Eight UMBC students and alumni have been awarded the prestigious 2026 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP), a highly competitive honor that supports outstanding graduate students in STEM disciplines. This year’s large cohort of Retriever recipients demonstrates the university’s commitment to fostering research excellence and preparing students to become leaders in their fields.

The recipients are already making waves with their work. Caly Ferguson ’26, mechanical engineering, was recently named to the National Society of Black Engineers’ “25 Under 25” list and received the Barry Goldwater Scholarship in 2025. He has been working on developing an affordable and dextrous prosthetic forearm and hand with Ramana Vinjamuri, associate professor of computer science and electrical engineering. 

Lesley Hernandez ’25, biochemistry, will use the GRFP to support her doctoral studies in biomedical science at the University of Michigan. At UMBC, she studied HIV replication with Michael Summers, professor of chemistry and biochemistry. Both Ferguson and Hernandez are Meyerhoff Scholars, and Hernandez also balances her science with a passion for Latin dance. 

Peter Allen Wilschke ’24, economics and political science, is heading to graduate school after completing a two-year research assistant position at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, DC. His research at UMBC on the complex relationships between political factors and fiscal policy garnered national attention.

Sydney Braithwaite, who completed her bachelor’s in forensic chemistry at Towson University, will bring her fellowship to UMBC for graduate study with Lee Blaney, professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering. Meredith Morse ’25, chemical engineering; Shefra Shah ’24, biochemistry and molecular biology; and Terra Miley ’25, chemical engineering, are all conducting doctoral work at the University of Delaware; Salman Mirza ’25, mechanical engineering, is pursuing a Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University.

The substantial fellowship provides three years of financial support, including an annual living stipend and funds for tuition and fees, and the recipients can take their fellowship to any institution in the U.S. That flexibility makes it easier for students to pursue exactly the research they are passionate about with faculty who share their enthusiasm, regardless of the level of resources available at the host institution. 

These eight fellowships are a testament to the drive and talent of UMBC’s graduates as they take on new challenges along their research journeys. Each is in a strong position to make their mark on scientific discovery and innovation across the country.

Abbie Fakoya is at the front of the room, smiling and encouraging over 40 UMBC faculty, staff, and students to follow her dance steps. Many of the attentive dancers were either new to the intricate K-pop choreography, learning this sequence, or, like millions of fans around the world, ready to show off their synchronized dance moves to “Golden,” the 2026 Grammy-nominated Song of the Year, from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters film. 

The global success of the film drew fans to the KPop Demon Hunters: A Conversation on Media, Culture, & Globalization event organized by the Asian Studies Program in collaboration with several CAHSS departments at the Skylight Lounge this fall. Fakoya, a biochemistry senior and the event coordinator for UMBC’s K-pop Dance Club, was not surprised to see the long line of people waiting to participate in an evening of Korean culture, dance, and food that celebrated Korea’s vast snack culture thanks to the D.C. Korean Foundation and a delicious Korean-fusion catered dinner by Baltimore’s own Dooby’s restaurant 

“Seeing the movie accurately portray the food and cultural practices I grew up with in a positive way—like the noodles, the Korean spa the characters enjoyed, and Korean shamanistic practices—reminds me of my own childhood experiences, and doing those same things now when visiting family in Korea. It is really inspiring,” said Angelina Jenkins, assistant director of UMBC’s Mosaic Center for Cultural Diversity, a member of the expert panel.

Growing up with K-pop

Fakoya became interested in K-pop in elementary school, at a time when she felt that liking K-pop—especially if you weren’t Korean—was not as well received. Friend and club historian Esha Shah, an information systems junior, agrees. “This year has been very exciting. We’ve had a lot of interest in the club because of the movie,” said Sha. “I remember when I was in elementary and middle school, kids would give me side-eyes for liking K-pop and singing in Korean and ask me why I wanted to be Korean.”

The two met in 2022 at the RAC for a packed K-pop dance workshop, featuring the then-top K-pop song “Dope,” by BTS. It was the first in-person dance workshop after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. “UMBC’s K-pop dance club moved its dance workshops online during the COVID-19 lockdown because K-pop artists were still posting songs and dance videos,” said Sha. “When students came back in person, there were so many people who wanted to participate that the club had to keep rotating participants in and out of the workshop.”

For Jenkins, a life-long K-pop fan, being among Retrievers who champion, appreciate, and embrace Korean culture was also a welcome change from her experience growing up in Pennsylvania, where she was one of the very few students of color in her high school. “I’m super excited to be here as I am what I consider to be a one-and-a-half first-generation American, Korean American, who not only does their work through the Mosaic Center,” said Jenkins.

“I am also a third-year Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland, College Park, looking at culture studies, Asian American identity development, and how films like KPop Demon Hunters allow young Asian American students to really understand what this means to bridge the gap between American culture, Korean culture, and this idea of globalization.” 

Alongside Angelina Jenkins, Mea Lee, a doctoral student in the Language, Literacy, and Culture Program at UMBC and a librarian at Anne Arundel Community College, highlighted the film’s cultural integrity. Lee emphasized how breaking Asian stereotypes and incorporating authentic cultural references can empower not only Korean communities but all minority groups in America.

She explained how Korean folk narratives and art were skillfully woven into the storyline, enriching the film’s depth and relevance. One example is the blue-striped mystical tiger, Derpy, and the magpie, Sussy, with three eyes on each side of its head, who are paired together to act as messengers and protectors. These elements not only honored tradition but also created a bridge between folklore and modern fantasy, allowing the narrative to resonate with diverse audiences. 

K-pop’s influence beyond the screen

The panel, moderated by Fan Yang, professor of media and communication studies, director of the Asian Studies Program, and the faculty leader of UMBC’s Global Asias Initiative, discussed the spiritual, gender, linguistic, and artistic Korean cultural references throughout the movie, along with the Westernization of K-pop.

“The experience of being a human and a demon—struggling with duality— is very relatable. I’m an American,” said Lee, “but I also want to live within my Korean culture. It’s a balance between how much I really want to be an outcast in either culture, versus how much I’m going to accept. It’s a constant struggle.” Lee continues, “It’s a similar duality that Rumi, the main character, faces as a half-demon and half-human. Life isn’t always so clear. We spend most of our lives in the grey area. It’s a balance. At least I don’t have to fight four dancing demons.” 

