For some fall 2020 graduates, the day they finish their final class won’t look much different from any other day of working and studying from home—they’re saving their celebration for when they snag their dream job or when it’s safe to throw a party. For others, the occasion will mark the end of a very long road, so some proper pomp is necessary. 

Shelissa Kearney ’20, sociology, is one of the latter students. “I can’t go anywhere right now, but I’m going to celebrate,” says Kearney, who last took classes at UMBC in 2014. “I’ll have a nice dinner with my husband and my son. It’s nice to see all of this come to fruition, and I need to acknowledge that.”

To understand Kearney’s commitment to celebration is to know that her first semester at UMBC was in spring 1997. Kearney graduated from high school two years early to jump-start her modeling career, but didn’t want to forgo an education—two of her parents have Ph.D.s, so she knew the value of a degree.

Shelissa Kearney first attended UMBC in 1997. After some educational starts and stops, she graduates in December 2020. Photo courtesy of Kearney.

“If I was traveling for work, I would schedule my classes to try to make it work with some juggling here and there, because I really wanted to go to school,” Kearney says. But completing her degree with a heavy work and travel schedule took longer than she’d hoped.

Early on in her studies, Kearney says one of her biology professors—in an attempt to encourage her to double down academically—said, “Shelissa, at this pace, you’re going to be 34 before you graduate.” Kearney laughs, “I’ve clearly passed that mark, but I finally did it.”

Creating a path to return

It’s standard practice for UMBC to reach out to Retrievers who have earned at least 60 credits and are in good standing academically, but not currently enrolled in classes, says Yvette Mozie-Ross ’88, vice provost for enrollment management and planning. The goal is to encourage them to return to finish the degrees they are so close to completing. This year, with the rapid move to online learning, students who paused their education have been able to return in larger numbers than ever before.

Of the approximately 120 students who returned to complete their degree (through a program termed Finish Line), roughly a fourth of them only needed one more semester to do so, and will graduate in December 2020. 

“Our staff have been energized by our engagement in the Finish Line program,” says Ken Baron, assistant vice provost for academic advising and student success. “We love to help students overcome barriers to complete degrees. Many of these students were close to graduating in the past, so enabling them to return now, especially during COVID, is particularly meaningful.”

Substantial online class offerings have been the key to students’ return, says Baron. With remote working arrangements becoming more mainstream in late spring and summer, “many of these students found themselves in the best possible time to return to college since leaving UMBC.”

Finding closure in the last class

Some students, like Kearney, needed nearly a full course load to finalize their degree; others only needed one specific course to get their diploma. Sam Oh ’20, business technology administration, was actually able to participate in the spring 2017 graduation ceremony, but needed to retake one requirement to receive his degree. 

After his father had a stroke, Oh wasn’t able to immediately return to UMBC. In his time away, he began pursuing certifications in Excel and as a data analyst, becoming familiar with SQL coding. After he graduates, he’ll apply for jobs as a business or data analyst.

For Oh, retaking Introduction to Management Science online this fall, has been a “do-it-yourself experience, which I love.” 

His advice for other students, who might be going through something similar to him in 2017: “Be honest and inform your current professors in advance. Based on my personal experience, most of them will be willing to give you extensions on your assignments or may even exempt whatever is due at the time based on the circumstances.”

And even though Oh has already had the Commencement experience, he says, “I will without doubt have a sense of closure after I finish my final exam next week.” 

Overcoming the final obstacle

Steven Heckman is another student only one class shy of graduation. A computer science major, Heckman was held up by the final language credit he was completing abroad in summer 2019. “Unfortunately, I got sick and other things happened that didn’t allow me to earn a grade I could transfer back to UMBC,” says Heckman.

Stymied by this language requirement, Heckman says he wasn’t initially eager to return to finish his degree, but his parents encouraged him to think about how much work he had already completed to get this far in his studies. 

Heckman, left, with the UMBC Game Development Club in spring 2019. Photo courtesy of Heckman.

The process was more straightforward than he expected.“Coming back to school now has let me take the class online, and not have to commute,” says Heckman. Plus, he says, the asynchronous format of Japanese 201—his final class—is better suited for him as someone with ADD to be able to review the material at his own pace. 

Heckman sees the increased online offerings, along with the detailed Blackboard calendars and other tools instructors are making use of now, as essential for reaching students who might not excel in the traditional lecture hall environment.

Looking back at his years at UMBC, he cites lecturer Kalman Nanes as particularly forward-thinking in making course resources available online. Nanes, who taught him linear algebra, took the time to record and post his lectures for students. “As someone who loses attention easily, the extra effort Professor Nunes put into his class not only made it easier for me to learn, but he also made me care about a new subject.” 

Expanding access

Ken Baron agrees with Heckman’s assessment that online accessibility will benefit the entire campus community. “I believe we have learned considerably, during a remarkably short period,” says Baron, “how powerful online courses are regarding the needs of our student population.” 

Whatever life looks like on campus after a vaccine is widely available, he continues, “we believe our Finish Line students are a successful case study, clearly demonstrating the need for a mix of instructional options as we move into the post-COVID era.”

