English Major and McNair Scholar Maia Turman Cooke has been interviewed for UMBC News in their series of stories about the Class of 2026. Read on to learn about her experience at UMBC and her future plans, including pursuing a PhD in English at University of Maryland, College Park.

View the original post here. 

With support from faculty, staff, and her peers, Maia Turman Cooke ’26, English and political science, not only thrived in her double major but also challenged herself by joining the McNair Scholars Program and working as a workforce and education advocate for the Shriver Center’s Choice Program. An Honors College student, she was awarded a 2025–2026 undergraduate research award to conduct a qualitative study on British Columbia’s 2023 drug decriminalization policy, and her paper “Theoretical Potrayals: Lauryn Hill’s Self Love and Resistance Against Intimate Consequences,” was recently published in the UMBC Review. This fall, she begins work on a Ph.D. in English at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Q: What attracted you to UMBC?

A: During my senior year of high school, I moved from Brooklyn, New York, to southern Maryland, where my mom’s side of the family lives. At first, I thought I wanted to return to New York for school, but, after thinking things through, I realized I wanted to stay near my mom and her family. When I visited UMBC, I had never seen a school so diverse. And there was a section on the UMBC website that said, “15 minutes from Baltimore, one hour from D.C., and 3 hours from New York.” And as soon as I saw that, I was sold. I thought it was the best thing to do, and I’m glad I did it.

Q: What excites you about your two majors, and why did you choose them?

A: My mom wanted me to be a lawyer because of how much I argued with her! All my undergraduate applications were in political science. But literature was always such a huge part of me. I also realized how much I enjoyed writing the college application essays, and I realized I wanted to do English. Then, at orientation, I met a senior with an English and political science major. That was the first time I’d ever heard of double majoring. I thought, I’m going to do that. The intersecting qualities that English and political science have helped me understand my communities, learn how to better communicate, and how to represent and advocate for communities.

Q: What surprised you the most about your student experience at UMBC?

A: I guess what surprised me the most was what the McNair Scholars Program could do for my life. At the beginning of the application process, it seemed like a lot, and I wanted to quit—I didn’t want to join. The director of the McNair Scholars program, Dr. Michael Hunt, called me and said, “Just see it through, see it out. If you don’t like it when you get more involved, then you can leave.” 

There were a lot of expectations, like pursuing graduate school. I knew I’d want to go to grad school, but I knew nothing about what it actually held. And I didn’t know a single thing about research when I started my first research project. I was so overwhelmed because I thought I had to solve every world problem. But my peers convinced me to stay. Soon, that work became a normal part of my schedule. I had no idea what research was, and now it’s something I’m super passionate about. Everyone has been so amazing.

Maia Turman Cooke (far left on lower low) with student colleagues. (Image courtesy of Turman Cooke.)

Q: Can you share more about your enthusiasm for the McNair Scholars Program?

A: I never knew what a strong and supportive academic community could look like, and they go above and beyond for every single person. Being able to prove myself, as well as supporting other people, has been a really great experience. The McNair Scholars Program also helped me financially, so that I could attend events I never could have afforded on my own. The McNair Scholars Program is not just within UMBC—it’s a nationwide program. There was a time when I was in a program through Penn State, and I met a peer who was also a McNair Scholar. It excites me to know that there’s a huge network I can keep meeting as I go along the way with my career.

Q: How have your experiences with the Shriver Center impacted your time at UMBC?

A: As a freshman, I applied to the Shriver Living Learning Community and then became connected to The Choice Program, which completely transformed my life. I started as a student coordinator for the College Night events, which is when students from Baltimore City visit the campus for different activities. I then decided to join the Choice Program as a job coach—a workforce and education advocate. I’ve been working with around 5 to 10 Baltimore youth, helping them with their professional, academic, and even personal goals. I’ve always wanted to serve my community, and it was such a great introduction to Baltimore, learning systems, skills, and understanding how to best support my community. I’ve grown a lot from the lessons they’ve taught me as well.

Q: And were there any faculty who especially supported you during your time at UMBC?

A: Oh my gosh, yes. Yes, so many—I can’t even count. First, Dr. Hunt, the director of the McNair Scholars Program. If not for him, I probably would have dropped out so long ago. Ting Huang, the McNair program coordinator, as well—she’s like Dr. Hunt’s right arm. Dr. Earl Brooks, an associate professor of English, who is my research mentor, introduced me to the whole world of rhetorical studies. Crazy enough, I’ve never taken one of his classes, but he just took time out of his personal and academic life to mentor me and introduced me to so many programs and conferences. Dr. Keegan Finberg, an assistant professor of English, introduced me to English research papers, helping with the structure of my papers—I really like playing with words and articulating myself in creative ways that push the boundaries of academia. 

