Beneath the black and gold, and far beyond what might immediately catch your eye, lies a world of wonder. You just need to know where — and how — to look.

By Jenny O’Grady

Campus Microcosmos: Tagide DeCarvalho

THE MURKY WATERS of Library Pond. The surface of a dandelion. The moss of a nearby tree. Wherever she looks, Tagide deCarvalho finds specks of wonder — and then amplifies them for all to enjoy.

As research assistant professor for biological sciences and manager of UMBC’s Keith R. Porter Imaging Facility, a center that offer specialized microscopy, deCarvalho has perfected her unique mix of art and science. First she collects fluorescent molecules from organisms that come about it naturally, and then adds them to non-fluorescent organisms to make their natural tones more spectacular when magnified.

The result is a stunning display — Sci-Art, she calls it — of microscopic worlds many of us would never otherwise see or appreciate. Her dandelion spores were recently recognized as an “image of distinction” in Nikon’s annual Small World microphotography competition.

“I used to do field work, and I’ve been to Australia and Hawaii, but until I looked at pond water here, I don’t even know that I’ve felt such wonder,” she says. “You don’t have to go somewhere exotic to find biodiversity and wonder. The inspiration is all here. There’s a whole world here that you just need to learn how to look for.”

Tiny Sand, Tiny Money, Tiny Time:  Corrie Francis Parks

YEARS AGO, AS Corrie Francis Parks began hand animating sand, friends and family started sending her samples from around the world. It came from New Jersey, from Kuwait, from the Moab desert — little baggies and Tupperwares full, of all shapes and sizes and colors.

Later, when Parks, an assistant professor of visual arts, started magnifying paper currencies, she found herself with new supplies arriving in the mail, and new places and economic systems to study and think about.

Her most recent work, “Foreign Exchange,” an animated short about imaginary borders, combines both worlds, with individual pieces of sand journeying across frames dotted with inked winks of paper presidents.

As small as the physical pieces are, they pale in comparison to the tininess of the time captured by the camera; as one second passes, 24 individual frames fly by. Parks invites viewers to make of it what they will, but it’s hard not to ascribe emotion and character to inanimate objects when they’re suddenly huge, dancing around each other.

“I think the really interesting part of what I’m doing right now is this idea of looking closely at things,” she says. “You start to see all of these little details, and I think that it’s a broader metaphor for the way we need to approach social problems, political problems. It’s about looking at the needs of the individual as well as this big, giant generalization.”

Microtechnological Marvel:  Mike Adelstein ’96

UMBC’S CAMPUS IS 512 acres, comprising more than 50 buildings, 3,000 trees, and more than 15,000 people on any given day of the semester.

In the palm of Mike Adelstein’s hand sits a campus 1/4,000th its actual size. His lifelines flow like estuaries beneath the 3-D printed plastic loop. There are no squirrels, nor miniscule french fries to feed them.

“It’s pretty cool, right?” smiles Adelstein ’96, biochemistry, president of Potomac Photonics, which specializes in digital and microfabrication. Whatever his clients need — tiny holes in tiny spaces, micro bonding with lasers, you name it — his team will dream up a way for it to happen.

Several years ago, Adelstein worked with Ecosynth, an open source project at UMBC in which 3D models of terrain are created from photography taken by small radio-controlled aircraft. The main purpose is usually related to ecological study, but Adelstein couldn’t resist creating a model of his beloved alma mater.

And so he keeps it in his pocket, ready to impress visitors. It always does.

“This one’s small, but I can make it smaller,” he says, ready for a challenge. “We’re going to make it smaller.”

Hide and Seek

Can you match these tiny beautiful things to their descriptions? (See the answers at the end of the story.)

Tiny Descriptions

A. Tesserae, or roughly squared pieces of colored stone, make up the edge of a foot or hand in a 5th-6th-century mosaic that likely decorated a synagogue in Caesarea Maritima, Israel. Today, students in UMBC’s Ancient Studies program use artifacts like this from the Spiro Collection in their hands-on study of history.

B. Saturn in a box? It may seem like magic, but Carlos Romero-Talamas, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is using plasma fields to make small particles levitate to simulate the sixth planet’s famous rings right here in his lab.

C. With a diameter ranging from about 0.1 to 0.5 nanometers, the average atom is a million times smaller than the thickest human hair. So, when we say that UMBC physicist Can Ataca is doing big things — developing cheaper ways of creating one-atom-thick materials — in very tiny ways, we really mean it.

D. You might need a stronger pair of reading glasses to understand UMBC’s oldest book, Biblia Sacra, a Vulgate bible from 1484. Interior pages show the original text and hand-painted letters, which you can see in person simply by making an appointment with Special Collections.

E. Can a parking lot ever be good for the Chesapeake Bay? It’s possible, according to senior research scientist Stu Schwartz of UMBC’s Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education (CUERE). The slow sponge-like draining of pervious concrete he studies can help prevent the rapid runoff of rainwater from traditional concrete that carries pollution into our waterways.

Answers: A5, B3, C4, D2, E1

Image #3 courtesy of Carlos Romero-Talamas.  Image #4 courtesy of Can Ataca.

Driven in her work by memories of her grandmother, Dr. Tabassum Majid, M18, ’10, interdisciplinary studies, M.A. ’18, management of aging studies, has made a career of education and research related to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Recently, she was recognized in the Baltimore Sun’s “25 Women to Watch in 2018” list. Following her undergraduate study in neurodegenerative disorders of the aged, she earned her Ph.D. from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and had a fellowship at the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy. Today, as executive director of the Integrace Institute, former Meyerhoff Scholar Majid looks ahead to ways of improving the lives of elders and their support networks, and many of the tools she uses every day come from the interdisciplinary education she received at UMBC. Here, Majid tells us how taking a chance on UMBC, and granting the trust of her most precious possession — her dreams — has made all the difference.

“Trust us with your dreams; you were meant to heal the world.”

This is one of the first things that I heard as a freshman at UMBC, the first time a mentor ever pushed me to both be vulnerable and challenge the universe at the same time.

The mantra has stayed with me throughout my personal and professional journeys since setting foot on a campus that I have come to consider a second home. The story began there.

UMBC was not my first choice until I met the people in it. I had dreams, big ones: neurosurgery at Yale, curing Alzheimer’s disease, traveling the world and making music come alive.

Yet, my heart and mind were one when I interacted with society’s most vulnerable: Older adults with dementia who reminded me of my lifelong hero — my grandmother — and children with chronic illness but sunny dispositions.

It took some trust to hand that over to the gentle soul who greeted me on my first day on campus. How could I refuse a place that was saying yes to my dreams, telling me that anything was possible? Freshman? Meyerhoff Scholar? Creating your own interdisciplinary studies degree focused neurodegenerative disorders of the aged? “We can figure that out,” they said. You want to be SGA Vice President? “We’ve never had a freshman do that, but why not? You were meant for greatness. Grit is in your nature.”