Fakoya and Sha have also witnessed the Westernization of K-pop, with a shift from Korean lyrics to mostly English lyrics—like in KPop Demon Hunters. First, they didn’t expect to like the movie because it was marketed for children, and most of it was in English. “I don’t speak Korean, but I like to memorize the Korean lyrics and the dances,” said Sha.

They were won over by the movie’s attention to detail of the K-pop culture they’ve been a part of since childhood. Now, they’ve found themselves as ambassadors encouraging students who “don’t want to like it because everyone likes it now,” to explore the genre beyond what’s popular. “There are different sounds and niche groups just like in any type of music,” said Sha.

In preparation to lead the “Golden” dance workshop, Fakoya memorized the Korean and English lyrics and choreography. “K-pop is so cool. It’s just a habit. I love it,” she said, after masterfully and patiently showing everyone how to be a K-pop demon superstar.

Learn more about UMBC’s K-Pop Dance Club’s next showcase.

Samuel Barnett ’25, biochemistry, is on his way to the Ph.D. program in cellular and molecular biology at the University of Pennsylvania this fall, after seizing opportunities to conduct research at Howard Community College and then at UMBC. Always mindful of how others have supported him and wanting to pay it forward, Barnett has served in leadership roles in UMBC student organizations and created resources to help his classmates land their own opportunities.  

Q: How did you choose your major?

A: My high school biology teacher was adamant about getting high school students involved in STEM. Even though the course was online because of the pandemic, she was still able to enrapture people in the wonders of biological sciences. I added the chemistry aspect because I wanted to dive a little bit deeper into how everything works from a basic science perspective. The interdisciplinary nature of biochemistry can sometimes make things a little more challenging, but also fun. Actually, if what I’m doing isn’t challenging, it’s not going to be as fun, I don’t think.

Q: How did you choose UMBC?

My research mentor at Howard Community College, Joseph Sparenberg, nominated me for the BUILD a BRIDGE to STEM (BBS) Internship at UMBC, part of the STEM BUILD program, after my sophomore year. I can confidently say that BBS was the most crucial turning point of my undergraduate career, making the shift from HCC to the “bigger pond” of UMBC much smoother. The mission of the BBS internship was to give transfer students a sense of belonging while immersing them in biological research. While I had research experience from Howard Community College, BBS made me feel like a researcher at UMBC. 

The BBS mentors gave us a lot of autonomy and intellectual freedom to create our own projects, and I acquired experience that was relevant for my lab at UMBC and a later internship at the University of Pennsylvania. I also connected with a diverse network of mentors, familiarized myself with unique scholarship and scientific presentation opportunities, and met fellow community college transfers who helped inspire me to become the scientist I am today.

Q: How did you get connected with your research mentor at UMBC, Fernando Vonhoff, and what are you studying?

A: It’s a funny story, actually—Dr. Vonhoff grew up in Mexico and is fluent in Spanish, and one day he stepped in for my UMBC Spanish teacher. I talked to him after the Spanish class about his work and later visited him in his office to learn more. Even though his lab is mostly focused on behavioral neuroscience, I was up front about the fact that I’m interested in molecular biology. Dr. Vonhoff could have said I wasn’t a good fit, but he gave me a chance and connected me with one of his Ph.D. students, Zach Smith, who does a lot of the molecular work in the lab. Gaining those molecular skills has opened up doors for me when it comes to getting research experience.

I started in the lab in January 2024. Initially, I worked with Zach to master skills like qPCR and later Western blotting—foundational research techniques for identifying and quantifying genetic material and proteins in a sample. This semester I’ve been trusted to do Western blotting completely on my own.

Dr. Vonhoff’s lab works with fruit flies, a common model system for lots of kinds of studies. I’m trying to figure out a better way to identify the presence of a specific very tiny protein in the flies. Because it’s so small, it’s hard to visualize using traditional Western blotting. We tried a procedure that added a larger, fluorescent protein to the small protein to make it easier to see on the blots. It didn’t pan out, but that happens! So now we’re trying to go back to the basics and find new ways to observe the really small protein, but it’s really difficult.

That was definitely disappointing, but I think at the end of the day that’s just how the scientific process works. Progress ebbs and flows. We’re always asking, what can we do beyond this?

Samuel Barnett

That was definitely disappointing, but I think at the end of the day that’s just how the scientific process works. Progress ebbs and flows. We’re always asking, what can we do beyond this? Maybe another type of test or approach will work. I think the best way to approach those challenges is just optimism and to engage your curiosity and expose yourself to alternative solutions.

Q: Along with Vonhoff, who else has supported you along the way?

A: I first met Dr. Maria Cambraia, assistant director for research and international affairs in CNMS, through the BUILD a BRIDGE to STEM internship, and she has since been one of the most influential people on my undergraduate journey. She advised me on what pathways to take when I transferred to UMBC, gave me opportunities to present at national conferences, wrote letters of recommendation for anything and everything under the sun, and has been an overwhelming source of support throughout my undergraduate career. It is genuinely difficult to quantify the impact she has had on me and my fellow undergraduates.

Dr. April Householder, director of undergraduate research and prestigious scholarships, has also been essential in making sure that my place at UMBC was seen and heard. She helped me apply for the prestigious Goldwater and Knight-Hennessy Scholarships, and was always there to lend an ear. She worked overtime with the Goldwater representative at HCC, Cheryl Campo, to help me get my application submitted. 

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

A: I am most proud of winning the Barry Goldwater Scholarship. According to the Barry Goldwater Scholarship website it is “the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering in America.” An academic institution can select up to five students to apply for the scholarship, including one slot for transfer students. Originally, I competed for the transfer slot at UMBC, but wasn’t selected. However, at a national conference I attended, I met the president of the Goldwater foundation, who told me about a policy change that allowed transfer students to reapply at their previous institution. That led to Dr. Householder and Dr. Campo rushing to help me get my application submitted as a nominee from HCC. In April 2024, I got the email that I had won the scholarship. At the moment I won, I could hardly believe it; I was quite literally shaking and overjoyed. 

Q: What else are you involved in at UMBC, and how have those activities benefited, challenged, or surprised you? 

A: In addition to research, I’ve served in leadership roles as the vice president of the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) UMBC chapter and secretary of the UMBC chapter of the Tau Sigma National Honor Society, an honor society specifically for transfer students. I’ve also been a tutor for analytical chemistry on campus and volunteered regularly at Grassroots Crisis Intervention.