Maia Turman Cooke with Dr. Earl Brooks at URCAD 2025. (Image courtesy of Turman Cooke.)

Q: What do you feel most proud of from your time at UMBC?

A: My paper on Lauryn Hill, who is a singer, songwriter, and producer, is something I hold dear to my heart—it was just published in the UMBC Review. I was super happy. It was actually in Dr. Finberg’s English class that I learned that you can close read music, movies, anything outside of a formal paper, novel, or book structure. I chose a single Lauren Hill song for her class, but when it came to my McNair research, I decided to look at her whole album, The Miseducation of Lauren Hill. Having that opportunity to take something so personal to me and apply my close reading skills in a professional setting was something I never thought was possible.

Q: How did you manage to keep a work-life balance?

A: One day at a time, honestly. There were days when I  knew I had to focus on one area of my life. And my planner—I wouldn’t be moving or running without my handwritten planner. There were some days when I knew I couldn’t work on a paper because I was so tired of reading my own work—my mind was about to explode. So, I think listening to myself every day, prioritizing myself, and my mental health.

Q: What are your post-graduation plans?

A: I’m starting an English Ph.D. program at the University of Maryland, College Park. I’m super excited about that. Long term, I don’t know, but the work I did with the Choice Program has changed my life entirely. I’d like to find a community service organization that advocates for a grassroots cause. Given that UMD is close to Washington, D.C., I hope to move in more political spaces.

Maia Turman Cooke ’26 presents at URCAD in 2025. (Image courtesy of Turman Cooke.)

Q: What advice would you give to new students?

A: Push yourself to be extroverted, if you can, not limiting yourself to one space. Go to as many meetings as you can, and talk to people. Push yourself a little bit, and you’ll meet so many people, discover important resources, and learn more about yourself and your connections. You will be introduced to a whole other world if you just meet someone or go somewhere!

Read more Class of 2026 stories

Turnip Time Tumble

An interactive reading by Prof. Terry's ENG 375 Class

Monday, May 11, 4-5:15pm

PAHB 132

Turnip Time Tumble is a choose your one adventure-style novel written this semester by Professor Chris Terry's ENG 375 Pick Your Path class. At this event, the class will read from the finished book, with input from the audience.

In Turnip Time Tumble, the main character goes to the farmers' market for soup ingredients, and is distracted by a mysterious vendor with a selection of intriguing books. The reader is then sucked into whichever book the character picks up: helping mermaids escape cruel scientists, time-traveling between the Wild West and a medieval castle, or inheriting a crumbling estate with a mysterious secret passage.

Join us Wednesday afternoon to celebrate four English faculty and other CAHSS colleagues for their recently published books! The Dresher Center is hosting a CAHSS Book Celebration May 6 from 4:30-6:00 PM in PAHB 216. Light refreshments will be served. 

Congratulations to all for this monumental achievement!

English faculty:

Poetry in General: How a Literary Form Became Public (Columbia University Press)
By Keegan Cook Finberg
Assistant Professor, English

Nineteenth-Century Fiction, Life Writing, and the Victorian Nomad (Routledge Press)
By Jean Fernandez
Professor, English

Romanticism Bewitched: Witchcraft, Revolution and the Female Demonic
(Cambridge University Press)
By Orianne Smith
Professor, English

Asian Girlhood in the Shadows of U.S. Empire (University of Minnesota Press)
By Sharon Tran
Assistant Professor, English

Dresher Center/CAHSS Book Celebration

Celebrating Humanities Books from 2025-2026

Wednesday, May 6, 2026 · 4:30 - 6 PM

In-Person · Performing Arts & Humanities Building : 216

List of Faculty books:

Let Us Alone: The Origins of Baltimore's Police State (University of Illinois Press)
By Michael Casiano
Assistant Professor, American Studies

Poetry in General: How a Literary Form Became Public (Columbia University Press)
By Keegan Cook Finberg
Assistant Professor, English

Double Feature (Saint Lucy Books)
By Mark Alice Durant
Professor, Visual Arts

Nineteenth-Century Fiction, Life Writing, and the Victorian Nomad (Routledge Press)
By Jean Fernandez
Professor, English