The opportunities kept coming, but I didn’t understand why. I kept looking for something to tell me I was in the right place doing the right thing. And then it happened. I was asked to write down the story of my grandmother. A release valve opened, passion flowed out, and I started to solidify those dreams. Before I knew it, I was graduating and off to Houston, Texas, to work with my new set of mentors, internationally renowned pioneers in Alzheimer’s and dementia research.

I finished my Ph.D. degree by focusing on all of those who came before me, who paved the path. Who I trusted with my dreams. My parents, two immigrants who came to the U.S. to give me a better life; my grandmother, who inspires me daily; my mentors, dozens of them, who encouraged, guarded, and nurtured my dreams. I defended my dissertation and got a letter from that same gentle soul at UMBC: “You’ve done what you went there to do; now you may come home.”

I came back to Maryland and decided to teach, to give back, and begin my research trajectory. I started teaching and mentoring UMBC students as an adjunct faculty member while doing my post-doctoral research. I found the most joy in seeing others be inspired to achieve their dreams, to discover their grit. I kept working with individuals with dementia and their caregivers, and got an amazing job at the Integrace Institute, a non-profit organization in Maryland that integrates research, education, and consulting together to transform the lives of those with neurocognitive changes.

I needed more knowledge on this new industry, so I came back to UMBC for my MAgS degree. Every day is different now. Whether I am teaching staff members on how to individualize care, chatting with a resident about their life, presenting at a national research conference on brain health, I’m living those dreams with my UMBC family. One of my students used her museum design background to create an exhibit space to communicate research and educational findings in an innovative way. Another is using his musical talents to help us with a meaningful music study. Faculty and staff are co-creating curriculum and collaborating on research and future intergenerational programs. We are always looking ahead for more ways to grow, expand, and change.

It has been a transformational journey for me, expanding and changing as quickly as UMBC. In times of change, however, it is comforting to know that a walk around the loop will always welcome me home.

by Catalina Sofia Dansberger Duque

UMBC may be nestled in the small town of Catonsville, but over the years the university has become a crossroads of international research, civic engagement, and a welcome center to anyone pursuing the life of a global citizen.

But, what makes UMBC such an international campus? The famous flags in The Commons? The answer is much deeper than that. It’s a commitment to envisioning an inclusive path dependent on intercultural collaboration that has created a thriving world of possibilities through which to engage in all the world has to offer.

UMBC’s windows-to-the-world philosophy has caught the attention of some big names recently. Times Higher Education recognized UMBC as one of the world’s top young universities, and The Center for World University Rankings recognized us as one of the top 3.5 percent of all universities worldwide. Most recently, the Professionals in International Education (PIE) included UMBC as the only U.S. finalist for a 2018 PIEoneer Award, in the Student Support category.

Accolades aside, one thing is for sure — if you start at UMBC, you can go anywhere because you will have all the support that you need. So, feel free to move around the world.

You Are Welcome Here

UMBC’s visual connection to the world begins where visitors first set foot on campus: on the bricks of the Administration Building drop off circle. There, hellos in dozens of languages — from “Witamy” in Polish to 欢迎 in Mandarin — make it clear that all are welcome. Walking down Academic Row, you can hear what a global campus sounds like — from President Hrabowski practicing his French with faculty from the Caribbean, to students and faculty sharing conversations in English, Korean, Hindi, Hebrew, Urdu, Spanish, Igbo, and Italian, just to name a few.

International pride is most evident in The Commons, where 156 flags hang to represent the countries our students come from; it is also the home of 26 cultural and ethnic student organizations. Over the last decade around 1,000 international students have made UMBC their home, both for short- and long-term study.

“We have a group of Japanese students attending in the spring for intensive English training and community service projects. In the summer we will host a group of high school students from the United Arab Emirates for a three week STEM and English Academy,” explains Sarah Gardenghi, director of the English Language Institute, which offers customized English language instruction. “Each of our programs focuses on the needs of the international student so they feel at home at UMBC, safe in our community, and connected with our students, faculty, and staff.”

Students at UMBC take pride in their cultures, languages, and traditions — and love sharing them with the campus community. One popular annual event, PANGEA, is a cultural showcase celebration organized by the student-led UMBC Cultural Showcase Board during Welcome Week. The event centers on sharing food, dance, and traditions important to the cultural and ethnic groups on campus as a way of welcoming students and encouraging all to get involved.

Many students swim, run, bat, or kick their way through college. At UMBC, international athletes are an important part of the athletic culture, sharing their world-class skills in a welcoming environment while preparing for the next level of their athletic career. For some that means Olympic level.

Mohamed Hussein ’14, mechanical engineering, M.S. ’16, engineering management, represented UMBC in swimming and diving for three seasons and was part of the Egyptian swim team in the 2016 Olympics. Cleopatra Borel ’02, interdisciplinary studies, was an NCAA women’s shot put champion and has participated in four Olympic games as a member of the Trinidad and Tobago track and field team. This year there are 375 student athletes on campus, and nearly 10% are international athletes.

“I thought it was impossible to find a home away from Cairo, but the support I get from my teammates and my [swimming] coach, Chad Cradock ’97, gives me so much energy and power to be my best self in the pool and in real life, too,” says Hania Moro ’19, financial economics, who holds an Egyptian National Record in the 400 free, and last year came in first place for the Retrievers in the 500 and 1650 free.

Learning Without Borders

Cultural and social engagements are just the beginning of UMBC’s global mindset. The core of understanding the roots of the world’s most pressing problems begins with conversations between people with different perspectives. When research crosses international boundaries, the sky’s the limit.

Tim Nohe, professor of visual arts and director of the Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts (CIRCA), embraces international research opportunities. In 2016, he shared ten years of his research on globalization in Botany Bay, Australia, which he completed as a Fulbright Senior Scholar fellow. This semester, via CIRCA, he hosted a visiting scholar from Nanyang Technological University School of Art, Design, and Media, and connected her with assistant professor of linguistics and French Renée Lambert-Brétière.

“International research welcomes a space to meet people that you wouldn’t in your regular day. Those personal touches last. You are never the same person after that exchange,” says Nohe. “You are greater than before by embracing these new social networks, affinity groups, and professional connections that are incredible for your own personal growth.”

The College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) houses many departments and programs that help students develop an interdisciplinary way of understanding based on human and social theories about world economies, internationalization, global education, global environmental changes, communication, culture, and art methodologies.

The Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication (MLLI) department, which offers classes in 11 languages, helps students understand language in a culturally appropriate context for work and play. It also is the center of graduate studies for students who are combining language work with issues of media, communication, education, and diversity, including through the language, literacy, and culture graduate program. Retrievers wanting a daily immersion experience to prepare for future opportunities can be found sharpening their intercultural skills with their peers and native language resident mentors as residents in the Intercultural Living Exchange.