An achievement at any stage

Christopher Lee, a UX content strategist for Facebook, and a Finish Line student completing his final class at UMBC, says the chance to participate in class while still engaged in his professional life has been rewarding. 

The perceived stigma of returning to college to finish his degree kept Lee away longer than he planned. Headshot courtesy of Lee.

“Having been a working professional for seven years at this point, I’ve spent more time in the ‘real world’ than in undergrad,” he says. “I understand how the world works in a deeper, more nuanced way. My experiences inform my perspectives on the topics we discussed in class, and I’m better equipped to articulate them now.”

As someone who began his academic experience more than a decade ago, Lee, a psychology major, says it took him too long to return to finish his degree. 

“At first, I believed I would feel like it was a stigma, since it felt like an achievement I should’ve completed years ago,” he shares. “Thankfully, I got over that, and focused on the fact that my journey is uniquely my own, and it likely wouldn’t matter to my professor and classmates. Turns out, it didn’t.”

“A necessary step”

Shelissa Kearney is now a children’s book author. Her book I Wish, published in January 2020, focuses on not comparing yourself to others. As someone who is finishing up a 20-year journey to receive her degree, Kearney wants to celebrate the value of each person’s unique experience.

Kearney poses with a copy of her book I Wish, published in 2020. Photo courtesy of Kearney.

“For me, this last semester has been a shining star in the dark sky of this year,” says Kearney. “This has been a really long process, and it’s my personal goal to finish. I’ve done a lot of things in my life, but for me, this was a necessary step to complete.”

In addition to her end-of-school celebration, Kearney whole-heartedly looks forward to attending an in-person graduation ceremony, when it’s safe to hold one. Since she graduated high school early, she has never experienced walking across the stage, shaking hands with professors, and sharing those celebratory moments with family. 

“This will be my first one,” says Kearney, “and I definitely plan to be there.”

Banner image: Balloons outside of the UMBC Event Center after the spring 2019 Commencement. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11.

As the pandemic surged across the country last spring, university arts venues closed their doors, but that didn’t stop UMBC artists from creating. Without the traditional opportunities for collaboration that can be so important in dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts, they turned to new approaches and to individual projects with determination and passion.

Time for research and writing

For Brianna Harper, B.A. ’20, visual arts, the pandemic represented an opportunity to focus on her research and writing. “Actually, I’m lucky. What I do is I hole up, I research, and I write,” she says. “During COVID I was able to focus on the materials, synthesizing information without any distractions.”

Harper’s research focuses on the enigmatic paintings of the Swedish artist Hilma af Klint (1862–1944), whose artwork she discovered by chance on a 2019 visit to the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Her capstone project, presented at both URCAD and the Exit Art exhibition in spring 2020, explored the spiritual influences on af Klint’s paintings by using contemporary astrological processes to interpret the art.

“The premise of the paper is that Hilma af Klint created this huge breadth of work, Paintings for the Temple, and yet she didn’t really understand what it meant. She felt she was almost painting the words of ethereal beings, or painting their ideas, sort of like a prophet of theosophy in a way,” says Harper. 

“Because her work has astrological symbolism, with which I’m familiar, I was able to synthesize the astrological practices of that time, the early 20th century, and then use that to track her work patterns to see what astrological themes appeared in skies at certain points in her life,” Harper explains. “So it was using 19th-century theosophical astrology as a lens to deepen our understanding of Hilma af Klint’s Painting for the Temple.”

“Noting the deep influence of astrology on af Klint’s artistic practice and spiritual life, Brianna melded iconology, a well-established mode of analyzing artworks, with her own specialized knowledge of astrology,” notes Preminda Jacob, associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and professor of visual arts, who was Harper’s advisor. “The outcome of Brianna’s research was a uniquely exciting interpretation of visual artworks.”

Bonding together

Celine “CJ” Jones-Cameron, B.A. ’20, theatre, will graduate this week having developed a broad range of skills across the discipline. “I really enjoy acting, I really enjoy doing tech, and I really enjoy carpentry and building sets,” she says. “I like the idea that I now have opportunities to do so much because my background is so well-rounded.”

She notes that theatre productions can be complex, involving not only actors, but also set designers, carpenters, costume designers, sound and light designers, directors, vocal coaches and more. During performances, each of those professionals has to coordinate with split-second accuracy. It’s the unifying experience of the performance that most fascinates her.

UMBC’s theatre department usually stages two productions each semester. But their regular kind of collaborative work just wasn’t feasible once students had to pivot to online and socially-distanced learning.

Still, Jones-Cameron noticed an outpouring of empathy from her fellow theatre students, and feels that their inability to stage productions actually brought them closer together. “It’s been nice to see us talk to each other more,” she said. Thanks to the “closeness” of students in the department, she says, “I think we adjusted pretty well.”

“CJ always finds a way to take challenges and difficult situations and merge them with humor. She is a leader and a constant source of energy,” says Adam Mendelson, senior lecturer in the theatre department and one of CJ’s teachers. “The most impressive thing about CJ is her undaunted ability to keep pushing her own boundaries and definitions of what she is capable of even in the face of unprecedented national challenges.”