Rebuilding New Orleans: Immigrant Laborers and Street Food Vendors in the Post-Katrina Era (University of North Carolina Press)
By Sarah Fouts
Associate Professor, American Studies

Empathy Machines: This American Life, Podcasting and the Public Radio Structure of Feeling (Bloomsbury Publishing)
By Jason Loviglio
Professor, Media and Communication Studies

Across Canons: Language, Latin American Immigrant Literature, and the Making of Latinx Narratives (University of Arizona Press)
By Thania Muñoz
Associate Professor, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication

Auteur-Publishers: Small Press Practices as Avant-Garde Writing (Edinburgh University Press)
By Craig Saper
Professor, Language, Literacy, and Culture

Amos Badertscher Images and Stories (Phaidon)
Edited by Beth Saunders
Associate Director and Curator of Special Collections, Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery

Romanticism Bewitched: Witchcraft, Revolution and the Female Demonic
(Cambridge University Press)
By Orianne Smith
Professor, English

Asian Girlhood in the Shadows of U.S. Empire (University of Minnesota Press)
By Sharon Tran
Assistant Professor, English

Light refreshments will be served

Congratulations to Frank Rodriguez '26 on being accepted to the English Literature PhD program at Penn State University! Read a statement from Frank below:

My name is Frank Rodriguez, and I am a senior at UMBC majoring in English and Education. It's my honor to announce that after graduating next month, I plan on continuing my academic journey at The Pennsylvania State University, as a member of their English literature PhD program. Along with other benefits, I have been offered a six-year contract, with an option for a seventh, of consistent funding and support. 

Regarding my field of research and interests for my graduate school studies and research, my work will be conducted primarily through a postcolonial lens, while also completed by ecocriticism, as well as labor, diaspora, and empire studies. My aspiration is to study Latin America, the Caribbean, and West Africa; specifically, the diasporic communities that originate in those spaces, as well as the groups that have coalesced in these geographical regions. I would pay particular attention to the roles of food, space, and labor play in the lives of these groups as they work to adapt to and assimilate into their new environments while retaining their cultural heritage. Along with a variety of other factors, I attribute my upbringing in immigrant communities to significantly influencing the fields of research I most gravitate towards. 

Growing up in these communities, the word "college" wasn't thrown around a lot. I'm the first in my family to graduate high school, so all of this is foreign territory. As such, I'm a bit terrified at the prospect of starting all over again in an area where no one knows who I am, as well as the weight of making people proud and providing an admirable representation of myself, my family, and my heritage. However, the prospect of continuing my education and edging closer each moment toward fulfilling my childhood dream of being a professor excites me immensely.

Additionally, I enthusiastically anticipate the opportunity to demonstrate to those around me that my place in academia is merited, and that I am in whichever space I am legitimately. 
I want to conclude by extending my gratitude to all of my past and current classmates, my professors, and the English department more broadly. I was so profoundly anxious when first beginning college, being the first in my family to attend, and from the beginning, everyone around me was so gracious and kind to me. I felt acknowledged and cherished, allowing me to flourish. It aches me to leave such a caring community, but I wish everyone the best in their endeavors, and humbly ask you to do the same for me. 

Reposted from the Global Asias Initiative:

Join us to celebrate Professor Sharon Tran's new book, Asian Girlhood in the Shadows of US Empire! We are excited to gather on Wednesday, 4/29 at noon in FA 558 to talk about this new book and enjoy some refreshments together.

Book Raffle:

Asian Studies will be giving away a copy of Dr. Tran's book to one affiliate faculty member and one student at the celebration. 

Book Summary:

Representations of the “Asian girl” as lucky objects of humanitarian rescue and rehabilitation have been used to advance America’s imperial ambitions from World War II to the wars in Korean and Viet Nam. In this compelling work, Sharon N. Tran traces the production and instrumentalization of this figure through an examination of state documents, military newspapers, documentary photographs, and other archival materials. Theorizing “Asian girlhood” as a technology of imperial power, Tran exposes how the Asian girl is invoked as a shield that protects the innocence of US empire while she is excluded from innocence herself—relegated instead to a precarious position between child and adult, human and nonhuman, plaything and laborer.