“I was a graduate student in MLLI. Both my graduate programs had many international students. The department was all about studying cultures all around the globe,” shares Romy Hübler ’09, modern languages and linguistics, M.A. ’11, intercultural communication, Ph.D. ’15, language, literacy, and culture. Hübler is a native of Germany who now serves as assistant director of the UMBC Center for Democracy and Civic Life.

“It helped me gain a greater understanding and had a big impact on me. It made me want to explore some of the areas where other students were from. I studied abroad in Spain and in Mexico.”

Attention to international viewpoints drives the Global Studies program, an interdisciplinary major focusing on issues of internationalization in the political, social, cultural, and economic realms, both locally and in the world. Students from majors of all types are part of this program.

Felipe Filomeno, assistant professor of political science and global studies, came from Brazil and has made UMBC his second home. In his Approaches to Globalization class, students engage in critical questions about personal, local, and national identity and how civic engagement can help influence government policies and create more cosmopolitan communities. Last fall he took a class to the Russian Festival hosted by the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church in East Baltimore, and his students also produced the Baltimore Intercultural Calendar, which, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, is set to become the official calendar of festivals celebrating global cultures in Baltimore city.

Culturally specific programs and departments like ancient studies, Africana studies, and Asian studies, as well as courses in languages such as Arabic also offer students an opportunity to specialize in a unique global community. These options not only respond to the constantly evolving world of academia, but also reflect the cultural makeup of UMBC’s student body.

Tackling Global Challenges

The College of Engineering and Information Systems (COEIT) attracts the majority of UMBC’s international students. It is also home to a Global Engineering course specifically designed to meet the needs of companies with offices around the world looking for employees that have both the technical engineering skills and intercultural intelligence to work with diverse groups.

Led by Marc Zupan, associate professor of mechanical engineering, the course began in collaboration with the University of Porto in Portugal and expanded to include La Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia during mechanical engineering professor Chuck Eggleton’s Fulbright experience there. Using video teleconference, teams across three countries developed the intercultural and technical skills to solve global engineering challenges with attention to localized issues. Some students even had the chance to travel to Porto to meet their Portuguese colleagues in person.

“The incubation for the Global Engineering course came several years ago from our work with companies and agencies that hire our students and them saying, ‘We love the students you send us. They are well-defined engineers but they would be more effective if they had an international experience,’” says Zupan. “The research also reported a low percentage of engineering students going abroad. My goal was to reduce all barriers by creating a class that aligned entirely with major requirements and employer needs so students could take advantage of the depth of learning that happens when you incorporate other cultures, languages, and physical locations.”

UMBC’s Grand Challenge Scholars Program, based on the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges for Engineering, was brought to UMBC by Marie desJardins, former associate dean of COEIT. It is now led by professor of the practice Maria Sanchez, director of Education and Outreach in COEIT. Students from all three UMBC colleges develop an individualized course plan to gain the content knowledge, technical skills, and a team-centered, interdisciplinary approach needed to solve 14 challenges facing the world, such as access to clean water, or an economical solution to solar energy.

“We want to deepen the global consciousness of faculty, staff, and students. Today, intercultural IQ is an essential skill in engineering,” says Sanchez, who collaborates with the International Education Services Office to provide intercultural training to students. “Our goal is to evolve Grand Challenges to not only be an interdisciplinary program focused on solving pressing global engineering problems, but also one that serves as a vehicle for students to understand their own cultural awareness and how that influences the way they approach problem-solving.”

Faculty in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS) are also engaged in numerous international collaborations. For example, research by Kevin Omland, professor of biological sciences, looks at the critically endangered Bahama Oriole in close collaboration with the Bahamas National Trust. Through this experience students learn field research skills specific to a unique setting and culture and the importance of international collaboration in scientific research.

All the Places You Will Go

Application. Application. Application. The true test of how much students have learned is when they pack their bags and leave UMBC to study abroad, work abroad in fellowships as teachers, or stay local and engage with international communities.

In 1969, the late Walt Sherwin, professor of ancient studies and founding UMBC faculty; Jay Freyman, professor emeritus ancient studies; and Rudy Storch, professor emeritus ancient studies, inaugurated the ancient studies program and the first study abroad program at UMBC, Rome: Ancient and Modern. The popular program continues to this day, engaging travelers in research of ancient civilizations like China, Turkey, Greece, and, next year, England.

“The experiences I have had on several of these trips over the years have significantly contributed to my understanding and appreciation of different peoples and cultures, as well as their histories,” said Tessa Baumgartner ’05, ancient studies, a doctor of osteopathic medicine in Arizona. “The trips have also helped me understand my own culture better through an increased understanding of how modern civilization has evolved from ancient ones.”

Today, students have access to affordable, credit-earning, international learning opportunities in 33 countries thanks to the International Education Services Office (IES), which serves as the hub of all inbound and outbound international traffic. It provides individualized support through innovative programming and wrap-around support for: international students accepted to UMBC; students seeking research, study, and teaching opportunities abroad; and faculty-led study abroad courses. It also works with the Fulbright, Gilman, Boren, Critical Language, and Haiyu programs that provide students research opportunities abroad, as well as the You Are Welcome Here program which supports international and refugee students.

“In the last ten years we have had 51 Fulbright recipients, with three students choosing other competitive options,” explains Brian Souders, Ph.D. ’09, language, literacy, and culture, Fulbright Program advisor. “In general, we have gone from one to three recipients a year to seven to eight annually over the past five years.”

Marc Schultz ’18, political science and global studies, who is doing his Fulbright research in Chengdu, China, says his greatest learning comes from daily interactions with locals and the perspective they bring to his own life. “Although my Mandarin language ability is far from flawless, people are patient and encouraging with me, simply happy at the fact that I am trying to communicate with them wholly in their language — for this I am incredibly grateful, particularly knowing that many immigrants to the United States and other western countries are not treated with the same level of patience and kindness, even when their English is perfect but they have a foreign accent.”

Faculty are also leading international courses, which have helped students understand Muslim Tunisian immigrants in Sicily, Italian politics, the evolution of the English language in Amsterdam, engineering in Portugal and Colombia, and more — often collaborating with faculty from other countries.

Milvia Hernandez, Spanish lecturer and coordinator for Spanish Language Teaching in MLLI, leads a Spanish language immersion course in Colombia at the Instituto de Idiomas, Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla. Global studies majors sign up quickly for this educational experience because of its intensive Spanish language immersion and opportunities to volunteer with local school children and their communities.

“Barranquilla is one of the cities Gabriel García Márquez called home. It is Afro-Caribbean, Indigenous, and European, making it an ideal place for living and studying a notably diverse and intercultural population,” explains Hernandez.

