4,300 Graduates to be Recognized at Ultimate Medical Academy Spring Commencement on Saturday, March 30 in Tampa, Florida
TAMPA, Fla. March 29, 2018– Ultimate Medical Academy’s community of learning will come together on Saturday, March 30 in Tampa, Florida to celebrate the graduation (#UMAgrad) of the nonprofit higher education institution’s Spring class of 2019. More than 750 UMA graduates from 42 states, including as far away as Washington State, will cross the stage to graduate during the ceremony from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the University of South Florida Yuengling Center, 4202 E. Fowler Ave. They will be joined virtually via a livestream by a total of almost 4,300 UMA students eligible to graduate between Oct. 29, 2018 and May 19, 2019.
Healthcare innovation leader Dr. J. Andrew Chacko will deliver the commencement address. An attending psychiatrist for the Veterans Administration’s outpatient clinic in San Bruno, California, Dr. Chacko is a sought-after public speaker and consultant who expertly synthesizes years of expertise in medicine as a psychiatrist, work as a designer and innovator, and a focus on leadership and teamwork. He will be joined by three other speakers:
UMA Career Services Graduate Success Coordinator Joseph Binkley, who works with UMA graduates through their first few weeks of employment to ensure they have all the tools they need to succeed in their new healthcare careers, will share a UMA graduate’s resilient story of employment after Hurricane Michael.
DeAndre Armistad, a veteran, 28 from St. Petersburg, Florida, who will receive a Dental Assistant with Expanded Functions diploma from UMA’s Clearwater Campus.
“I am thrilled and deeply honored to be invited to be the commencement speaker at UMA’s upcoming graduation,” Dr. Chacko said. “The healthcare of the future will be a team sport, and it is critical that all the members of that team get the best training they can. UMA does that. And it goes the extra mile, understanding that there are people behind those degrees and certificates. People with lives, often complicated, who need not only great training but support – and UMA seems ready and willing to provide that!”
The UMA graduates will be cheered on by family members and friends, UMA President Derek Apanovitch, UMA board and advisory board members, faculty and staff, as well as employer partners attending
UMA’s Spark Summit on March 28 – 30 in Tampa.
The commencement will open with the singing of the National Anthem led by retired United States Air Force Sergeant Sonya Bryson, a regular performer for the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Amalie Arena.
More information on the Ultimate Medical Academy Fall Commencement can be found at https://www.ultimatemedical.edu/students/commencement/.