The biggest surprise was my position within the ACS chapter here. It turned out to be a bigger job than I expected. I compiled a list of 200+ active internships to help out other students. Recently, I leveraged one of my connections at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology to invite a guest speaker to campus. A lot of my work for the ACS chapter was self-driven, but I’m grateful to the group’s advisor, Dr. Maria van Staveren, who really supported my ambitions to make the position into more than the minimum required. 

Q: What’s next for you, and what are you looking forward to?

A: This fall, I’ll begin a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology with a concentration in cancer biology at the University of Pennsylvania. I was an intern at Penn’s Center for Cellular Immunotherapies in summer 2024, and I had a really good time there. The rigorous research environment was just enthralling to me. I was able to focus completely on being a researcher for the first time. I had my own independent project, under guidance from a postdoc. It was really intimidating at first. At Penn, you’re able to work through the entire research process and bring new things to the table. 

Q: What has been the best part of your UMBC experience?

A: The best part of my UMBC experience has been the opportunity to meet mentors that have defined my career. I’ve been given a lot of opportunities, and sure, I’ve taken initiative and put in effort, but at every step of my undergraduate journey, I’ve had a mentor in my corner who’s been willing to lend me a hand and give me a chance. 

UMBC offers many opportunities for undergraduates to get connected to administrators and research faculty. In my experience, faculty have always been friendly and open to connecting with undergraduates. I  am extremely grateful to both UMBC and my mentors for the continued support throughout my career, and all that support has inspired me to try to give back, through efforts like the ACS internship database. 

Q: What advice do you have for transfer students and aspiring undergraduate researchers?

A: Don’t feel afraid to reach out to everyone—faculty members, classmates, staff. They can all help you. And if they don’t respond via email, you can go to their office to introduce yourself. Even in a period of uncertainty, move forward anyway—research is still necessary and important. Stay ambitious, and stay involved in science.

Read more Commencement 2025 stories.

Oliver Crossland has fond childhood memories of many fun trips to Salzburg, Austria, from growing up a few hours away in the small town of Sindelfingen in southern Germany. Although his family moved to the U.S. when he was 10 years old, he still remembers Salzburg’s food, people, and candies like Kracher, a large sugar-coated chewy bean-shaped candy with a fizzy powder filling. “I had forgotten entirely about them until I saw them in the grocery store near my hostel and had to purchase them,” says Crossland.

Before beginning his senior year at UMBC, Crossland, music and global studies, took a trip down memory lane and created some new memories through a summer education abroad experience in Salzburg, thanks to the support of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) Dean’s Education Abroad Scholarship.

“I enjoyed the chance to re-engage with aspects of my childhood that were unique to Austrian and German communities. This included food and sweets I have not been able to eat in years and a chance to speak with people in German every day,” says Crossland who speaks German fluently, which helped him research and write a paper on Mozart’s significance in Austrian and Western music. “As a trombone player with a music performance major, living in Salzburg and exploring Mozart’s work in his birthplace and first home was important for me too.”

Crossland is one of 24 recipients of the inaugural CAHSS Dean’s Education Abroad Scholarship, which guarantees $100,000 per year for the following three years to help offset the financial costs of studying abroad. Undergraduate and graduate students with at least one major in CAHSS, and who need additional financial support to study abroad, can apply for awards ranging from $1,500 to $5,000.

“This is a pivotal moment for education abroad at UMBC. The CAHSS Dean’s Scholarship for Education Abroad is the most significant investment in increasing access to study abroad in UMBC’s history,” says Katherine Heird, director of education abroad and global learning at UMBC’s Center for Global Engagement. “If you are a student who wants to study overseas but finances are holding you back, please come and speak with me. We want to make this a reality for you!”

A year of immersion

Thanks to the scholarship, Retrievers spent their summer learning and engaging with communities in Ghana, Greece, Morocco, Spain, Italy, England, Amsterdam, Germany, Switzerland, and Japan. But the scholarship isn’t limited to a season or semester. Samuel Nason, a political science sophomore, set off to Swansea University in Wales, United Kingdom, this fall, and Jessie Gordon, a biochemistry senior, is studying Korean language and culture at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, for the entire 2024 – 2025 academic year. 

“I am immensely grateful for this scholarship, which is allowing me more opportunities to enrich my study abroad experience in Korea,” says Gordon, a biochemistry major and a 2024 UMBC public policy undergraduate summer research fellow. Her research focuses on the accessibility and utilization of healthcare resources by immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries and the Korean Peninsula.

Gordon chose to study in Korea to achieve a similar level of understanding of the Korean language and culture that she has of the Spanish language and Latinx/Hispanic culture. “It is amazing to learn about historic events in the classroom and then be able to physically visit the actual sites. Thanks to this scholarship, I have some extra funds I can devote solely to extra experiences like these!”

There are dozens of education abroad scholarships and education abroad programs available through UMBC. But, with great opportunity comes great responsibility. Crossland has some practical tips for students interested in education abroad, “Stay on top of forms and documents when registering or paying for this experience,” he cautions. “It will prevent you from missing important deadlines.” And no matter where you go, he says, “Be sure to do your research on which sights are to be seen and what foods are to be eaten so that you can plan around your courses and get the very most out of your stay.”

Learn more about the CAHSS Dean’s Education Abroad Scholarship application deadlines:

• February 10, 2025, for the 2025 – 2026 summer, fall, academic year, winter, and spring program. 
• September 10, 2025, for the 2026 – 2027 upcoming winter, spring, summer, and fall semesters 
• Applicants who are not selected may reapply in the next application cycle. 

The Maryland State Board of Education has unanimously elected Josh Michael ’10, political science, Ph.D. ’22, public policy, as its new president following his completion of a one-year term as vice president last year. Michael, whose career in education advocacy has been greatly intertwined with UMBC for years, began his interaction with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) as a student representative on the board in 2005.

Now, as president, Michael will continue to oversee the administration of MSDE with the 11-member board, which includes public school educators, parents, community leaders, and a student. UMBC alumna Chuen-Chin Bianca Chang ’91, nursing, is also a board member, representing Howard County since 2021. 