Maggie Holland, associate professor of geography and environmental systems, led a course in sustainable development and conservation in Costa Rica in 2014 that included students from six different study areas. Two years later, Holland reached out to Lee Blaney, associate professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering, and Matt Fagan, assistant professor of geography and environmental systems, to co-teach an interdisciplinary field class in Costa Rica. The course helps students make the links between water, forests, climate change, and people’s livelihoods (smallholder farmers) in the cloud forest region of Monteverde.

Blaney later returned to Costa Rica with the UMBC chapter of Engineers Without Borders to begin a clean water project for a small community. Holland and Blaney are currently on sabbatical in Mozambique and China, respectively, looking for new research opportunities for students.

Global engagement is also local. The Shriver Center, UMBC’s portal for service-learning opportunities and internships, offers students opportunities to engage with local immigrant and refugee communities and the organizations that serve them. For instance, through the College JUMP program, UMBC students help 11thand 12th-grade refugees through the college application process.

Students can also apply their skills locally through international competitions like the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA)-Batten Student Simulation Competition. UMBC’s School of Public Policy participated in the competition for the first time last year, completing a global pandemic simulation. Any student interested in current world affairs can apply to be part of the Model UN, or for those ready to test the professional waters, UMBC offers access to GoinGlobal, an international internship search portal.

The Future of Global Commitment

Over the last fifty years, advances in technology have made it possible to forge seamless connections with people in the most remote parts of the world. Advances in travel have created lifelong bonds between researchers, students, and communities around the world. And the willingness to cross borders, collaborate, celebrate, and innovate, reminds us all about the significance of fighting intolerance.

Continuous collaboration is at the heart of all international understanding. UMBC is conscious of the importance of a strong commitment to partnerships to work on innovative research and create a network of opportunities for applied learning. Official partnerships that promote student and faculty research opportunities have been established with the University of Porto, Portugal, and University of Kassel, Germany, and three more have been added this past year with The University of Limpopo, South Africa; Universidad de Piura, Peru; and with South Korea.

On September 24, 2018, UMBC joined more than 100 universities, the Association of Public Land Grant Universities (APLU), and the United Nations in signing the first Declaration of University Global Engagement, a commitment, “to educating students who can successfully live and work in our globally connected world and change it for the better.” The Declaration noted, “We are also committed to discovering, producing, and sharing new solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. These missions require of universities an openness to — and engagement with — ideas, knowledge, and people from all parts of the world.”

UMBC is now also one of 11 colleges and universities in the nation participating in the American Council on Education’s 16th Internationalization Laboratory cohort. The university will go through a process of developing a multi-year plan to support continued growth in international and global engagement initiatives while also reinforcing our standing as one of the world’s top research universities.

David Di Maria, associate vice provost for international education, is thrilled at the future of global commitment at UMBC — and confident that we can help answer the world’s most pressing challenges like climate change, cybersecurity, energy, gender equity, global health, inequality, poverty, sustainable cities, and water.

“The answers will come from communities, companies, and individuals prepared to live and work effectively with individuals and groups whose cultures, languages, nationalities, and worldviews differ from their own,” he explains. “At UMBC we aspire to ensure all members of our community have substantive opportunities to understand and engage with the international and global dimensions of their academic disciplines and increase our capacity to create powerful interconnected solutions together.”

With their hearts in the work and their ears to the ground, the people behind some of UMBC’s longest-standing homegrown programs are solving big societal problems. But the work is never done.

By Jenny O’Grady

On the wall of the office, in bright Retriever gold, hangs UMBC’s vision statement, a bold call to action for any and all who happen to wander past. A call to “connect innovative teaching and learning, research across disciplines, and civic engagement.” A call to “advance knowledge, economic prosperity, and social justice.” No simple task, indeed.

There’s a quote from late Baltimore civic leader Walter Sondheim, as well. Christopher Steele keeps them here as a reminder that we’re all here to serve as well as learn. It can be messy work, he says, but worth the pursuit.

“Look at our vision statement. This notion of social justice and civic engagement are clearly stated…it’s in our values,” said Steele, Vice Provost, Division of Professional Studies, and Executive Director of the Shriver Center.

Founded in 1966, during a time of great civil unrest, UMBC is rooted in a type of service-learning that cuts across disciplines and traditional social structures. And the backbone of that work is programs like those of the Shriver Center, and many others homegrown on the UMBC campus, that over the last several decades have worked to address major societal problems of their time — from inclusivity in the workplace, to social justice in our cities — in collaboration with community partners.

Time passes, and successes come hard earned, because moving the needle takes both persistence and patience. Challenges change over time, forcing student learners and their instructors to bend and re-learn as they go.

The vision statement doesn’t precisely define the “why” of it all, but that’s not necessary. The answer is woven through everything these programs do.

Leveling the Playing Field

Imagine having a passion for technology or science, and the desire to make a difference with your talents. Now imagine encountering multiple locked doors before you as you attempt to enter the field of your choice — or even to pursue the study that drives you. Imagine hearing over and over again that this is “just the way it is,” or worse, the silence of no one noticing.

Decades after their founding, issues of accessibility in learning and industry still exist in the STEM fields. But, UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program and the Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) forge on, as they have for 30 and 20 years, respectively, working to open doors for underrepresented groups both as they learn, and as they move into the workforce.

“This is what drives us…increasing the number of women, and the participation of women, as well as other underrepresented groups in computing and engineering,” says Carolyn Seaman, associate professor of information systems and interim director for CWIT, not only because of the principal of fairness, but because the industry needs it.

“Better design requires a diverse set of perspectives, a diverse set of life experiences, a diverse set of requirements,” that can only be improved through diversification of these traditionally male dominated work spaces, she says.

As one of the nation’s leading sources of African Americans who get Ph.D.s in science and engineering, UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program does its work for similar reasons. Many academic doors haven’t traditionally been open to these students — not just at the college level, but far before that.

“There’s so much potential, and there are so many problems in the world. We need as many hands in the work as possible,” says Keith Harmon, director of the Meyerhoff program.

Both Meyerhoff and CWIT have evolved over time, as industry and societal needs revealed themselves. CWIT, for one, broadened its scope to include not just women, but male allies who could contribute to a shared vision. The program has also branched out to cover study areas that map directly to industry needs with the creation of its Cyber Scholars group, and worked to expand the program to students who need them most.

“We had people saying, ‘Well, you’re serving the best of the best, which is fantastic, but there are more than 3,000 other students in the [College of Engineering and IT]. How can you serve them?’” said Danyelle Ireland, associate director of CWIT. “We’ve done great things for our scholars, so there’s now more demand.”

Even if his program could double in size, however, Harmon believes that pushing the numbers too far could hurt the one-on-one attention his students receive, and, ultimately take away from the experience. Students in both programs graduate among tightly-knit groups who often refer to their cohorts as families.

T-SITE Scholar Kiante Brantley ’15, M.S. ’16, computer science, recalls a fellow CWIT Scholar found time to personally tutor him in a class he was struggling in even though he was working 20 hours a week with a full course load.

