If you read my previous blog, "Where Is Mike?", then you already know that I stepped away for a while. It was not because I lost my passion for photography. It was not because I ran out of stories to tell or places to explore. The truth is that I was focused on something that would challenge me in ways I had not experienced in years, and I knew it would require my full attention. This blog is the next chapter of that story.
In that last post, I talked about disappearing from social media and shifting my focus toward education and personal growth. I wrote about how people often wonder where someone went when they stop posting online or become less visible. Sometimes growth happens in public for everyone to see. Other times it happens quietly behind closed doors, late at night, after the world is asleep, while nobody is watching and nobody is cheering you on.
On May 16, 2026, that period of growth reached a major milestone. I officially graduated from the University of Maryland Global Campus with a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources Management. I graduated Summa Cum Laude, earned a place on the President's List, and completed my degree with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Along the way, I was honored with membership in Phi Kappa Phi, The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), and Alpha Sigma Lambda, organizations that recognize academic excellence and achievement among college students.
This is a self portrait. Official graduate portrait from the University of Maryland Global Campus Class of 2026. Photo by MikeCon Photography.
Those honors mean a great deal to me, but they are not what I am most proud of. What matters most is what they represent. Every distinction, cord, stole, and recognition symbolizes countless hours of studying, writing, researching, revising, and refusing to quit. They represent a promise I made to myself, that I would finish what I started, regardless of how long it took to get there. I did four years of college in 1 1/2 years!
There was a time in my life when college did not seem realistic. When I was younger, self-doubt often spoke louder than confidence. I convinced myself that certain opportunities belonged to other people and not to me. Looking back now, I realize how dangerous those thoughts can be because the limitations we accept often become the limitations we live.
As the years passed, life taught me lessons that no classroom ever could. Success and failure both became teachers. Photography taught me how to adapt, how to learn continuously, and how to remain persistent when results did not come immediately. The military taught me discipline, accountability, and the importance of showing up every day regardless of circumstances. Together, those experiences prepared me for the challenge of earning a degree far more than I realized at the time.
The journey through college was not always easy. Some classes felt natural while others tested every ounce of patience I possessed. There were assignments that required multiple revisions, research projects that seemed endless, and moments when balancing responsibilities became overwhelming. Yet every obstacle reinforced an important lesson: progress is not built through motivation alone. It is built through consistency.
One of the greatest surprises during this journey was discovering what happens when you stop questioning whether you can do something and simply commit yourself to doing it. Maintaining a 4.0 GPA was never my original goal. My goal was simply to graduate. Over time, however, one successful semester on the Dean’s List became another, and another, until excellence became a habit rather than an objective.
A proud moment marking the completion of my Bachelor of Science in Human Resources Management.
I am also grateful for the professors and mentors who helped shape this chapter of my life. Great educators do more than teach information. They challenge assumptions, encourage growth, and help students discover abilities they may not see in themselves. Several professors at UMGC played a meaningful role in my success, and their influence will stay with me long after graduation day has passed.
Standing on that commencement stage was a moment I will never forget. Looking around at fellow graduates, I saw people from different backgrounds, different careers, and different walks of life who all shared a common achievement. Each diploma represented a unique story of sacrifice, persistence, and determination. Mine was no different.
Receiving my diploma during the UMGC commencement ceremony on May 16, 2026.
As meaningful as earning my bachelor's degree has been, this is not the end of the journey. On June 10, 2026, I will begin my Master of Business Administration (MBA) program at UMGC. If everything remains on schedule, I expect to complete the academic requirements in March 2027. Ironically, even after finishing the coursework, I will still have to wait until May 2027 to participate in commencement and walk across another stage.
Some people view education as a destination. I have come to see it as a lifelong process. Every book, every class, every conversation, and every experience presents an opportunity to learn something new. The MBA is not simply another degree to me. It is another opportunity to continue growing, developing new skills, and challenging myself in ways that make me better tomorrow than I am today.
When I look at the photographs from graduation, I see more than a cap and gown. I see every obstacle that had to be overcome to reach that moment. I see every setback that became a lesson and every failure that became a stepping stone. Most importantly, I see proof that the person I am today is not the same person who began this journey years ago.
The title of this blog says it best.
I am miles from where I started.
The road has not always been smooth. There have been detours, setbacks, disappointments, and moments when the destination felt impossibly far away. Yet I would not trade any of those scars, lessons, or failures for a pot of gold because every one of them helped shape the person I have become.
So if you were wondering where Mike has been since that last blog, now you have your answer.
I've been learning.
I've been growing.
And I'm still moving forward.