Jones-Cameron plans to begin auditioning and working in Los Angeles or New York, possibly with a focus on children’s theatre, which has long been one of her passions.

Finding his voice

Pramuk Mohanlal-Vargas B.A. ’20, music and global studies, has lived in his native Paraguay, in India, and in the United States, so an emphasis in global studies came naturally. “I love traveling and learning about different cultures and people,” he shares. And his interest in music similarly came about at a young age — “I grew up singing and playing piano,” he says, “and then I took interest in acoustic guitar.”

Mohanlal-Vargas’s musical path has led him to emerge as a singer-songwriter (going by his first name, Pramuk). During the pandemic he managed to complete and release his first album, an EP titled Ordinary Soul, on November 27. 

His teacher, Sammy Huh, an affiliate artist in the music department and director of UMBC’s Opera Workshop, describes him as “possessing a beautiful Mozartean tenor instrument and dynamic guitar skills.”

At UMBC, Mohanlal-Vargas has participated in the Camerata Chamber Choir, the Opera Workshop and other ensembles. He credits these opportunities as having helped him gain exposure to a diversity of genres and historical periods. 

“UMBC has helped me grow, learning a lot about Renaissance music, classical, romantic — different time periods — different composers and their lives, and even a lot of the theoretical side of things,” he says. “I never would have thought that opera is what I would be studying in college. Singing in Italian, in German, in French — it’s a beautiful thing.”

The past several months have provided Mohanlal-Vargas time for introspection and reflection. “It’s kind of a strange feeling — all virtual, not performing in front of a live audience. That’s what’s made it challenging,” he says. “But it’s also helped me become more grounded, be more still in the moment.”

Banner image: Girls on a Dirt Pile (2019) by Susan McCully, directed by Eve Muson, a production for which Celine Jones-Cameron was a theatrical electrician. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Graduating seniors Anthony Cano, Renato Zanelli, and Maya Scheirer came to UMBC with pride and hunger instilled by their immigrant parents’ work ethic. They brought rich cultures, languages, and hearts full of dreams and aspirations with the goal of forging futures of their own.

At UMBC they found faculty and staff who nurtured their curiosity, and a campus committed to learning from and working with local and international communities. Most importantly, they were embraced by a community who welcomed and celebrated them wholeheartedly for who they are and who they wanted to be. 

Cano, Zanelli, and Scheirer lean on their friendships and faculty mentors as they end their time at UMBC, under an unprecedented global pandemic, via a virtual commencement ceremony. Together they face a changing world, knowing that their transformative years at UMBC have given them a solid foundation to hope, dream, and achieve.

Global citizen

Anthony Cano fondly recalls walking with his mom to school in the mornings. “We would part ways at the bus stop as she headed to work as a janitor,” a job she had to take after the market crash of 2008. “I would continue walking to my school,” shares Cano. 

He watched his family lose everything and then rebuild their lives by working seven days a week. “They learned everything and anything to make ends meet,” explains Cano. “That work ethic—that unbreakable faith—is my moral structure. I connect it to everything I do.”

Cano wants to make sure everyone knows the real story behind his success. “My story does not begin with what I have achieved or my research,” he shares. “When I tell my story I want it to start and end by honoring my struggle as a student and as an immigrant. It is what made and continues to make my success happen.”

Mapping an interdisciplinary future

As a first-generation college student, Cano did not take his opportunities for granted. Instead, he invested time in and out of class to explore his wide interests in journalism, photography, and business. He also found ways to help his community, which he defines as global. “I think everything is connected,” shares Cano. “I identify as a global citizen more than any other identity.”

Cano eating a typical Cartagenian dish.
Photo courtesy of Cano.

Eager to learn, Cano transferred to UMBC immediately after earning an associate’s degree in broadcast and media production from Montgomery Community College. He planned to add a bachelor’s in computer science to facilitate his pathway to entrepreneurship. Cano began his general computer science courses while also enrolling in political science and human geography classes. 

After learning about global political systems and internally displaced people (IDP), Cano immediately felt a sense of responsibility. He wanted to bring awareness to the political and social forces that displace people from their homes into dangerous and precarious living conditions. 

“In some ways, my life was like a bubble,” explains Cano. These classes introduced him to the complexities of migration. “I have people in my social network that have experienced similar situations, but not to the extent that I learned about,” he shares. He decided to follow his interests and declared a double major in media and communications studies and political science.

Cano in Cartagena. Photo courtesy of Cano.

Afro-Colombian stories

Felipe Filomeno, associate professor of political science, became his mentor and advisor. With his support, Cano developed strong skills in mixed research methods. He used social science, humanities, and visual research methods to continue to understand IDP. 

“Tony is a unique and truly interdisciplinary student,” says Filomeno. “I advised his research on internally displaced people and urban development in Cartagena, Colombia. It combined oral history and visual research methods.”

Cano received a 2019-2020 Undergraduate Research Award to conduct field research in South America. His project focused on the relationship between internally displaced people as a result of violence and urban development in Cartagena.