“Being a minority in STEM is hard, but you have a support system of other minority students, faculty, and alumni, then the struggle becomes easier,” says Brantley, now a Ph.D. student at College Park. “CWIT created a family that provided students like myself with the encouragement to make it through…tough times.”

For CWIT, the family means living on a residence hall together, eating together, doing Zumba together, and celebrating life’s victories. The same happens with the Meyerhoffs, where new students begin school the summer before fall semester — in a Summer Bridge program, an academic and social immersion that helps students quickly establish solid study habits — as cohorts that stick together long after graduation.

Rockford “Rocky” Foster ’13, mathematics, a member of the 21st Meyerhoff cohort who is nearing completion of a Ph.D. in mathematics at UC Berkeley, says he was embraced by the community immediately. Because of what he learned, he has started a “mini- Meyerhoff” system on the west coast, seeking out mentors and mentees as a solid support system. The Meyerhoff program’s “secret sauce,” he says, is the strength of those bonds; 30 years in, those bonds can be found across the country.

“So now, when a Meyerhoff undergrad is facing a challenge, chances are there’s a Meyerhoff who can empathize and provide guidance. When they identify an institution or professor they want to work with, there’s someone who can put them in touch or put in a good word,” says Foster.

“The truth is there are many people who are born with such networks in place; their families have accumulated a sort of academic wealth. But other people, historically disadvantaged people, have been denied the ability to accumulate this wealth. The incredible thing about Meyerhoff is that they built it in less than thirty years.”

As a Cyber Scholar, Priyanka Ranade ‘18, information systems, participated on an all-woman team in a cyber engineering competition sponsored by Northrop Grumman. The team won first place, and today Ranade works at Northrop as a cyber software engineer and serves as a mentor to a current Cyber Scholar team.

“We are not taught to solely invest in our own dreams,” she said, but “to use our strengths in helping others in their journeys, too.”

Filling a Teaching Need

Studies show that students in high-needs schools who are taught by teachers who come from similar backgrounds — and who can understand their specific needs and challenges — are more likely to succeed. And yet, filling those teaching spots presents a perpetual challenge, because teaching in those areas often carries stigmas that scare away potential candidates.

“The biggest challenges, we find, is just finding enough students who want to be teachers, whose families support that career path, and who want to teach in Baltimore,” said Rehana Shafi, director of the Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars Program, which for the past decade has worked to fulfill the mission of “for every Baltimore student an exceptional STEM educator.”

Today, the program has more than 90 alumni teaching and leading in schools all over the state, including in Baltimore city and Baltimore County, and 64 current students. Getting students interested in the first place may be difficult, but the program works to help them understand why this is such a special — and important — calling.

“We’ve shifted how we talk about teaching,” said Shafi. “We talk about social justice and equity. STEM is an integral part of our mission, but at the end of the day, we want people who are approaching teaching from those two lenses…especially when you’re working with kids — and with families and communities — who are the most underresourced.”

Knowing the challenges their students are facing as they student teach, the Sherman program in the last few years made shifts to offer higher levels of support, with the addition of staff who offer dedicated professional coaching for students. It also targets recruitment efforts in city schools because people often want to return to their home community to teach. And the program now requires annual applied learning experiences (an increase) in city schools or with programs that support kids from city schools.

This includes major work at Lakeland Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore city, where for the last six years the Sherman program has partnered on teacher professional development with math teachers, afterschool enrichment programs, and (along with elbow grease from the UMBC Peaceworker Fellows Program and financial support from the Northrop Grumman Foundation) the launch of a new Lakeland Community and STEAM Center.

Elizabeth “Rosie” Plitt ’14, psychology, M.A.T. ’16, education, who is in her second year of teaching kindergarten at Lakeland currently, says the professional coaching specifically regarding community and cultural responsiveness she received through Sherman is what sets the program apart.

“The program has opened my eyes to my passion for teaching in urban schools,” she said. “The community, the connection, and the reward outweigh the many challenging aspects that occur throughout the year.”

Joseph Skowronski ’18, biochemistry and molecular biology, joined Sherman “on a whim,” he said, “but it was a decision that I will be proud of for the rest of my life. I knew immediately that I was in the company of dedicated professionals who wanted nothing more than for each and every one of us to succeed and be the best teachers we could be.”

Currently completing both his master’s of arts in teaching and a year-long student teaching internship at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Skowronski said he “loves walking into a class and seeing a fellow Sherman in the room. An instant connection is made in that moment, and I have a friend and partner in the class on day one.”

For Shafi, though pushing the numbers of students working in high-need schools is a goal, the real mark of success is a shift in thinking among them.

“We really want our students to deeply understand who they are and what they walk into the room with, and who their students are. That takes time,” said Shafi. “And then, when people ask, ‘What do you teach?’ that the first thing they say is ‘I teach students.’ It might be math. It might be chemistry. It be elementary, but ‘I teach students.’”

A Community That Cares

Dealing directly with critical social challenges can be messy, but for the past 25 years the Shriver Center has moved and changed to keep up with the challenge, connecting thousands of students and faculty to partner with people and communities to address their needs. Alongside them, the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars have also contributed to service-learning, internships, activism, and research to enact social change since 1999.

Named in honor of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver with the mission of “addressing critical social challenges by bridging campus and community through engaged scholarship and applied learning,” UMBC’s Shriver Center serves as an umbrella organization with numerous spokes and broadly sweeping goals. The center runs programs covering everything from service-learning and community engagement (including the Shriver Living Learning Community, and service and leadership scholarships) and Public Service Scholars programs for students, to orchestrating engaged scholarship by faculty, to advocacy, academic support, and work experience for youth offered by the Choice Program, and intense community engagement via the Shriver Peaceworker Program.

“We’re trying to move toward social justice and increased equity across the board in society,” through approaches that involve students, faculty and communities, said Shriver Director Michele Wolff ’89, sociology.

“On the student side, we want to create spaces in which they feel empowered to become change agents to tackle issues identified by the community…and with faculty, we want to collaborate to connect their research and creative work with community-based activity. And then, we work directly with the community to help them address their identified needs, usually with students as the resource that helps build their capacity to lead positive change.”

Studies by members of the Shriver staff have shown that in addition to helping surrounding communities, applied learning of this sort also improves GPAs and graduation rates among participating students, while nurturing skills in leadership, public speaking, personal growth, and career exploration.

The center’s Choice Program offers community-based case management services and aims to foster healthy development and resiliency among youth from under resourced schools and communities. It served nearly 1,000 youth and their families in 2017, resulting in lower recidivism rates and a reduction in out of home placements.

When she came to UMBC, MaryBeth Hyland ’06, social work, wanted to become an orthodontist. But, her experiences working as a site coordinator with the Choice Program and living in the Shriver Living Learning Community put her on track for an entirely different career. In one case, she helped a youth with serious dental issues get pro-bono treatment with an orthodontist with whom she had previously interned.

