Married Couple Ashley and Damian Ransom To Cross The Stage Together at UNCP Commencement

When Ashley and Damian Ransom cross the stage at UNC Pembroke's Spring Commencement on Saturday, they'll do so not just as graduates, but as husband and wife.

The Fairmont couple are life partners and will soon become partners in one of their greatest shared accomplishments. Earning their degrees together wasn't always part of the plan. It simply worked out.

“I started, and he started right after me,” Ashley said. “Then it just lined up where we could graduate at the same time. It worked out.”

But behind that timing is a journey defined by perseverance, support and transformation.

Ashley, a business administration major, returned to UNCP in 2023 after earning an associate degree from Robeson Community College. Working full-time in the banking industry, she balanced a full course load while continuing to build her career.

“I've always stayed busy,” she said. “Taking four classes per semester while working — it wasn't easy, but I was able to manage it.”

Damian, a criminal justice major and Navy veteran, began his UNCP journey while deployed in 2021. After serving six years in the Navy — including deployments to the Middle East, Persian Gulf and Mediterranean — he returned home and committed to finishing his degree.

The couple credits one another for helping them reach this milestone.

“She's the reason why I came back to school,” Damian said. “There was a point where I thought about quitting, but she encouraged me to keep going. I'm so glad she did — now here we are at the finish line.”

Together, they balanced school, work, family and the anticipation of a new addition to their family.

“We pushed one another,” Damian said. “We encouraged one another through it all.”

While their shared graduation is meaningful, Damian's journey adds a powerful layer to their story.

As a child, he struggled with behavior and spent time in the juvenile system, facing suspensions and instability at home. At one point, he said, college felt completely out of reach.

“I didn't know what college was at the time,” Damian said. “I looked at it as something so far out of my grasp.”

A turning point came in middle school, when a group of mentors stepped in to support him and help reshape his path. Later, a guardian, Danny Williams — a UNCP graduate — continued to guide and encourage him.

“That changed my way of thinking,” Damian said. “He showed me that if he could do it, I could do it.”

Today, Damian is preparing to begin a career in criminal justice, with hopes of becoming a probation officer — motivated by a desire to give back.

“I want to let young people know, don't let your past define you,” he said. “No matter what you're going through, you can make it.”

For both Ashley and Damian, graduation represents more than personal achievement — it marks a generational milestone.

Neither of Ashley's parents attended college, and Damian said he is the only one in his immediate family to earn a degree.

“It means a lot,” Ashley said. “My family is very proud, and I hope it inspires others to go back and finish their degrees.”

Damian echoed that sentiment.

“For our kids to look at us and say, ‘If they can do it, we can do it,'— that's everything,” he said. “It's a generational change.”

As they prepare for commencement day, the moment feels both surreal and emotional.

“It's something I've never done before … completing something I started,” Damian said. “And to have my spouse with me, it just intensifies that feeling.”