Cano drew on his background in journalism and his fluent Spanish language skills to better understand the experiences of Afro-Colombians in a neighborhood named after Nelson Mandela. It’s located only a few minutes from a walled-in, tourism-focused urban center.

“Tony wanted his project to result not only in an academic paper. He also wanted to create a short virtual reality film to document the living conditions in Nelson Mandela,” shares Filomeno. Cano was careful and curious while analyzing data. Filomeno advised him on how to verify different sources of data and how to ensure his work reflected the community respectfully.

In March, Cano presented his project, Informal Resettlement of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Cartagena, Colombia: A Visual Exploration and Oral History, at UMBC’s 24th annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD). 

Theory to practice

Cano also served as a fellow in the Partnerships for Listening and Action by Communities (PLACE) program, an affiliate of UMBC’s Center for Democracy and Civic Life. There he received additional training in humanities methods and community organizing to support residents of Baltimore City’s Brooklyn neighborhood in building greater community cohesion and providing enriching opportunities for young people.

Cano walking in downtown Baltimore. Photo courtesy of Cano.

In January, Cano will begin working at Morgan Stanley as an operations analyst. The multinational investment bank and financial services company found his humanities background invaluable to creating a strong finance team. 

“I am a learner. My family always said there is nothing wrong with constantly wanting to learn,” shares Cano. “They taught me to set goals, and that through a lot of hard work, sacrifice, deep faith, and positivity, you can achieve your goals and break barriers.” 

A home away from home

Renato Zanelli remembers how hard his mother worked and how much she sacrificed when she moved to the United States from Peru. “There are times I feel like giving up because some people assume that if you are Hispanic, you cannot do something,” shares Zanelli. “I want to prove that Hispanics can do anything. I want to make sure everything my mom sacrificed was not in vain.”

Like Cano, family and culture are also the founding blocks of Zanelli’s undergraduate life. He came to the United States from Peru when he was ten. He was raised in Anne Arundel County by his mom and grandparents. While he did well in school, it was at times isolating because of the lack of diversity. After a year in Anne Arundel Community College, he realized that what he was seeking the most was a community that embraced his language, culture, and interests. 

Life-long friendships

Zanelli transferred to UMBC and was delighted to find a welcoming community. “One day, I saw a flyer for the Hispanic Latino Student Union. I went,” he remembers. Even though most of the people were not from Peru, he felt at home. “I was finally meeting people with similar immigration journeys and who spoke Spanish. It was amazing,” explains Zanelli. The HLSU members became his best friends.

Although most of the students he met in HSLU were years ahead of him, they guided him in understanding college life and included him in campus events. He had been worried about missing out on these experiences as a commuter, but their generous spirit made him feel like he belonged. “Instead of going straight home, I participated more in student activities,” shares Zanelli. 

The HLSU also provided comfort and support when his cousin, who is like a brother, passed away and he could not travel to Peru. Later, Renato became part of the HLSU executive board, supporting the next generation of HLSU members.

Building confianza (trust)

Ana Maria Schwartz Caballerro. Photo by Marlayna Demond.

Zanelli also found joy and support from UMBC’s faculty. His schedule included STEM and humanities classes, including a Spanish class for heritage Spanish speakers. The class helped him be more comfortable in a predominantly English environment and learn more about his first language. He met Ana Maria Schwartz Caballero, associate professor in modern languages, linguistics, and intercultural communication (MLLI), who teaches the course. Similar to his experience with HSLU, meeting professor Schwartz Caballero became one of the most important moments at UMBC. 

“She advocated for me and encouraged me,” says Zanelli. Schwartz Caballero inspired him to take higher-level Spanish courses. They opened up an entirely new way to engage with his language, literature, and culture. He also began working as a Spanish language translator in the local hospitals, revealing a professional opportunity made possible with an MLLI major. 

Professor Schwartz Caballero became his advisor and mentor. Regularly meeting with her created the structure and focus he needed. She also provided support on a personal level, checking how he was doing and asking about his mom and grandparents. “I have a huge amount of respect and love for her. We have a lot of confianza (trust),” explains Zanelli. “She understands who I am.” 

Soccer love

Grounded in who he was and what he wanted out of his undergraduate experience, Zanelli had confidence to pursue an outside interest. He is a soccer aficionado both on the field and in the world of soccer gaming where he is better known as Renatogz05. In 2019, Zanelli became D.C. United’s first-ever official professional eEports athlete to play Electronic Arts SPORTS FIFA and compete in the 2019 Electronic MLS League Series. He came in second place in the last chance qualifier bracket at the Eastern Conference finals. 

Zanelli’s experience at UMBC has been life-changing. “This isn’t just about me,” he explains. “As a first-generation college student, I can now be a role model for my younger cousins. I can help and inspire them. They will not have to do it alone.”

“100% me”

“I grew up in Kensington, Maryland, surrounded by people from all over the world,” says Maya Isabella Peiris Scheirer. “As a first-generation Sri Lankan American and a second-generation German American, I am proud of my immigrant roots.” 

Her parents encouraged her to be curious about everything, she says. “They taught me to ask questions and find creative solutions when challenges arose.”