Michael will work with the state superintendent to provide oversight of Maryland’s 24 school districts and lead the board’s work in guiding the implementation of MSDE’s Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, an initiative to increase state funding for education over the next 10 years with a focus on historically underserved students.

“Over the last 10 to 15 years, Maryland public schools have slowly declined in achievement, in literacy, and math. Our rankings have dropped in many ways. Taking this head-on has been a focus of our work,” Michael explains. “We seem to have lost sight of what is most important—ensuring our students are learning. Our schools must serve children from all backgrounds at all performance levels and provide opportunities to excel. The board is focused on restoring stability, vision, and direction for the state to support public schools.”

Education policy at work

Michael’s work with public education began as a UMBC Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar, where he learned about education policy. After graduating, he worked as a math teacher at Baltimore City’s Booker T. Washington Middle School and The Commodore John Rodgers School. After six years in the classroom, Michael returned to UMBC in 2016 to work on growing what was then called UMBC’s Sherman STEM Teachers Scholars Program with Rehana Shafi, the inaugural director, and with the support of The Sherman Family Foundation. The program prepared STEM majors to become high-quality K-12 teachers in urban settings through academic and professional coaching. The program has since broadened its scope and is now called the Sherman Teacher Scholars Program.

Shafi and Michael fostered existing partnerships and helped establish the Lakeland Community and STEAM Center, where many Sherman Teacher Scholars continue to hold student-teacher placements and serve as math volunteers. During this six-year period, Michael also earned a doctorate degree at UMBC focused on mathematics achievement and improving outcomes for struggling students. 

Humanizing policy

“Josh’s work at the Sherman Teacher Scholars Program laid the groundwork for lasting partnerships between the university and City Schools. One example of this legacy is the Reach Together Tutoring Project (RTTP), which provides over 400 City Schools students each year with targeted math tutoring by UMBC students,” says Jane Lincove, professor of public policy and Michael’s dissertation chair. “The program is both reducing math achievement gaps and inspiring UMBC students to become math teachers. Josh’s work is a glowing example of how academic research by doctoral students in UMBC’s public policy program can be put to work to improve the lives of Marylanders.”

“My advice to students interested in public policy is to serve in the communities you want to work with,” says Michael, currently the executive director at The Sherman Family Foundation and a board member of the Maryland Family Network, Cherry Hill Strong, and the Teach For America Baltimore Advisory Board. “Direct service in the classroom and communities have humanized the policy process for me.”

For the fifth consecutive year, multiple UMBC students have been awarded a Barry Goldwater Scholarship. Gabriel Otubu ’25, biochemistry, Nathaniel Glover ’25, chemical engineering, and Samuel Barnett ’25, biochemistry, were recently named among the 2024 Goldwater Scholars recipients, joining UMBC’s growing list of students to receive this prestigious research scholarship. Since 2005, 31 UMBC students have been awarded a Goldwater Scholarship. 

The goal of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation includes ensuring that the “U.S. is producing the number of highly-qualified professionals the nation needs” in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Otubu, Barnett, and Glover are among the 438 recipients of this year’s scholarship, the largest number of scholars ever supported in a single year in the program’s history. 

“UMBC’s continued success with the recent Goldwater recipients is a direct result of the strong faculty mentoring that our students receive,” says April Householder ’95, visual and performing arts, UMBC’s director of undergraduate research and prestigious scholarships. “This is also a reflection of the incredible support programs and staff that UMBC makes available to students, helping them go the extra mile.”

Supported by multiple scholars programs

As an undergraduate research fellow in biology professor Rachel Brewster’s lab, Gabriel Otubu is investigating the role of the Ndrg1b gene in neurulation—the process of forming a neural tube that takes a hollow shape that differentiates into the brain and spinal cord—and how it affects other genes. This research, Otubu says, is aiming to understand the genetic risk factors associated with specific congenital disorders, such as spina bifida, with a goal of finding treatment options for these disorders. 

Otubu, a Meyerhoff Scholar who plans on pursuing an M.D./Ph.D., shares that with Brewster’s guidance, “I learned that the M.D./Ph.D [route] was possible for me, as well as the possibility of being able to have a commitment to helping people in the clinic and also doing research to support that.” He is also an Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE) Scholar, an experience he says inspired him to pursue a career in research because he was able to be supported by like-minded people. 

“One of the most important things about getting the Goldwater Scholarship is the motivation it gives me to be the best researcher I can be,” says Otubu. “It’s great to get that recognition that I’m really committed to research and using my platform to help other people from diverse backgrounds become interested in research.”

Nathaniel Glover, a fellow Meyerhoff Scholar, says that receiving the Goldwater scholarship will “open up a lot of opportunities for me to be a competitive grad school applicant.” His Goldwater proposal included the research he worked on to develop a dual-phase steel that can combat hydrogen embrittlement, the mechanical damage of metal due to the penetration of hydrogen, which causes a reduction in ductility. 

Glover worked in the lab of C. Cem Taşan, associate professor of metallurgy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as an MIT Summer Research Program participant in 2023. 

The program, he shares, “was very helpful in teaching me how to write about my research, which was extremely beneficial in the Goldwater application process. Taşan and my research mentor, Dr. Kyung-Shik Kim, were instrumental in developing my research in this project, introducing me to the science behind it, and working with me throughout my work in the project. I learned how to write and portray my research in a way that’s well communicated, interesting, and educational.”

Developing into a researcher

Samuel Barnett’s journey in becoming a Goldwater Scholar began during his time as a student at Howard Community College (HCC). Barnett, who transferred to UMBC last fall, was able to take advantage of the updated eligibility requirements for prospective scholarship applicants. The 2024 application cycle amended its eligibility criteria allowing transfer students to be nominated by the school they are currently enrolled in or by the school they matriculated from. With the help of the HCC research department and Householder, Barnett was nominated by HCC to receive the scholarship. 

With this recent change, Householder shares that “cross-institutional collaborations like these are opening new pathways between UMBC and its transfer institutions [while] providing an additional layer of support to transfer students who come to UMBC with a strong research background, like Sam.”

Barnett worked with his mentor Joseph Sparenberg, professor of chemistry at HCC, on a project that uses a species of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to model a type of cancer in humans that occurs from mutations in the KRAS gene. The model, which is still in the proof of concept stage, visualizes a live cell to see pathways and tumor growth in real-time. 