“It was in that experience that I realized that I wanted to help people to get the support they needed to live better lives,” said Hyland. Today she runs SparkVision, an organization that helps individuals and companies to live in alignment with their values. “And I changed my major to social work and began to thrive.”

Many Shriver alumni maintain their connections long after they graduate. Peaceworker alumna Katie Long, M.A. ’10, intercultural communication, who currently works as program director and Hispanic liaison for the Friends of Patterson Park in Baltimore, still calls upon her Peaceworker family for support and camaraderie.

“I think the practical idealism that is instilled by the Peaceworker Program is much of the reason why many of us are able to continue with the fight for social justice and betterment of our city,” she said.

Service is also a core value of the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars, who often collaborate with Shriver Center programs. By working closely on problems like poverty, inadequate education, or services for immigrants or disabled people, students broaden their horizons, build empathy, and become exposed to people they might not otherwise, says Laura Hussey, director of the program and associate professor of political science.

“When students learn about problems through direct encounters with the people they affect most keenly, the problems start to look a little different, and perhaps also more complex, than they might have looked from a set of statistics or ideological arguments,” says Hussey. “It’s a great learning exercise to balance and weigh these types of evidence — what students witness at their service sites, what they read in their textbooks, what they hear in the news or from their favorite political sources.”

During his years as a Sondheim Scholar, Evan Leiter-Mason ’17, economics and political science, started a student-run volunteer tax service for people in need of assistance. Today, he continues that work via the CASH Campaign of Maryland, driven by a desire to create a world free from poverty and financial hardship.

“The Sondheim program affirmed my existing desire to be involved in public service by connecting it to the legacy of Walter Sondheim and his work to make Baltimore a better place to live for its citizens,” said Leiter-Mason, who said he found mentors and friends who share his values and drive to help. “I believe we all have a responsibility, in our own way, to imagine and work toward a better world than the one we have.”

UMBC’s Idea Competition offers students from all fields an opportunity to present business ideas to a panel of expert judges and receive immediate feedback on moving from vision to reality.

The university’s Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship hosts this competition each fall. This year’s event featured ten project finalists. Student teams had just three minutes each to sell the judges and the crowd on their innovative product and business ideas.

Vivian Armor, director of the Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship, notes that the popular event now receives submissions from nearly every major across campus. Armor, herself an alumna of UMBC (‘73, American studies), shares, “I love seeing how creative our students are.”

While the Idea Competition can be intense, the organizers also focus on providing support for the emerging student entrepreneurs who participate. Local entrepreneurs on the judging panel don’t just evaluate the finalists’ ideas; they also provide advice on next steps.

The ideas presented this year ranged from technology to make schools safer from physical threats to wearable technologies that can help people in their daily activities. One team presented materials that can help clean up contaminant spills in the environment, while another shared homes built from 3D-printed materials.

Top prize: ReActive

Jood Ali ‘20, mechanical engineering, submitted an idea called ReActive, along with her project partner Nila Lahijan ‘19, biological sciences. ReActive combines electronic muscle stimulator technology with compression clothing. Ali shared how her personal experience with physical therapy inspired her to look closer at these two technologies, which aided her recovery from an injury. She wondered if they could be made more portable and wearable.

Ali described how electronic muscle stimulators deliver electrical current to the body through electrodes that are placed on the skin. Both these devices and compression clothing are commercially available, but, Ali noted, the technology has not been combined in this innovative way to help people receive the benefits of their physical therapy while on the go.

ReActive won both the first place prize ($750) and a special award for best presentation ($250). “I was confident of my presentation, but by no means was I expecting to win first place,” said Ali. “Sometimes, you have to have a little faith in yourself, and when that doesn’t work you just have to be okay with letting yourself be scared for a little while…because that’s the only way you’ll grow.”

Supporting healthy online communities

Michael Ogunsanya ‘21, mechanical engineering, and Eric Solender ‘21, information systems, presented MindStand Technologies, which works to foster healthy online communities by identifying and preventing harassment. Ogunsanya, Solender, and their team are using artificial intelligence informed by clinical psychology to determine the intent and content of messages, and flag concerning material. Their project earned the second place prize ($500) in the competition.

The students shared that a key distinction between MindStand and its competitors is the ability to process full-length conversations, rather than relying on keyword searches to flag cyberbullying and harassment. They explained that the technology they are developing can also get professionals and administrators involved, through interactive dashboards and email notifications, to address bullying behaviors. Solender and Ogunsanya are working with UMBC’s Division of Information Technology to explore implementing the MindStand Technology on the myUMBC platform.

“Participating in the Idea Competition gave me the confidence and drive to apply the lessons I’ve learned in entrepreneurship classes,” said Ogunsanya. “It’s amazing seeing so many innovators gather together to support one another and help turn our dreams into careers. Seeing faces in the crowd light up as I explain the months of work I’ve put into my venture created a drive in me to finish what I’ve started and truly disrupt the tech industry.”

Affordable housing through new technology 

Jen Spiker ‘21, information systems, presented her business idea, 3D Printed Home, which won the third place prize ($250) in the competition. Inspired by how the military is using 3D printing technologies to construct barracks, she developed a proposal for printing homes in as little as 24 hours and for the price of a car. Spiker hopes her work can help reduce homelessness and expand affordable housing options in the United States.

The business pitches were judged by Sean Booker ‘04, computer engineering, president and CEO of Booker DiMaio; Eli Senter ‘01, political science, president and CEO of 4S-Solutions, LLC; and Paula Kipperman, president of United World Technologies, LLC, located in bwtech.

To other student entrepreneurs considering this type of competition, “I would say go for it,” Solender shares. “You’ll get great feedback on presenting, find out if your idea is viable, and get to see all of the other cool things students at UMBC are doing.”

Banner image: Jood Ali (left), Jennifer Spiker, Eric Solender, and Michael Ogunsanya  after the Idea Competition. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC. 

UMBC is one of a handful of universities across the country to receive new funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a specialized program to support faculty diversity in the biomedical sciences.

The new initiative, the PROMISE Academy, is an extension of Maryland’s nationally-regarded PROMISE AGEP program, which UMBC co-leads with University of Maryland, College Park and University of Maryland, Baltimore. The Promise Academy serves all schools within the University System of Maryland. The legacy PROMISE AGEP initiative offers community, academic and emotional support, and professional development opportunities to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty across the state.

The new PROMISE Academy is officially titled, “The AGEP Alliance State System Model to Transform the Hiring Practices and Career Success of Tenure Track Historically Underrepresented Minority Faculty in Biomedical Sciences.” This new AGEP will draw on the expertise of universities around the nation and evidence-based best practices to recruit and retain a diverse group of faculty members in STEM fields.

UMBC’s partners in this work include the University of Maryland, College Park; University of Maryland, Baltimore; Towson University; and Salisbury University. The PROMISE Academy joins other new, faculty-focused NSF-funded Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) programs based at UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, Tuskegee University, and Stony Brook University.

