the world for each and every one of us. I hope my fellow grads will feel liberated after hearing my speech.”
Sossa will give the student address at the 3 p.m. ceremony Friday, Dec. 15.
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UK’s December 2023 Commencement Ceremonies will take place at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. They will also be livestreamed on YouTube. Visit commencement.uky.edu or UKNow Friday to watch and learn more.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.