Scheirer first saw UMBC when her cousin Hashani Hettiarachchi ’14, biological sciences, invited her to campus events. When it came time to pick a college, she found UMBC an obvious fit thanks to its diversity, proximity to home, and biology program. She immediately moved onto campus and jumped into her science classes. Like Cano and Zanelli, Scheirer also chose to explore courses outside of her major. 

A global state of mind

Scheirer found her global studies classes to be particularly fascinating, but fitting them into her biology-heavy course schedule proved challenging. She decided to explore new possibilities, including majors where she could use her French, Sinhala, and German language skills.

“I researched interdisciplinary majors. I attended the Career Center workshops and filled out career interest questionnaires,” remembers Scheirer. While searching for a different academic path, she gained insight into the skills and interests she had been developing most of her life. She was an avid reader, making her a strong writer, and she loved multilingual and multicultural communities. 

“When I found global studies, it seemed 100% me,” shares Scheirer. “The study abroad requirement as well as the writing component and interdisciplinary research were what I had been looking for.”

Opening doors

In the spring of 2020, Scheirer traveled to Germany to study German at Leuphana University of Lüneburg. The language study program also gave her a deeper understanding of her father’s German culture. Unfortunately, like many students studying abroad this spring, Scheirer had to fly back home early due to COVID-19. She hopes to return soon.

Scheirer also chose to minor in gender, women’s, and sexuality studies after taking courses that expanded her perspective. “I was a feminist, but I had not viewed feminism through these theories,” she explains. “It opened a door for me.” Scheirer analyzed different feminists’ points of view through her writing while learning about how people occupy spaces differently.

Beyond her coursework, Scheirer put her writing skills to work covering arts and culture for The Retriever. She also found a community of close friends from different backgrounds through UMBC’s Equestrian Club, serving two terms as president. “Being president of the Equestrian Club taught me a lot about responsibility, collaboration, and motivating people,” she says, and it “gave me a sense of community.”

Be Your Best Self

Scheirer is waiting to find out what her next global adventure will be. She hopes to be an English teaching assistant in Andorra through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. If accepted, Scheirer will move to Andorra, where her French skills will come in handy, in the fall of 2021.

As she looks back on her last four years, she is grateful for making UMBC the place where she has not just earned her degree, but also learned more about herself. Scheirer remembers receiving a UMBC t-shirt with the phrase, “Be Your Best Self.” “I know it’s on a t-shirt, but it’s true,” she laughs. She says her peers were all working hard to become their best selves regardless of the field they were studying. 

“UMBC allowed me to stop worrying about what I ‘should’ be doing,” says Scheirer. “Being a Retriever gave me the confidence to know that what I ‘should’ be doing is being myself.”

Banner image: Maya Scheirer visiting Barcelona, Spain while studying abroad in Lüneburg, Germany.

UMBC’s newest graduates in computing and data science fields include students at all stages in their education and careers. Undergraduates, master’s students seeking to access new career opportunities, and Ph.D. students completing high-impact research have thrived at UMBC. Many cite the university’s strong academics, accessible faculty, research opportunities, and connections across disciplines as drawing them to UMBC. Connections with mentors and communities of support have helped carry them over the finish line to earn their degrees.

Impacting communities through service-learning

Fikir Ejigineh ‘20, information systems, remembers feeling intrigued by UMBC in high school, when she first heard about the university’s living learning communities (LLCs). Before long, she moved into UMBC’s Shriver Center LLC, a residential floor for students committed to civic engagement, service, and community-building.

Fikir Ejigineh. Photo courtesy of The Shriver Center.

As an information systems student focused on community-based problem-solving, she was selected for UMBC’s CoLab program in 2018. Ejigineh formed the Race and Social Justice CoLab with two other students. Together, they worked with new mapping software from UMBC’s Imaging Research Center, creating a 3D space to collect and share the multimedia stories of people living in Baltimore. The purpose of the project was to highlight voices that are oftentimes suppressed by the media’s representation of Baltimore City, Ejigineh explains.

As a France-Merrick Scholar through the Shriver Center, Ejigineh helped develop a creative art contest and leadership day for Baltimore youth that posed the question, ‘How do you envision your community?’. The project was another chance for her to work on a team with students from a broad range of majors. Together, they helped launch a display of youth artwork for the grand opening of OCA Mocha, a coffee shop and community gathering space in downtown Arbutus, founded by UMBC alumni.

Ejigineh has also served as vice-president of  UMBC’s Ethiopian-Eritrean Student Association. A cultural organization that aims to support philanthropic causes by hosting annual events like the Awareness Banquet. 

After graduation, Ejigineh will work as a business administrator at Alakrity, an IT startup company. In the future, she looks forward to combining her technical skills and creativity by furthering her education in user experience design. 

Her advice to incoming students is to focus not just on excelling in the classroom, but also finding opportunities to connect with students in other fields, and with communities on and off campus. “I’ve had a great UMBC experience because of what I’ve made out of it,” she says. “I would never be where I am now if I hadn’t gotten involved.”