On November 27, leaders from the Maryland partner institutions and other universities around the country met for the PROMISE Academy Inaugural Leadership Meeting. The meeting was held at the Universities at Shady Grove, a consortium of University System of Maryland (USM) institutions located in Montgomery County.

“The PROMISE Academy represents the best of what our institutions can do collectively to enhance the power of the broader University System of Maryland,” said JoAnn Boughman, senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at USM. “It is gratifying to maximize the power of what we like to call ‘system-ness’ in working toward such an important goal in STEM education.”

At the meeting, Provost Philip Rous and Dean Bill LaCourse presented the Natural Sciences Pre-professoriate Fellowship Program in UMBC’s College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, an example of the type of initiative the AGEP encourages. The program offers postdoctoral fellows an appointment of up to two years, during which they receive support in preparing for tenure-track assistant professor positions at UMBC. In addition to being strong scholars, the applicants must be committed to diversity in higher education.

Renetta Garrison Tull is an international leader in STEM diversity who kicked off the inaugural meeting. Tull is associate vice provost of strategic initiatives at UMBC and USM’s director of graduate and professional pipeline development.

“With so many top programs supporting the success of diverse students and faculty, UMBC has a strong foundation on which to build. We are proud to collaborate with our USM alliance partners in this system-wide endeavor,” Tull said.

She looks forward to working with colleagues “to develop, implement, study, evaluate, and disseminate models for faculty diversity that can be replicated and scaled by other institutions nationwide.”

Banner image: UMBC’s Biological Sciences Building and Library Pond. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

For many students who only experience home economics in middle or high school, college “cooking” becomes reduced to heating year-old ramen on the common room stovetop or chowing down on burnt Hot Pockets from a low quality microwave.

Founder and president of UMBC’s cooking club, Chew-MBC, Tola Abu ’20, chemistry, believes that college cooking should be different. “It’s such a fun, risky, and innovative craft. It’s also one of the few passions that has results that [are] shared with others,” said Abu.

In college, many students develop poor eating habits, or simply snack more than they eat nutritious meals, purely stemming from convenience. “Our goal is to teach UMBC students about the culinary arts and diet tips in a fun, easy, cheap, and healthy way,” said Abu, who counts cooking among his favorite hobbies.

Abu partnered with campus Dining Services, which provided space in The Commons for the students to practice food preparation and cooking every week, and offers guidance around cooking techniques, as well as access to campus executive chef Tim Dunn.

“Students should be able to gain a good understanding of nutrition during their college years,” said Tom DeLuca, Resident District Manager for Chartwells. “The habits that they form during college will continue after they graduate.”

Over the course of a semester, students make all types of delicious foods, and even took a trip to Baltimore’s famous Lexington Market.

“We made blueberry pancakes [the other] week and those were amazing. We baked some hash brown casserole and bacon…and last semester, we made macaroni and cheese, burgers, and brownies,” said club secretary Alexis Richardson ‘20, a computer science major with a minor in biology.

“What I like the most about Chew-MBC is that, after cooking, we can sit down, relax and enjoy  our food with other people who share the same interest,” said Richardson.

– Anjali DasSarma ‘21

Photos by Kiirstn Pagan ’11 for UMBC Magazine.

Damian Doyle ‘99, B.S. Computer Science, ‘16 M.S Information Systems, says building trust and relationships are essential to his work every day at UMBC.

Doyle, assistant vice president of enterprise infrastructure in the Division of Information Technology (DoIT), has been recognized with Educause’s prestigious Rising Star award, “For demonstrating exemplary leadership in the implementation and deployment of information technology in support of the educational mission; for strong mentorship and promotion of diversity for those aspiring to the IT profession; for modeling collaborative partnerships within his institution and in the greater higher education community.” He received the award at the annual Educause Conference in October.

Like a number of DoIT staff, Doyle began his career as a student worker, and was hired full time after graduation (51 of DoIT’s 75 FT staff are UMBC alumni). Over time, he began taking on leadership roles in network service and security, technology to support classroom learning, and cloud services. Doyle’s collaborative, positive, and thoughtful approach extends beyond DoIT to his work across campus and beyond.

Doyle is a member of UMBC’s Center for Women in Information Technology (CWIT) internal board, and works closely with CWIT Scholars. He has developed an internship program for the scholars to receive hands-on experience in DoIT’s cybersecurity, UNIX infrastructure, and advanced networking teams. Doyle is also committed to working in shared governance and is currently president of the university’s Professional Staff Senate (PSS) and active with its University Steering Committee (USC). He is chair of the planning committee for Maryland’s First Lego League (FLL) and is one of the state head referees. He also coaches his son’s school FLL team.

“Damian has been a partner with the Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) as an advocate for women and underrepresented students, educator, supervisor to CWIT students, and ally within the University of Maryland, Baltimore County,” says Erica D’Eramo, assistant director of CWIT. “He has promoted the opportunities for employment and technical experience in DoIT, and he participates in professional development exercises with new CWIT students and multiple networking opportunities throughout the year for all class years. We greatly appreciate his support of CWIT’s mission and thoughtful collaborations for the past several years.”

DoIT Vice President and CIO Jack Suess, B.S. ‘81 mathematics, and M.S. ‘94, information systems operations analysis, says, “I am thrilled that the EDUCAUSE Awards Committee agreed that Damian’s body of work was exceptional and that he was awarded the Rising Star Award. Damian’s technical and managerial leadership has not only advanced IT at UMBC; he’s taken that leadership and talent to work across campus and in the community, and he is seen as a national leader in the field, especially in the use of cloud technology.”

“I love building bridges,” Doyle explains. “I’m able to work with people on campus and learn what they are doing, then find and match technology to that, in order to help make their work better.

“IT staff see themselves as partners with the university community and so we’re committed to intentional customer service. It’s important to take time with people, to hear their viewpoints and understand their needs. If we’re going to change how we do something, it has to be because it’s of benefit, not just because it’s cool technology.

We’re at a point where you can’t teach and learn without technology, so we have to implement it in a way that serves the community.”

Doyle has also helped DoIT create a culture that is inclusive and welcoming too. Beyond his work with CWIT, Doyle says it’s been important for DoIT keep in mind the wide range of ways people from all backgrounds bring different perspectives on problems and solutions to their work. “I feel we have good values around this, but we want to make sure students understand and have that in an intentional way.” He says DoIT will continue to work on developing this area, and they are planning to launch some new initiatives this spring.

When he’s not at UMBC, Doyle takes time away from IT, playing ultimate frisbee and tennis, running, and biking. But he also loves science fiction and video games, which he often plays with his son, Leo, who shares his love of technology. Doyle, whose parents were part of UMBC’s first graduating class, now enjoys this time with Leo much like he did as a child when he and his father built computers together. He says he explains to his son that using technology and understanding how it works are two different things. That understanding has not only helped Doyle in his career, but has become part of a philosophy that has made a difference to the UMBC community as well.