Barnett nearly called it quits with his academic journey upon enrolling at HCC, saying that he “had no motivation to continue on with my education.” After participating in HCC’s research program, Barnett found a renewed sense of purpose and took his research interests to the next level. 

Before transferring to UMBC, Barnett took part in the BUILD a Bridge to STEM internship program, a component of STEM BUILD at UMBC, which he says was vital for “my development in this Goldwater process.” During the internship, Barnett worked with Maria Cambraia Guimaro, assistant director of research and international affairs in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, who he says played a significant role in his research journey at UMBC.

“It was extremely empowering to know that as a community college student, I could experience research there and also win a prestigious award for it,” adds Barnett. “I now have a collection of wonderful mentors throughout my research journey that’s helped to shape who I am today.” 

Meet Kevin Yang ’07, computer science and financial economics. Kevin is a real estate entrepreneur, the current executive vice president and vice president of finance of the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors, and one half of an alumni power couple. Kevin met his wife, Katelyn Niu ’05, biochemistry, when the pair found themselves in the same physics study group as undergrads (because where else do you find love at UMBC?). They both share a passion for UMBC that runs deep. Take it away, Kevin!

Q: What is your WHY? What brought you to UMBC? 

A. I grew up in an immigrant family and witnessed the sacrifices that my parents made to give me an opportunity to achieve the American dream. Although they never had the chance to finish high school, my parents firmly believed in the importance of higher education. I came to UMBC for a quality STEM education and found it to be a perfect fit. UMBC offered the resources of a larger university and the individualized attention of a smaller college.

Q: What’s your favorite part of Retriever Nation?

A. I love UMBC’s commitment to inclusive excellence. Retriever Nation welcomes students from diverse backgrounds and provides them with the necessary support to succeed at UMBC and beyond. I am forever grateful for the amazing experience that I had at UMBC! In addition to receiving a quality education, I made many lifelong friends, including my wife. I have stayed engaged since graduation, and I am proud of UMBC’s commitment to inclusive excellence.

Q: Tell us what you love about your academic program or an organization you’re involved in.

A. I had an excellent experience with the computer science program, which offered many opportunities beyond the classroom. As a tutor, teaching assistant, and research assistant in the computer science department, I learned valuable written and verbal communication skills, which was a highlight of my UMBC education.

Today, I am a real estate entrepreneur, the Founder of KRY Properties. As a business owner, I love the ability to chart my own path. I often have to assume multiple roles, which is both challenging and rewarding. The analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills that I developed at UMBC gave me the confidence to pursue entrepreneurship.

Q: Where did you find support? 

A. I built meaningful and long-lasting relationships at UMBC. I attribute much of my personal growth and academic achievements to my peers. We struggled together in challenging engineering courses, contemplated our futures from late night into early morning, and celebrated our birthdays at the local Olive Garden. We strengthened our bonds through highs and lows, and I will forever cherish those special memories.

Q: Tell us about someone in the community who has inspired you.

A. I received substantial financial and academic support from the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, which laid the foundation for my personal and professional successes. As a Meyerhoff Scholar, I learned about and took advantage of many incredible opportunities, such as summer internships at Georgia Tech and MIT. The Meyerhoff Scholars Program and its co-founder, Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, have inspired me to give back to the community that gave me so much.

Q: As alumni, how have you and Katelyn given back?

A. “To whom much is given, much is required.” I have been a donor every year since I graduated in 2007. My support focuses on scholarships, including the Meyerhoff Scholars Program and the Alumni Endowed Scholarship Fund. My wife, Katelyn, and I established an endowed scholarship in 2014 to support undergraduate students. Katelyn and I were fortunate to receive scholarships at UMBC. We are giving back so students who come after us can continue to have the same extraordinary experience that shaped our future.

Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone who hasn’t joined the UMBC community to know about the support you find here?

A. UMBC community members work together to help our students achieve their academic and professional goals. We are proud of our collaborative culture!

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

Avi Newman, who is graduating from UMBC this spring, knows all too well about learning to navigate unexpected detours beyond his control. Managing the compounding effects of COVID-19, meant letting go of his original college plan and embracing much-needed time for self-care and reflection. It also meant asking for and accepting help from a network of faculty who were ready to listen, offer guidance and encouragement, and help him pursue his interests in new ways. 

Newman originally envisioned himself walking a straight line from College Signing Day to Commencement. Instead, he found that a zig-zagging seven-year path took him where he needed to go, and that his success was a collaborative process. One of his greatest sources of support was Songon An, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry. 

“Avi came to my lab with great potential to become a biochemist. However, the COVID pandemic changed everything about his course of life,” says An. “I remember telling him that it’s OK to pause his undergraduate life and take advantage of such time to try out many different things, beyond academics, that he may find himself enjoying and feel rewarding.”

Newman began taking courses in a broader range of fields and is graduating with majors in biochemistry and molecular biology, biological sciences, and philosophy, plus minors. He has worked as a tutor, volunteered with a public health organization, and practices meditation to keep himself grounded. Accessing support gave Newman the confidence to rethink his assumptions about who he is now and who he wants to be.

“I think initially it was hard to come to terms with not graduating ‘on time,’ but after a while I realized that there’s no rush to life and that it was better for me to take my time and learn as much as I could,” says Newman. “I wanted to enjoy my time and take care of my mental, emotional, and physical health, which ultimately is much more important than rushing through things being excessively stressed.” 

Maneuvering daily challenges

Like Newman, Jennifer Boateng will soon cross the stage to accept her degree seven years after she enrolled at UMBC. Throughout her journey, she has kept a clear goal in mind: finding the best way to use her creative talent to support people who, like her, live with sickle cell disease, and similar challenges. 

Boateng found a perfect match in global studies, with a focus on creating multimedia content for humanitarian groups with a global audience. Pursuing this dream has meant adeptly maneuvering the complexity of living with sickle cell disease. Boateng completed research, taught herself her Final Cut Pro, wrote papers and lab reports, and attended classes both in person and at the hospital, virtually, as she received necessary care.

Boateng credits her positive and successful college experience to the long-term support of her friends and family as well as kindness and flexibility from UMBC faculty, staff, and peers. Her mentor Brigid Starkey, principal lecturer of political science and director of global studies, notes that the program worked closely with Boateng, especially over the last year, to strategize on how to finish her degree. 

