Fall 2025 Commencement speaker Diemer discovered her voice at UM-Flint

In the months leading up to Angela Diemer's father receiving a cancer diagnosis, he shared with her that one of his regrets was that he never went to college.

"He had worked his way up in his job and had worked really hard to get where he was before he retired, but he always talked about going to school, how he wished he had gotten a college degree," said the fall 2025 Maize and Blue Distinguished Scholar from Climax. "We weren't from a socioeconomic area that really pushed higher education, and so I didn't have a lot of opportunities or even support for that kind of environment. However, I am one of those unusual individuals who buys textbooks at garage sales and reads them from cover to cover, so after my dad passed away, I decided to take his perspective to heart and pursue my dream of attending college. After his passing, I wanted to make sure that I didn't shy away from things because I was afraid; I wanted to do them, even if I was afraid, anyway."

As the mother of three boys whom she homeschools, Diemer needed to find an online program that would give her the flexibility to prioritize her family. After earning her associate degree online, she transferred to the University of Michigan-Flint's online psychology program in 2022.

"I knew I wanted to do psychology, so I looked for all of the online program options in Michigan. When I received my acceptance letter from UM-Flint, my first thought was, 'Am I really smart enough for the University of Michigan?'" she said. "And it turns out that I am. This whole journey has been one of learning but also of trying to heal myself from past experiences. I've learned so much in these classes, sharing and connecting with other students on our online forums. I think it allows for a deeper understanding of each other, and people seem to feel more free to be honest and share things that maybe would be hard to say in person in a classroom setting."

One of the professors who noticed Diemer's high level of contributions in her courses was Kazuko Hiramatsu, professor of linguistics.

"I am thrilled that Angela's accomplishments are being recognized through the Maize and Blue award. Through video conferences and reflective essays in two classes, I was able to learn about Angela's personal, academic, and professional interests and goals," Hiramatsu said. "She embraced challenges, whether theoretical or technological, and engaged in constant reimagining and rethinking of her perspectives. Angela's curiosity, empathy, and deep commitment to life-long learning are inspiring and exactly what we hope UM-Flint can encourage and support."

As part of her studies, Diemer chose to complete an internship and worked with Hillary Heinze, associate professor of psychology, to find the right fit.

"My first internship was at a school that was relatively close to me, shadowing a social worker, but I knew that it wasn't the right environment for me on the first day," Diemer said. "The second opportunity was with a different school, where I worked with students one-on-one who were having issues with their school work, who couldn't sit still, that kind of stuff. I tried to find strategies that would help them succeed in class. For example, one of my students had challenges focusing, so I would do different things to help her, such as bounce on an exercise ball while she was reading, which helped her stay focused."

While Diemer brought some of the coursework she was learning at UM-Flint into her internship experience, she also credits her background homeschooling her sons as instrumental. "All three of my boys learned in very different ways, so I had developed an approach with them of experimenting with different strategies that helped them connect with the material and learn. I took that experience with me into my internship and it was very successful with those students," she said.

Heinze said Diemer has a unique intuition when it comes to how others learn and relate with the world.

"I had the great pleasure of working with Angela as she completed an internship this semester with Calhoun Christian School," said Heinze. "She is outstanding in so many ways: her passion for psychology and learning, application of acquired knowledge and skills to conceptualize and navigate her internship role and activities, and critical and creative thinking evidenced in her work and problem-solving. Though where I think she shines most is how she sees and engages with those around her. Whether it be the children she assists, teachers and school staff, university classmates and instructors, Angela is adept at observing, hearing, understanding people and recognizing, reinforcing integral strengths, skills, and abilities in genuine, impactful ways. In the classroom, lunchroom, discussion forum and live virtual spaces, Angela enhances and enriches any context of which she is a part, engaging, supporting and empowering those with whom she works."

Being recognized as a Maize and Blue Distinguished Scholar was a revelatory moment for Diemer. "I had been told that I wasn't smart enough to go to college, and to receive this award was just shocking," she said. "I went from a little girl who was unseen and didn't have a voice to now receiving this honor and being selected as one of the speakers for the upcoming commencement ceremony."

Diemer is looking forward to continuing her training to focus on educational psychology. "I have been admitted into the Master of Social Work program at Ann Arbor, but I really enjoyed working with students during my internship, so I need to explore more programs that focus on supporting kids in K-12," she said.

"When I came into this program, I knew it would be challenging and it has helped me see what an affinity I have for psychology and that I can not only do hard things, but I can excel at them. So now, when I look at my future education, I have a different level of confidence in myself, and I know I'll bring my skill and passion for helping others, helping kids, into the community and be able to make a real difference."