Building connections 

As an undergraduate at UMBC, Fabiha Mahmood ‘18, political science, M.P.S. ‘20, cybersecurity, knew that it was important to establish networks right away. “When I was visiting colleges, the one thing that really struck me about UMBC was how close-knit and diverse the community is,” she says. “For me, it’s really important to have interpersonal relationships with my professors.”

Mahmood at the 16 over 1 UMBC Basketball Celebration in the UMBC Event Center in 2018. Photo courtesy of Mahmood.

Mahmood was undecided about what major to pursue, but after meeting with Eric Brown, a lecturer in the individualized studies program, she was eager to begin a first-year seminar in security studies. “He was so invested in my journey here, and from that first interaction, I knew that UMBC was different,” she shares. 

That trend of building close connections in the classroom and across campus continued. Mahmood went on to support UMBC students as a resident assistant and president of UMBC’s Panhellenic Association.

After completing her bachelor’s degree, Mahmood found that she was interested in careers that required technical skills that she didn’t yet have. She identified UMBC’s cybersecurity M.P.S. program as a strong complement to her political science degree.

In January 2020, Mahmood joined Residential Life again, this time as a graduate assistant,  where she supervised resident assistants, and began a “whirlwind of a semester” in her new program. While she had no idea that the experience would involve a pandemic, she says that her mentors in Residential Life helped her stay motivated and feel connected when many things moved online. “I could tell that they genuinely cared about me, and can confidently say that I wouldn’t have gotten that anywhere else,” she says.

Mahmood plans to pursue a career as an intelligence analyst, combining her knowledge of political science and cybersecurity.

Opening doors in a high-demand field

Like Mahmood, Matthew Griff ‘17, mathematics, M.P.S. ‘20, data science, also found a UMBC master’s program to complement his undergraduate degree and open up doors in a high-demand field. After earning his bachelor’s degree, Griff completed a finance internship at the American Psychological Association. A master’s in data science was his “logical next step”—helping him explore impactful ways to apply knowledge from his mathematics courses. 

Griff has enjoyed connecting with the data science program’s accessible faculty. He shares that Ergun Simsek, professor of practice and graduate program director for data science, was easy to approach and has served as a mentor for him. Building this one-on-one connection has helped him feel prepared for his next steps. 

How tech impacts lives

William Easley took his first course on human-computer interaction as a curious undergraduate at UMBC. Ravi Kuber, associate professor of information systems, piqued his interest in how technology impacts peoples lives, particularly for people with disabilities. Easley, who has a visual impairment, went on to complete an M.S. in human-centered computing in 2015, and is now earning his Ph.D. in the field. 

Easley loves that as a researcher he is now on the cutting edge of “creating knowledge.” “The idea of designing and building technologies to help people with disabilities is super exciting to me. It’s something that’s worthwhile and meaningful,” he explains.

But Easley wasn’t always aware of the opportunities available to him through research. He recalls how much it meant to him as an undergraduate when mentors encouraged him to get involved with research and pursue his master’s degree. They included leaders like UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski and Renetta Tull, former associate vice provost for strategic initiatives at UMBC.

3D print shop creates opportunity

As a master’s student, Easley connected with Amy Hurst, former associate professor of information systems at UMBC, known for her high-impact community-engaged research. Hurst worked with the Digital Harbor Foundation’s 3D print shop in Baltimore City, helping youth develop technical skills that would serve them in future careers. 

That experience and the connections he built over the years encouraged Easley to stay at UMBC to pursue his Ph.D. His work with youth at Digital Harbor became three years of dissertation research. Two youth from the first group continued to work in the print shop for all three years and took on more senior roles. Eventually, one of the youth became the shop manager, which Easley was excited about. 

Throughout his time at UMBC, Easley says that support from faculty was important to his development as a researcher. Hurst helped him find opportunities to travel to present his research and connected him with fellow researchers in human-centered computing. Easley also worked closely with Helena Mentis, associate professor of information systems, and associate dean in the College of Engineering and Information Technology. Mentis and Foad Hamidi, assistant professor of information systems, were Easley’s co-advisors for his dissertation. 

“Everyone that I worked with played a big role in helping me get to the finish line,” he says.

The COVID-19 pandemic shifted Easley’s final months at UMBC. He successfully defended his dissertation virtually in September, and interviewed and accepted a job as a human factors design engineer at Apple, and is currently working remotely.

Banner image: William Easley works with youth in the makerspace at the Digital Harbor Foundation in 2017. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

UMBC’s Translational Life Science Technology (TLST) degree is the new kid on the block among UMBC undergraduate programs, and its first graduates will earn their degrees this month. These students joined the program—a partnership with Montgomery College—in fall 2019. Through TLST they have gained deep knowledge of all aspects of the biotech industry and hands-on (and virtual) experience through internships and course work. They have also developed genuine and caring relationships with their classmates and professors, and feel ready to launch biotech careers.  

Jobs of the future

Take Titina Sirak ’20: She’s already received multiple job offers at biotech companies. She also plans to pursue a graduate degree in data science. 