In an upcoming interview with Educause Review, Doyle shared what keeps him inspired. “The people within higher education and their stories, passions, and dreams have a huge impact every day on my thinking and motivation. I’m continually impressed by the challenges many students have overcome to get where they are, and by the faculty, staff, and colleagues who are changing lives through their work, their research, and their commitment to education. The more people I talk with, learn from, and connect with, the more inspired I am to help them succeed and achieve their goals.”

— Eleanor Lewis

Header image: Damian Doyle, right, Ray Soellner, left, the associate director of telecommunications, and Tobi Odunsi, middle, a master’s student in cyber security. Photo courtesy of Tobi Odunsi.

When Emilie Llenado, M.P.S. ’12, professional studies, first moved to Maryland from Kansas City, Missouri, she didn’t know a soul,  and was working as a server at Longhorn Steakhouse. But, she was hopeful, and she knew she wanted to do great things, so she enrolled in UMBC at the Shady Grove campus. Four years later in 2012, she graduated from the Industrial/Organizational Psychology program with life-long friends, and a new job at Freddie Mac.

“When I first moved to Maryland, I didn’t know anyone. I came right out of my undergraduate degree. I didn’t know what it would take to succeed at school,” said Llenado, who recently joined the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors. “I made three goals, as I knew they would help me be a happier person, and the best version of myself.”

Pillars of Success

Those three goals, or the pillars of success as she called them, were “academic excellence, career enhancement, and interpersonal relationship growth.” With that in mind, she made the most of every moment at the Shady Grove campus.

“If there was a job fair, I would go. If there was a luncheon, I would be there. If a professor would offer up special office hours or a group study session, I would participate. You definitely get out of the program what you put into it,” she said.

At Shady Grove, she said, she built a network of faculty and friends who all encouraged her to succeed. “As I started studying more and getting more involved in my classes, I became closer with my classmates and teachers, who in turn became not just friends, but critical resources in building out my future career,” said Llenado.

Years later, she remains close with the friends she made during her time on campus. They go on an annual beach trip to Ocean City. “We go to the beach, boardwalk, and get crab toast, every year, rain or shine!” said Llenado. “We’ve all been close since the year I moved to Maryland, and this past year marked our 7th annual beach trip.”

For their 10th anniversary, they have big plans for a cruise or a resort to “celebrate our friendship, and tradition in style!”

The spring before she graduated, Llenado was offered a job at the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, also known as Freddie Mac. After graduating on her birthday in December of 2012, she received another offer to advance at the company. After yet another offer and a promotion, she is now a multifamily underwriting senior associate.

“All of my daily activities, throughout my career, in Freddie Mac have directly aligned with skills learned through UMBC,” she said. UMBC gave her the ability to serve as a leader, collaborate with others, prepare presentations and more.

Giving Back as an Alumni Leader

In addition to her busy days at work, Llenado was invited to join UMBC’s Alumni Association Board of Directors (AABOD), a group that plans events and recognizes outstanding alums, all while creating a community atmosphere among UMBC’s 77,000-plus alumni. With the start of her term this spring, Llenado became the first Shady Grove alum representative on the board.

“It is important for us in alumni relations that UMBC at Shady Grove alumni see themselves in the work we do,” said Stanyell Odom, director of alumni relations. “Having an alumna on the board of directors that represents that voice will be instrumental as we develop strategic initiatives to thoughtfully organize events and initiatives that will speak to this community of alumni.”

Llenado believes that with the support of UMBC’s Shady Grove community, she was able to find success, which is a big part of why she now gives back as a part of the AABOD. “UMBC gives you all the tools you need to succeed, and that investment and engagement definitely works both ways!”

As a small boy, Erick Chavarria lived with his grandparents in Guatemala in the village of Loma de Chavarria (“village of Chavarria”), where everyone had the same last name. At the time, there were only dirt roads.

“Everyone — and I mean everyone — was dirt poor. My grandparents’ house was made of mud,” he recalls.

Life changed when he was six years old, and the village got running water and electricity. Sometime shortly after, his grandparents got the first television in town. Nearly the entire village would show up at his home during the day to watch Mexican soap operas. “The TV would be on from like 8 a.m. until midnight,” says Chavarria. “This was such a huge thing in the village. Everyone was so engaged with what was going on on the soaps.”

When their electric bill got too high, Chavarria’s grandmother started charging people to watch. “My job was to go around and collect five cents from everyone,” says Chavarria.

The draw of the television soaps made Chavarria think about acting. And with that thought, his whole life would change.

“It’s What I Always Wanted to Do”

When he was 15, Chavarria and some of his extended family decided to head to the United States to live. He spent 23 days walking, riding in 18-wheelers, and once in a fruit truck. His backpack with all his belongings was stolen, and the pocket of his jeans got stuck on a barbed wire fence and ripped off.

Chavarria’s plan was to work for three years in the States and then return to Guatemala for his education. Then living with family in Laurel, Maryland, he enrolled in high school and got a work permit to bus tables. After graduating, Chavarria enrolled at Howard Community College as a business administration major, but then he took an acting class. “It’s what I always wanted to do — be an actor. But my father thought it was the funniest thing ever,” he says.

After five years in the States, Chavarria became an American citizen, and once he finished his AA degree, he transferred to UMBC. He didn’t make it into the theatre program right away; so he took acting classes, worked on his craft, and was accepted the next year.

After he graduated, he didn’t go directly into acting. After a stint as a loan officer, then a real estate agent, Chavarria lost all his money in the real estate crash. With just $500 in his checking account and nothing much to lose, he decided to go head west.

“I said, ‘If I’m broke here, I might as well be broke in LA.’”

“One Day She Called Me In”

Chavarria began working as a server at a restaurant while he took acting classes. Armed with a demo reel made while at UMBC, he secured both theatrical and commercial agents and began auditioning. He began sending introduction letters to casting agents, and Gwen Hellier, who was then casting for General Hospital, stood out. Chavarria made a point of keeping in touch with her.

“I told her how I used to watch the soaps with my grandmother or that I just did a little commercial,” recalls Chavarria. “One day she called me in.”

He was given a script and told to go to the lobby and read it over, and then come back in. That’s when Chavarria realized that he was the only one auditioning for the bartender role. He got the part.

Chavarria was on six episodes of GH, played a recurring character on Eastbound and Down and Borderline, and has appeared in movies like Office Christmas Party. He has also acted at the Frida Kahlo Theatre in downtown LA and in commercials, and has a healthy IMDB profile to show for it.

The greatest reward, Chavarria said, is to be able to make a living acting. “I think a million people could’ve told me the stories of how hard it is to get into acting, and I still would have gone into acting. The most important thing is being happy.”

— Michele Wojciechowski

Image: Josue Pena