Work ‘Besties’ Rallied Each Other to a UMGC Degree

Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of profiles of graduates who attended the 2024 Winter Grad Walk.

Kristin James and Michelle Daye met on the job at University of Maryland, Baltimore, where both were working with the university's donor program. It didn't take long for them to become close friends, supporting one another through the birth of a baby, the COVID pandemic, a wedding and family loss.

They also became each other's champion in a shared quest to complete their college degrees. Taking advantage of free college tuition through their employer, they enrolled together at University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC). Although they pursued different degrees-and never even took a course together-they untiringly encouraged one another through class assignments, projects and long nights of study, all the while navigating full-time jobs and families.

"Michelle is an amazing coworker who became my work bestie. We immediately connected," James said. "I was a couple of years older than her so we talked about life. Every now and then we talked about school, and how our jobs paid for tuition.

"We decided to go for it."