“We worked on course selection and navigating academic appeals processes, and her disability rights,” says Starkey. 

With the moment she will turn her tassel in sight, Boateng and her mentors are looking toward what’s ahead. “Lately, my mentorship has involved talking to her about the future and where she may want to focus her efforts in the job market,” says Starkey. Boateng’s mentor is leveraging the department’s alumni network to connect her with career possibilities that will help her fulfill her vision.

Community support leads to success

Finding success through community support is familiar to many UMBC graduates. UMBC was the second university Victoria Joya Euceda attended, searching for a mentor who understood her story as a first-generation college student whose parents immigrated from Central America. At UMBC, she connected with  Yolanda Valencia, assistant professor of geography and environmental studies, and other supporters. Now, Joya Euceda ’23, geography and environmental systems, is heading to a Ph.D. in geography at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Beatriz Soriano Luna ’23, social work, transferred from Montgomery College to UMBC at the Universities at Shady Grove, where she became an integral member of a close-knit community. Valuing the mentorship of M. Nicole Belfiore, clinical instructor of social work, Soriano Luna herself mentored more than two dozen students as a peer advisor. She’ll next pursue a master’s degree through the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

This May, on College Signing Day (which celebrates students’ college decisions), Joel DeWyer, director of campus life operations, welcomed UMBC’s next incoming class in a video on Twitter, reminding them of the excitement that lies ahead and the support they can access along the way.

“College can be a nerve-wracking and anxious experience, right? So when you have a question, or when you are feeling uncertain, when you are feeling overwhelmed, do me one favor,” said DeWyer. “Find someone around you in your community and ask for help.”

He shared a message that Newman, Boateng, Joya Euceda, and Soriano Luna have worked to pass along to others: that support can be found everywhere at UMBC. “There’s people all around you who care about your success and we are here to help you,” said DeWyer. “So never, ever, be afraid to ask for help.”

Read more Class of 2023 stories.

It’s no secret that at UMBC we do things a little differently. As a university, we’re young, agile, and (buzzword that it may be) truly innovative. We can see the success of these traits in our rankings or research-lab results or employee-satisfaction surveys, but those numbers don’t tell the full story of how, when the Retriever community joins efforts to achieve greatness, we arrive there together.

So on the eve of UMBC’s 50th anniversary in 2016, when the institution put forth a goal to raise $150 million— money that goes directly to student scholarships, graduate fellowships, professorial awards, and so much more— we didn’t question if we would succeed, we just wondered how we’d be able to capture the magnitude of the collective campaign when it came to a close.

Now, wrapping up the endeavor with over $189 million, we get to celebrate the stories that made this all possible. This campaign called upon our community’s Grit & Greatness, and Retrievers responded in kind by making big breakthroughs, forging true partnerships, and transforming lives.

Making Big Breakthroughs

The Talent Goes Both Ways

“One of my top priorities is recruiting the best talent who aspire to be great leaders for our company and the nation,” says Jennifer Walsmith, vice president of the Cyber and Information Solutions business unit at Northrop Grumman and executive lead for university relations with UMBC. “Our deep connection with UMBC enables us to recruit and hire the very best. Many of our UMBC graduates have remained at Northrop for decades and play an invaluable leadership role in cybersecurity.”

Walsmith knows something about connection as a Retriever herself, graduating in 1990 with a degree in computer science—something she said was only possible due to 2 a.m. study sessions with classmates and encouraging lunch meet-ups with friends on campus. In her current role, she oversees 2,000 plus employees and is often seen on campus speaking to alumni, faculty, and board members.

“As a nation, we have been enabled by enjoying a technically superior way of life. However, the number of students in the technical fields is getting smaller, especially among women in these majors.” So how do Northrop Grumman and UMBC plan on breaking through that limitation? “I believe it’s vitally important that we all give back,” says Walsmith.

That looks like dozens of UMBC interns each semester who get the chance to work on the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense, and cyberspace; an alumni chapter at Northrop Grumman over 600 employees strong who volunteer considerable time at local schools; and millions of dollars spent to benefit students, programs, and research over the last campaign.

Northrop Grumman has a unique relationship with UMBC, but they are not alone in their support of UMBC students and faculty and graduate research. Throughout the Grit & Greatness campaign, 69 percent of commitments came from foundations and companies like T. Rowe Price, Morgan Stanley, Lockheed Martin, and Baltimore Gas and Electric Company.

“We are technical leaders, and I love to see our UMBC students thrive to become future leaders of our company and give back to other students,” says Walsmith. “So when you create the engine where people on each side fuel this relationship, it strengthens everyone.”

— Randianne Leyshon ’09

Breaking Through Education Barriers

In Baltimore City, middle schoolers are making roller coasters out of insulation tubing and tape. High schoolers are dunking basketballs to learn math equations. And not too far away at UMBC, the Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars are prepping to spread even more innovative, inclusive lessons throughout city schools.

The Sherman STEM Teacher Scholars Program, founded in 2006, and other initiatives supporting Retrievers to become culturally responsive and compassionate educators in historically underserved, urban schools, are thanks to the vision of philanthropists Betsy Sherman and her late husband George.

In early 2022, the Sherman Family Foundation donated $21 million to create the Betsy & George Sherman Center, which expands and integrates UMBC’s work in teacher preparation, school partnerships, and applied research focused on early childhood education and improving learning outcomes for Baltimore students. This gift allows educators to implement new teaching methods and find ways to break through learning barriers for their students.

The gift—the largest in UMBC’s history—will transform both UMBC and generations of local students. It also serves as a rallying point for others to join in giving and volunteering at participating schools. To date, says Greg Simmons, M.P.P. ’04,  and vice president of Institutional Advancement, “our school partnership work is our most robust community-based philanthropic effort given the scope and range of donors involved.” In addition to the Shermans’ foundational gift, other organizations—like the Richmond Family Foundation and Northop Grumman, just to name two—and many individual donors have supported this endeavor with their own time and resources.

“I see the legacy of the Sherman program as a seed,” says Haleemat Adekoya ’22, political science, a Sherman STEM Teacher Scholar. “It’s been planted and people will continue to water that seed…it will be one of those trees in a folk tale that does not die out because the community and the people who have benefited from its impact see the importance of that tree living beyond generations.”

