Spring 2019
HAWK PRIDE It’s a trifecta of sorts, or at least a reason for UMES to be proud in triplicate. The very best teacher in the state of Maryland earned his undergraduate degree at UMES. In fact, Richard Warren—Maryland’s 2018/2019 Teacher of the Year— earned all three of his degrees here. Professor emeritus Karen Verbeke, who served as chair of the university’s Education department for many years, says “that simply doesn’t happen in … ‘Teacher of the Year world.’ We should definitely be Hawk proud!” An eighth-grade science teacher at Somerset County’s Crisfield High School and Academy, Warren earned a bachelor’s in exercise science at UMES in 2011. He completed his Master’s in Teaching in 2014. Last year, he received his doctoral degree in educational leadership. Nomsa Geleta, the current chair of the UMES Department of Education, attended the Baltimore gala where Warren learned he had been selected for the statewide honor. “He delivered an amazing speech and thanked UMES for the education he received,” Geleta said. “I have attended these events for the last 18 years. This is the first time I have heard the winner thank the university that prepared him.” A New Jersey native, Warren tells those who ask that it was a teacher who saved his life.
“At an early age, I was surrounded by gangs, poverty, drugs, a lot of criminal activity,” he said. “The only thing that kept me afloat was a caring teacher.” Now, he’s doing that for his students. “Richard takes a personal interest in each of his students and is invested in their success,” said Justin Hartings, the president of the Maryland State Board of Education, in the official announcement of Warren’s selection. “He represents the best of Maryland public education.” Warren expressed his gratitude to his alma mater by accepting the institution’s invitation to serve as the featured speaker at the December 2018 commencement ceremony. He told the graduates UMES was his second chance at life. “Don’t ever give up,” he said. “The world needs you.”
The UMES Department of Education is also proud of Karen Holland, who earned her bachelor’s degree at UMES in 2003. She was selected as Worcester County Teacher of the Year in 2018 and competed against Warren for the statewide award.