Sirak completed in-person internships in traditional wet labs at the University of Maryland and the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Then, she did a remote internship with Kite Pharma, where she helped design a system for managing workflow, minimizing waste, and maximizing efficiency in their pharmaceutical production.  

Charmaine Hipolito ’20 (center) and Titina Sirak ’20 (right) speak with visitors at a celebration for the opening of USG’s new Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (BSE) Building in November 2019. Photo by USG.

“That’s the thing about the TLST major: When you’re studying biotech, you can be in any field. You could be on the data side, you could be in the lab doing manufacturing, you could be planning, you could be on the business side of it,” Sirak says. “That’s how TLST is different from other majors, because you take a whole range of classes. It helps you open up your mind to different sides of biotech.”

Sirak says she loves the manufacturing side and hands-on lab work, but plans to pursue data science because it is where jobs will be most plentiful moving forward. “Lots of things are going to be automated. But if you just look at all the systems that are required to make one pill, every step is recorded data,” she says. “Humans are just figuring out how to deal with all of it. I’m really interested in doing a graduate degree in that, because I want to learn how to analyze and manage data.”

Close-knit community

Sirak’s classmate, Charmaine Hipolito ’20, TLST, also already has more than one biotech job offer in hand. Hipolito originally planned to become a doctor, but a position as a medical assistant helped her realize she wanted to explore other possibilities in the biomedical field. Then she found TLST. “When I looked at the requirements, it seemed like it was just right for what I wanted to do,” she says. “I love lab work and research, and…you’re still helping people. So I thought, ‘Let me try this.’”

The program has met her expectations and more. “I really like the classes that the program offered,” Hipolito says. “I feel like those lab courses will really help me right after college, because most of the techniques that we did in class are the things that I’ll be doing in the jobs that are available.”

In addition to the academic program, Hipolito and Sirak both appreciated the closeness of the Shady Grove community.  

“Even if it’s small, Shady Grove has been amazing for me,” Sirak says. “You’re close to your professors. It’s easier to develop that close mentoring relationship. There are small class sizes, which helps you feel more connected to the other students. I’m so glad that UMBC has a campus at Shady Grove.”

“It’s very much like a family, and I like that my classmates are really motivated to learn,” Hipolito adds. “When you’re in that kind of environment, it helps you as well. Everyone is really helping everybody. There’s no competition.”

To further support their classmates, Sirak and Hipolito created Club Biotech. Sirak says, “We try to expose the club members to the professional environment and help them find internships and jobs and build networks.”

Real-world connections

Pedram Miraghazadeh, M.P.S. ’20, biotechnology management, is completing a graduate degree at Shady Grove focused on biotech, and he experienced some of the same benefits as the TLST students. “When I first started, I knew I liked biotech, but I wasn’t really sure exactly what I wanted to do,” he says. “Each class was different, so you can find your passion in a specific part of biotechnology.”

Miraghazadeh also felt prepared for his internships because of the hands-on nature of the program. “When I went to the lab, I knew what this centrifuge is going to do, how to clean my hood, how to wear my gown—the simple things that I learned from a book, but now I went to the lab and practiced it.”

Miraghazadeh has a special interest in the regulatory process, which has burst into the national spotlight with the development of COVID-19 vaccines. “I was explaining to all of my friends,” he says. “They always call me asking what’s going to happen with phase 1, phase 2, etc. I learned all that stuff in class, and now I see it in the real world.”

He has also felt supported and welcome in the Shady Grove community and with his professors. Miraghazadeh formed a special connection with Antonio Moreira, vice provost for academic affairs, who taught five of his courses. “As vice provost, he’s always busy, but he always made time for me when I had questions,” he says.

Changing the face of biotech

All three students shared that UMBC and the Shady Grove campus helped them find their way. Staff members Abigail Granger and Chelsea Moyer smooth TLST students’ transition from Montgomery College to UMBC and organize activities to help students connect with each other and the larger UMBC community. Grainger is assistant director of undergraduate recruitment and retention and Moyer is the director for UMBC at the Universities at Shady Grove.

Other key supporters of students in UMBC’s biotechnology programs include lecturer and active biotech professional Jeffrey Robinson ’99, biological sciences; Manik Ghosh, assistant director of the TLST program; and Annica Wayman ’99, M6, mechanical engineering, associate dean for Shady Grove affairs in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences.

“All of my professors have supported me, but Dr. Robinson and Dr. Ghosh have been with us through all three semesters of the program, teaching different classes,” Sirak says. Hipolito adds, “Dr. Robinson is really flexible in working with us, and very understanding when it comes to how some students work at different paces.”

Wayman’s leadership was instrumental in developing and implementing the TLST degree, and re-launching the MPS degree at Shady Grove. She firmly believes these intensive efforts have the potential to make a major difference.

“The impact is in the students we educate, who are often from underrepresented groups in STEM. It’s also in the lives that will be saved through the work they will do after graduating from the TLST program,” Wayman shares.  “Additionally, we are able to have impact by addressing the biotechnology workforce crisis in the region.”

“Students leave the program with a greater business acumen and improved leadership and communication skills to complement their technical knowledge and advance their career,” she adds.