— Randianne Leyshon ’09

Forging True Partnerships

The Snowball Effect

Sandy Geest ’72, English, knows the power of how a little can go a long way. When she graduated, she immediately started giving to the department that shaped her UMBC experience, “even if it was just 10 or 15 dollars a year,” she says. 

Now, 50 years later, Geest and her husband Jay have an endowed scholarship for English majors that has supported 10 students since 2017.

Geest spent most of her career as conference and event planner for James Rouse’s Enterprise Foundation, using her organizational skills to plan ribbon cuttings at the White House and pull together the 1992 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials held in Baltimore. She says it was through the company’s matching shares program that she began to realize the power investments could have—if they could help her savings accrue over time, she wondered how her donations might increase as well.

Geest recounts how her office was located across from the then new Columbia Mall. On lunch breaks, her other coworkers would frequently go shopping. “And I told them, ‘No, you need to be putting your money into this fund because it will grow. When you’re old and gray, you’ll be glad you did that. These shoes will be all worn out by then.’”

Over time, Geest realized the same logic applied to her giving to UMBC. As she got raises and advanced through her career, she upped her giving. “I didn’t do it all at one time, [but] as it grew over the years I gave more and more,” she says, knowing the power for sizable change hinged on an endowment that would be invested by the university and able to sustain its monetary output. 

Her scholarship eventually snowballed to support up to four Retrievers a year. Her scholars’ success is the biggest reward, says Geest. At on-campus events, they tell her what a difference her giving made to their UMBC experience—it allowed them to explore career options through internships or it provided a lifeline when they thought they might have to drop out.

“It’s a very good feeling,” says Geest, “to know that you have put a hand back to help somebody behind you.”

— Randianne Leyshon ’09

The Competition Is Strong

Vanessa Mann, head coach for women’s soccer in her fifth season, has the mindset of leaving things better than you found them and uses the competitive spirit inherent in athletics to teach the power of giving back. This philosophy has led to 100 percent participation in UMBC’s annual Black & Gold Rush Giving Day among her student-athletes. 

The itch to compete motivates the other teams as well. Women’s lacrosse goalkeeper Isabella Fontana ’24, economics, sees it as the perfect way to get student-athletes engaged. “Not only do I want to support the women’s lacrosse team because everyone loves to support our team,” she says, “but as athletes, we always want to win. So if there’s something on the line, we’re like, ‘Oh, let’s do it.’”

Fontana’s competitive spirit earned her a year-long prime parking spot in front of the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena after she won UMBC’s 2022 Giving Day student ambassador challenge. By calling on her enthusiastic network of friends and family, Fontana generated the most donors (104) out of all the ambassadors and brought the lacrosse team’s total to 335, almost double the amount from the previous year. Curious what that looks like by the numbers? It’s the difference between $5,045 in 2020 and a whopping $40,040 in 2022.

The lacrosse team isn’t alone in getting people hyped for giving—in fact, Athletics is responsible for bringing in the most donors and dollars for UMBC’s annual Black & Gold Rush. Even so, they’re always striving to top themselves: in 2020, women’s soccer more than tripled their goal for donors. 

Both Fontana and Mann would be the first to remind you that good competition is nothing without cooperation. “So it wasn’t that we were really competing with anyone, like any outside entity,” Mann sums up. “We define competition as competere, which means to strive together. That’s actually the Latin translation. So it’s not me versus you, it’s actually me with you.”

— Levi Lewis ’23

Bridge-Building Alumni

Anwesha Dey came to UMBC from Singapore for a summer research internship. She ended up staying much longer, completing her Ph.D. in biochemistry in 2004. “In many ways, I think of the entire experience being one of the turning points in my life,” says Dey. “The sense of community and belonging and the focus on excellence at UMBC would go on to define my career.”

Now, as director and senior principal scientist of Discovery Oncology at Genentech, a groundbreaking biotechnology company, Dey is dedicated to bringing in UMBC students to her own lab and research community. Early in 2022, that meant inviting her former mentor, Mike Summers, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and the Robert E. Meyerhoff Chair for Excellence in Research and Mentoring, along with then president Freeman Hrabowski to Genentech to discuss the company’s ongoing support of UMBC. “We’re all mutually invested in the same thing,” says Dey. “When we first started this fellowship about five years ago, it was really one step at a time. And so it’s great to see where it is now. The trajectory is really strong.”

Dey is far from alone in bringing her enthusiasm for her alma mater to the workplace, and as more Retrievers go on to work in the upper echelons of the scientific community, they are finding ways to connect their industries to the campus that shaped them.

Bobby Allen ’99, M7, computer science is clear that he has a lot to be thankful for because of UMBC. He met his future wife Frances Allen ’99, M7, computer science, and many of his closest friends as teenagers in the Meyerhoff Program’s Summer Bridge. But aside from his personal connections, as a product manager at Google, it’s Allen’s personal mission to connect UMBC’s proven pipeline of talented Retrievers to his workplace. “At Google, we know we need to have underrepresented populations as managers, champions, executive support, and mentors so that as we hire graduates and interns, they see people who look like them and know what is possible.”

— Randianne Leyshon ’09

Transforming Lives

Rising to the Top 

It’s no accident that when visitors arrive on campus from the west entrance, they’re greeted by the radiant reflection on the silver slope of the Performing Arts and Humanities Building (PAHB). This LEED Gold-certified building, which opened in 2014, is a symbol of UMBC’s investment in the performing arts and humanities. But, it’s the students and activities inside the facility that really shine. 

Deven Fuller ’23 is a case in point. Double-majoring in dance and math, Fuller is a Linehan Artist Scholar—part of a selective program endowed by Earl and Darielle Linehan that has launched the careers of more than 300 Linehan Artist Scholar alumni in dance, music, theatre, and other creative disciplines. 

Fuller is focused on commercial dance—a highly competitive field that’s principally centered in New York and Los Angeles— which would put a career in his chosen field effectively out of reach were it not for the Linehans.

Thanks to the scholarship, Fuller said, he was able to join a New York–based dance training company in his sophomore year, take classes at local studios with accomplished touring commercial dancers, and enjoy other unique opportunities. The fact that the Linehans are “recognizing dance as a serious career…is just such an amazing thing,” Fuller said.

Most recently, with a Linehan Summer Research Award, “I was able to travel and do a certificate program at one of the most prestigious studios in the world for commercial dance. … I was very lucky to have the grant to be able to branch out in that direction.” 

