---
title: Student Commencement Speaker Plants Seeds of Awareness on Farming’s Importance
date: 2025-05-20T10:00:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/student-commencement-speaker-plants-seeds-of-awareness-on-farmings-importance"
section: Articles
---
# Student Commencement Speaker Plants Seeds of Awareness on Farming’s Importance

*May 20, 2025* — by [John Tucker](/author/john-tucker)


> Grad’s Passion for Environment, Plants and Animals to Inform Career as Teacher

*Garin Gregory Student Speaker 04142025 DS 2071 1920x1080 — Agricultural science and technology student Gregory Garin will deliver the student speech at UMD's 2025 main commencement.*

Gregory Garin arrived at his first University of Maryland swing dancing class with trepidation, but the jazzy beats soon inspired him to improvise some moves.

“You make decisions on the fly, communicating with your partners to create something,” said Garin, calling swing dancing one of the most enjoyable experiences of his life. “At first I was self-conscious, but I was reassured by people who smiled and told me that it was OK to make mistakes.”

Meaningful connections, words of encouragement, new experiences: UMD’s 2025 student commencement speaker hopes to share and develop all of those as he embarks on a career as an elementary school teacher.

Garin, who is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science and technology, plans to enroll this summer in the Master of Education program at UMD’s College of Education and join a profession that “carries a tremendous amount of responsibility,” he said.

“When I started, I wasn't sure how my newfound passion and excitement for plants, animals and the environment mapped onto my future,” said the native of Columbia, Md., who transferred to UMD after receiving an associate’s degree from Howard Community College. “My experiences and classes at UMD have helped me collect my bearings regarding what I ultimately want to do with myself.”


*Gregory Garin feeds a bottle to goat kids while wearing a gray jumpsuit and standing on hay — Garin with the new goat kids born at the Campus Farm. (Photo by Andrew Muir)*



**Sidebar note:**

The University of Maryland will celebrate its newest graduates at commencement exercises across campus May 20-23. Maryland Today will celebrate too with stories on the following:

Thursday, May 15: [What to know before you go](https://today.umd.edu/umd-commencement-2025-before-you-go)  
Friday, May 16: [Student marshals](https://today.umd.edu/70-graduates-honored-as-senior-marshals)  
Monday, May 19: [Medalist and finalists](https://today.umd.edu/remarkable-humanity-and-depth-of-thought)  
Tuesday, May 20: Student speaker  
Wednesday, May 21: [Fostering Terp Success grads](https://today.umd.edu/carrying-students-through-to-commencement)  
Friday, May 23: [Main commencement ceremony coverage](https://today.umd.edu/kermit-the-frog-challenges-graduates-to-write-your-own-ending)

For more information, visit [commencement.umd.edu](https://commencement.umd.edu/).





**Topics:** [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [Agriculture](https://today.umd.edu/topic/agriculture), [Education](https://today.umd.edu/topic/education), [Commencement 2025](https://today.umd.edu/topic/commencement-2025), [Student Experience](https://today.umd.edu/topic/student-experience)


**Units:** [College of Agriculture and Natural Resources](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-agriculture-and-natural-resources), [College of Education](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-education)