Offering fresh insight into how imperial power operates, Tran analyzes figures such as the Japanese American school-girl in the context of World War II incarceration, the elusive “camptown girl,” and the objectified image of the “Napalm Girl.” Her innovative feminist approach interrogates the tendency to reclaim innocence for the Asian girl or to reframe her as an empowered woman. She engages the work of writers and artists such as Kiku Hughes, Nora Okja Keller, Aimee Phan, and lê thi diem thúy to demonstrate how Asian American literature offers rich theoretical interventions for critiquing the child–adult dichotomy that underpins key structures of imperial domination, illuminating more capacious conceptions of girlhood.

Restoring the dignity and agency of a figure too often denied both, Asian Girlhood in the Shadows of US Empire is a groundbreaking intersectional contribution to studies of gender, race, childhood, and state power.

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.

Six English department students will deliver presentations tomorrow at UMBC's Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD) during its thirtieth anniversary event. Find their presentation titles, times, and locations in the list below. We hope to see you there!

URCAD will be held Wednesday, April 22, 2026 in the RAC. Access the full URCAD schedule here: urcad.umbc.edu

Also, UMBC BookFest '26 events continue through the week, including two events highlighting the importance of libraries on Thursday, April 23. Visit the BookFest website here to access the full schedule.

English Department Student Presentations at URCAD

Kat Gill | The Case for a Public Internet | Michael Casiano | American Studies/English | RAC 230 | 2:55-3:10 

Phoenix Gordon | Conceptions of Blackness: A Fantastical Re-Imagining of Black Heroism and Villainy | Sharon Tran | English | RAC 106 | 10:00-10:15 

Esther Myers | Homophobia and Queer Repression in Watchmen | Keegan Finberg and Sharon Tran | English | RAC 106 | 1:15-1:30 

Ryan Supplee | Spiritualized Disability and Liminality in The Book of Margery Kempe | Kathryn McKinley | English | RAC 106 | 9:40-9:55 

Maia Turman Cooke | The Language of Decriminalization: Drug Policy Rhetoric and Public Health in 21st Century Canada | Earl Brooks | English | RAC 106 | 11:00-11:15 

Trilece Wilson | Tears Made of Ink | Nicole Pekarske | English | RAC STAGE | 11:15-11:30

Humanities Retrievers will be hosting a workshop tomorrow for students entering the workforce, "You're Hired! Humanities Job Search Strategies." Lunch will be provided at the event, which will be held in PAHB 216. 

Clair Volkening (B.A. 2023; Communication and Technology track; she/her) is a former English major now working as a Technical Writer contractor for the federal government. Access past alumni spotlights here.

At UMBC, I studied English and was a member of the Humanities Scholars Program and the Honors College. In my junior year, I got involved with the Center for Democracy and Civic Life and the Academic Success Center (ASC). Through this work, I realized I was fascinated by the how and why we learn—from the way a tutoring session affected a tutees confidence to how our society perpetuates beliefs via implicit or explicit education. In my senior year, I honed in on this interest through an English Honors Research project with my advisor, Professor MacDougall.

Before graduation, I didn’t know what I wanted my career to look like, I just knew that I really enjoyed engaging others in the writing and learning process. Now, I work as a Technical Writer on a contract with a military training academy. My everyday tasks include working with instructors on their course materials, and I am being exposed to an entirely new area of technical education and methodology. Ultimately, the same question arises regardless of the learning sphere: how and why do we learn? I am grateful to UMBC and my many professors for teaching me to ask that how and why—whether the topic be as small as my own, or my team’s, writing or teaching, or as large as the rhetoric surrounding big-picture societal issues.

UMBC recently published an Arts & Culture interview with Keegan Cook Finberg, covering her thoughts on poetry and society, poetry courses at UMBC, and her newest book Poetry in General: How a Literary Form Became Public (Columbia University Press, 2025). 

Reflecting on her own teaching, Finberg says:

"I want students to be okay with not understanding everything that they’re reading while exploring the aspects that they do understand—to explore why this author might want it to be difficult in the beginning, why there might be something important in that feeling of discomfort that they’re experiencing with the text. Can they notice moments of beauty in the text, even if they don’t yet understand what they mean? A lot of our conversations start with that sort of work. 

And once students realize that that is the goal—that they don’t need to be able to decode, they don’t have to be the person who knows it all in the room, there isn’t one right answer—it really unlocks a very different sort of space. I often watch that sort of journey with students. They realize that there’s something inherently important about this difficulty, important even to their understanding of themselves, their heritage, the way that language works in their households, even in their larger worlds."

Read more here!