Fuller is far from the only student to benefit from philanthropists’ investment in UMBC’s arts-focused students. Todd Carton ’77, interdisciplinary studies, has created the Carton Family Endowed Scholarship to support talented students in the performing arts who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Along with a gift that helped to fund the PAHB, Carton has included UMBC in his estate plan so that the endowed scholarship can grow and benefit even more arts students far into UMBC’s future.

Fuller hasn’t had the opportunity to meet the Linehans, but if he could, he said, “I would thank them for the opportunities that I’ve been able to have because of them …and let them know how much they are positively affecting the community of artists.”

— Scott Cech

A Family That Gives Together

Professor Bimal Sinha and his family weren’t content to let his 30-plus years of pioneering academic contributions to UMBC be his only professional legacy. Even though neither he nor his sons Jit and Shomo Sinha attended the university, they decided to collectively donate $750,000 to create the Dr. Bimal Sinha Professorship in Statistics at UMBC.

The professorship permanently funds a new statistics faculty position at the university, which seems especially fitting, considering that Sinha founded the statistics department in 1985 and helped transform UMBC into a national leader in statistics education.

But Sinha’s sons remember that beyond his academic accolades, the way their father has always interacted with his mentees is what made the deepest impression— whether meeting international students at the airport or inviting groups of students to their family home for dinner.

Creating community has been a hallmark of Sinha’s career: The professor successfully spearheaded the African International Conference on Statistics, held in a different African country each year since 2014. In 2018, UMBC signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Limpopo in South Africa to foster collaboration and exchange. A number of graduate students from African countries have also flourished with Sinha’s mentorship.

“Bimal has not only engaged in groundbreaking research for decades but has also produced and championed an impressive number of influential Black statisticians throughout Africa,” noted Freeman Hrabowski, UMBC president emeritus. 

In fact, the family’s dedication to continuing Sinha’s legacy has already inspired others: Forty alumni and friends of the university pitched in a combined $150,000, and the Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative Fund committed to a matching grant, bringing the professorship’s total endowment to $1.8 million.

“I feel honored and fortunate to have played a small role in the evolution of this beloved institution,” Sinha said. “Through this gift, I want to ensure that future generations of leading scholars will view UMBC as an attractive home to advance their contributions to the field of statistics.”

— Sarah Hansen, M.S. ’15

Gesture of Gratitude

When Felicia Sanders moved into Susquehanna Hall in the early ’90s as part of the fourth cohort of Meyerhoff Program Scholars, she found herself experiencing a series of firsts. It was her first time living in a mixed-gender dorm; the first time she understood the power of study groups; and she was a member of a scholarship program so new it hadn’t yet graduated its first class of scholars. “I thought I was just making friends, but this setup was really part of an ecosystem, a very effective one that set us up for success.”

The Meyerhoff Scholars Program fosters a collective spirit from day one—when students tackle Summer Bridge together. So when it came time to celebrate the program’s 30th anniversary and thank Robert Meyerhoff, the philanthropist who founded the program with President Emeritus Freeman Hrabowski, the graduates decided to give together, with an initial half-a-million dollar gift. 

“When we give collectively, we keep the continuity of the culture that was built by the program,” says Sanders ’96, M4, chemical engineering, and a leadership level giver. “We keep the family bond that was built by the program. It doesn’t become something that is piecemeal or start-stop or becomes intermittent because it is something that was fun for someone one year and then wasn’t supported the following year.”

The word Meyerhoff Scholars most often use to describe themselves is family. Not just a family of 1,300+ alumni who have gone on to use their gifts as industry leaders and academic powerhouses, but including the students who have yet to join their ranks as scholars, the future generation of Meyerhoffs. 

Jason Dixon ’02, M10, computer science, and Rhea Brooking-Dixon ’02, M10, biological sciences, whose origin story began in Summer Bridge, give together because “we know that our successes are never truly our own,” they share. “We are confident that our gifts to UMBC and the Meyerhoff Scholars Program will help other young scholars the same way the program has helped us and more.”

“It’s important for the family to be engaged in the program’s continuity,” says Sanders. “Now that Doc [Hrabowski] has moved on to the next chapter of his life, it’s important that the Meyerhoff Program is something we’re still talking about in another 30 years. And that can’t happen if the family doesn’t continue to reinvest.”

— Randianne Leyshon ’09

After four seasons at UMBC, Courtney Coppersmith’s name has become synonymous with success on and off the softball field. The America East Conference agrees. Yesterday, Coppersmith ‘22, biochemistry and molecular biology, was named America East Woman of the Year. 

The America East introduced the Woman of the Year award in 2006 and the Man of the Year followed in 2015. Coppersmith is the first Retriever in university history to achieve this honor and only the second softball player ever represented. 

Top athlete

This is one of many UMBC records set by the pitcher from York, PA, and her team. With titles in 2019, 2021, and 2022, UMBC was the first team to win three consecutive America East conference championships since UAlbany in 2006-2008. (No championship was held in 2020, due to COVID-19.) In 2022, Coppersmith was named America East Pitcher of the Year for the third consecutive year. She’s the second player in conference history to nab the award three times.

“Courtney has been an exceptional athlete and a leader on the field, a high-level student in the classroom, and has a servant’s heart for people around her and in the community,” says head coach Chris Kuhlmeyer. “We are honored that she has received the Woman of the Year award and look forward to seeing her continue to excel in her final year at UMBC.”

Exceptional academic and advocate

As Kuhlmeyer mentioned, Coppersmith will continue her academic career at UMBC for her final year of athletic eligibility. She will pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry, with a focus in organic chemistry. Katherine Seley-Radtke, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and president of the International Society for Antiviral Research, will serve as Coppersmith’s mentor. 

In addition to her athletic and academic strengths, Coppersmith has worked to increase the visibility of athletes’ mental health needs. After struggling with depression during an intense first year at UMBC, she wrote an essay about her experiences that won a national contest and earned coverage from Major League Baseball and ESPN. Her story resonated with fellow athletes, whom she has supported through advocacy and encouragement. She has also helped them build networks of support and a sense of community connection, often through service.

The conference describes Woman of the Year honorees as student-athletes who have “best distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence, service and leadership.” Coppersmith will now serve as the America East’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year, which will be announced this fall.