Shawn Frankton remembers sitting around a fire pit with family and friends thinking if he wanted a college degree it was now or never. 

He knew coming back to The University of Baltimore after a long hiatus wouldn’t be easy, but he wanted it, for his parents who never finished college, for his daughter to inspire her own path, and for himself and his own future. 

“That journey starts with just one step and each step, it becomes clearer and clearer, and your confidence grows, and I was proud of myself,” said Frankton, a B.S. in Business Administration student. 

Frankton took his final steps as an undergraduate student on Dec. 18, 2023 when he walks across The Lyric stage at his commencement.

The alumni network that he joins has some familiar faces. His mother-in-law, sister-in-law and brother-in-law are all UBalt graduates. Carole Demilio earned her J.D. at the law school in 1974. Emily Duvall received her J.D. in 2010. Eric Jolicouer, whom Frankton first met on campus long before they married into the same family, earned a B.S. in Management Information Systems in 2004. 

Frankton knows having a degree will open new doors for him. His father, who worked in roofing, had told him that years before. 

“My dad was a roofer all his life. He said, ‘Shawn, you don't want to do this work. You know, it’s good money, but it tears your body up.’ And he said, ‘I want to see you do well.’ If it hadn't been for him, I probably would have been a roofer.” 

Frankton has been an engineer associate for Baltimore County. It was as high as he could climb—until now.

He has long had the work experience, but knowing the degree was within reach, he finally got a promotion to a position he couldn’t have until he completed his undergraduate studies.  
College took more time than Frankton anticipated. Life made him reassess his priorities more than once. 

A desire for a degree
He first came to UBalt in 2002 after transferring from Community College of Baltimore County. He felt the University was well suited for working adults like himself and he didn’t want to lose focus. 

Balancing his schoolwork with his job at Sherwin Williams became difficult when Frankton was offered an assistant manager position. It was a major step up from his part-time role. About two years after starting, he decided to take a break from school while he grew into his new position.

 
Frankton did come back in 2010 to take a few more classes. He did well but quickly realized he couldn’t maintain a good GPA while also working 50 hours a week. He stopped out again. He wouldn’t re-enroll until spring 2023.

As the years went by, Frankton’s life moved forward. He got married, had a daughter, and took his job with the county. The opportunity he had never left his mind, though. 

“It's something that always bothered me, that I didn't finish it. It just always bothered me. And I was like, you know, I'm doing well, I'm successful,” he said. “For me, I like to finish things that I started, and it was just something that I was, you know, I did it for a reason. … It was really for my family—something I promised my dad, and for my family now.”

An ideal support system
After his epiphany at the fire pit, Frankton was ready. He knew he was a different person than when he first came to UBalt in 2002.

“It was a very big shock to me, to get my 45-year-old mind back into being a student,” he said. “And I know a lot of people are discouraged when they get a little older, but to be honest, I was in a better place to do it because I was ready to do it.”

His first step back to UBalt was connecting with Kathea Smith, assistant dean in the Merrick School of Business, to run an audit of his credits. Standing between Frankton and his degree were five classes. Smith and Matt Mazick, his adviser, encouraged him to keep going. 

“Those two together were really good team. … I felt like I had them in my corner, and that did encourage me,” Frankton said.

With his confidence boosting as the days went on, Frankton powered through the spring semester and didn’t stop. When the work got harder, he got a tutor. He looked for help in ways he hadn’t considered the first time around. He also reserved time to study, something he knows he didn’t do when he was younger. 

“I would put my daughter to bed and then go study. I would stay home on the weekends. It’s just a pause in your life that will pay off later,” Frankton said. 

He also had a stronger support system this time, too, particularly in his wife and brother-in-law.

They will be in attendance when Frankton accepts his diploma on his graduation day. 

And when that celebration ends, he can fulfill his other long-time dream—taking his family to Disneyland.  

This article first appeared on the UBalt website for a series of student stories.