Cynthia Bukirwa's 8,300-mile journey to graduation began with a 13-hour bus ride from her native Uganda to Nairobi, Kenya, on her way to Columbus, Ohio, to reunite with her mom after five years. Her next stop, inspired by her mom, is medical school.

According to Bukirwa, her mother landed in Columbus, Ohio, seeking medical treatment for severe acid burns. Meanwhile, Bukirwa lived with her extended family from ages 12 to 17. During these formative years, she faced several disruptions in her high school education, including pausing her studies for a year to navigate the complex immigration process to reunite with her mother. Just as Bukirwa was beginning to regain her footing in the United States; the COVID-19 pandemic hit, creating yet another obstacle in achieving her academic aspirations.

"I was struggling like everybody else was struggling during the COVID-19 lockdown. I wasn't sure how I was going to afford college, but I knew I wanted to go to college. That was the dream. Having grown up in a traditional Ugandan household, I did not have any other choice anyway. You are brought up to go to school, whether you have the means or not. You have to go to school. You have to find the way," she said. "My high school counselor let me know about the Flyer Promise program and encouraged me to apply to UD.

"So I came to UD. It's the best decision I've ever made, because I've had amazing experiences here and met amazing people."

Bukirwa's journey will continue at the University of Toledo College of Medicine, where she will study to be a plastic surgeon.

"After my mom was burned, she didn't receive the medical care she needed for the nine months we were together in Uganda. Seeing her five years later in Columbus after about 30 reconstructive surgeries, she looked like a different person," Bukirwa said. "Just seeing the influence that my mother's surgeons had on her quality of life inspired me. Medicine is much more than seeing patients at the hospital. It involves going into the community and seeing the lived experiences of patients and using your resources to impact their lives; not only physically through surgery, but also emotionally, spiritually and socially. My mother's experience with her physicians showed me that medicine goes beyond the hospital. I admired that, and I want to pursue that."

Laurien Gisigo, whose parents survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsis and emigrated from Rwanda when Gisigo was 14, also will be among the approximately 1,670 students receiving their degrees during UD's undergraduate commencement exercises beginning at 9:45 a.m. Sunday, May 11, Mother's Day, in University of Dayton Arena. 

"Celebrating this on Mother's Day will be a moment of joy. My mom has been through a lot throughout her childhood. She didn't get to go to college," he said. "So I think seeing me graduate is going to mean a lot to her. I'm glad she's going to witness it on Mother's Day."

Arriving in Dayton a month before starting high school in his second language, transferring high schools and arriving on campus knowing only two people, Gisigo said he is grateful for the community he found at the University of Dayton and in the Flyer Promise program.

"Meeting people from all over the world just because of UD is just something I cherish every day," said Gisigo, who also studied abroad in Japan. "It really shows how the UD focus on community works. It's something we are always reminded about; and to witness it and see it applied in your life, it's amazing."

After graduation, Gisigo will travel around Europe with a roommate, visiting an Irish exchange student to UD they befriended, before introducing the roommate to Rwanda. It will be Gisigo's first trip back since arriving in Dayton. Gisigo will start a position as an area manager at an Amazon facility in Vandalia, Ohio, in September.

During the undergraduate ceremony, the University also will bestow an honorary degree on Larry Connor, managing partner of The Connor Group.

Connor is a nationally recognized entrepreneur and non-profit investor with $5 billion in real estate assets across 17 U.S. markets, His contributions extend beyond business — fueling education, scientific research and space exploration.

"Larry Connor is a unique and highly accomplished person with a deep love for people in the Miami Valley and the University of Dayton," said UD President Eric F. Spina. "He is a highly successful businessman who has turned that success into philanthropy that touches many lives in the Dayton region and supports the civic fabric of our region.  

"His life embodies values we strive to instill in our students — leadership, innovation and a commitment to serving others. We are honored to recognize his extraordinary achievements."

Read more here about Connor and the honorary degree.

The University will confer approximately 500 master's and doctoral degrees at 12:45 p.m. Saturday, May 10, also in University of Dayton Arena. 

The School of Law's will hold its commencement at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 10, in UD Arena.

The University also will hold a baccalaureate Mass at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 10, in the Frericks Center. 

More information and links to the live streams for each commencement ceremony can be found at graduation.udayton.edu.

For more information or interviews, contact Shawn Robinson, associate director of news and communications, at 937-229-3391, 937-545-5421 or srobinson1@udayton.edu. At graduation and the baccalaureate Mass, media are not permitted on the floor but are welcome to get video or photos from the seating areas or concourse provided they do not interfere with spectators. If you plan to capture B-roll of the baccalaureate Mass, please RSVP by emailing mediarelations@udayton.edu.