A journey begins

For Wayman, the new graduates’ success is proof that her team’s vision is already coming to life: students are gaining employment in a growing field, feel empowered to make an impact, and know that they have a close network of support.

And for students like Miraghazadeh, UMBC has been more than a degree—it’s been a transformation. He came to the U.S. from Iran seven years ago, spent the first year improving his English, then attended Anne Arundel Community College before graduating from UMBC with his bachelor’s degree. Now he’s completing the biotech MPS with applied internships under his belt. He’s formed meaningful relationships with mentors and peers, and he’s confident and ready to make his own waves.

“UMBC for me,” he shares, “was the place helping me to find out what I want to be.”

Header image: Charmaine Hipolito (right) and Titina Sirak use the microscopes in a teaching lab at the Universities at Shady Grove. Photo by USG.

Fifty years ago, UMBC’s very first class crossed the stage for the university’s inaugural Commencement ceremony. Among the faces of the 239-member founding class captured in black and white in the Skipjack 1970 yearbook are men and women eager to explore their world. Together with brand-new faculty and staff, they helped set the foundation of UMBC as a true community of inquiring minds. 

Although they are decades apart, the graduating Class of 2020 has made just as indelible a mark on UMBC. Like their 1970 counterparts, they have contributed fresh takes on timeless conversations, challenged norms for the public good, created timely scholarship of all types, and pioneered entirely new ways of learning. 

As we celebrate UMBC’s Golden Commencement, we hope you will enjoy these conversations between members of the Classes of 1970 and 2020 and take pride in what it means to be a Retriever—and how those principles have remained consistent year after year.

Timeless Teammates—Louie & Kaya

For decades, many students’ UMBC experiences have been shaped by the teams they cheered for and the championships they competed in. But when Linda “Louie” Sowers ’70, American studies, first arrived at UMBC in the school’s inaugural year, athletics were hardly a blip on the map of the school’s three-building campus—and women’s sports did not exist at all. It was Sowers herself who made the change. 

Formerly a high school volleyball player, she approached the school’s athletic director and struck a deal: If she could gather enough interest, the school would sanction a women’s volleyball team.

In the end, sixty-six women—around a tenth of the school’s entire population—signed on, demanding women’s athletics. A volleyball team was formed, followed by field hockey and basketball, and the rest is history.

“I often wondered what would’ve happened if I hadn’t…said, ‘hey, we have girls that are interested in playing,’” Sowers told Kaya Knake ’20, computer science, a member of the Track and Field team, over lunch at True Grit’s early last semester. “How many years would’ve gone by with no women’s sports here?”

• Louie Sowers ’70
• Kaya Knake ’20

The women’s teams at the time had few resources at their disposal; they initially practiced in their gym uniforms, had difficulty finding schools to compete against, and were relegated to practicing in the late evening, once the boys were done using the field. 

Even once they did get their own uniforms, girls who played more than one sport got only one uniform that they used year-round—including Sowers, who wore lucky number 13 for all three teams. You can spot the jersey scattered across the pages of UMBC’s 1970 yearbook, which Knake and Sowers flipped through together as they chatted.

Now, 50 years later, women’s athletics at UMBC not only persists but thrives, with eight NCAA teams, including basketball and volleyball; field hockey, sadly, did not stand the test of time. 

Sowers and Knake at True Grit’s looking at photos of UMBC’s women sports teams from 1970 and today.

Knake, who will graduate this semester into a new career at Northrop Grumman, is one of the many students whose UMBC experience is inextricably tied to athletics. After all, Knake is a Michigan native who would not have heard about UMBC if she hadn’t been recruited by the university’s Track and Field team.

Unlike in Sowers’s time, Knake’s team has never had any dearth of schools to compete against. One of the most memorable experiences she has had as part of the Track and Field team, she said, was when UMBC hosted the America East Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the end of her sophomore year, bringing nine teams and tons of fans to campus. There, Knake won two events and even set an America East record for the outdoor 800 meter. But it was the support of the community that really made the occasion special, Knake told Sowers while sharing some of the team photos she keeps on her phone

“It meant a lot because my parents came down from Michigan, and then some people from UMBC came to watch, and we had a ton of alumni who came out as well,” Knake explained. “It was really special to have everyone here and feel like a big team.”

A World to Discover—Dale & Pat

It might come as a surprise to today’s UMBC students to learn that study abroad has been a part of the university’s fabric since almost the very beginning. In 1969, UMBC’s third year, a group of 42 students traveled abroad as part of a winter session course (then called the “mini-mester”), traversing Europe and visiting important historical landmarks.

Dale Gough ’70, American studies, was not on that trip. He did, however, end up going abroad after his senior year, but it was not for a class, nor for a vacation. At the time—the tail end of the Vietnam War—there was a draft lottery, in which young men were selected based on their birthdates to serve in the military. When Gough realized he was going to be drafted, he decided to get ahead of the curve by going to the military recruitment office, resume in hand, in hopes of getting placed somewhere other than active duty.

“[The recruiter] said, ‘Well, have you ever considered military intelligence?’ And I said, ‘Oh, you mean like James Bond?’” Gough recalled as he and Pat Michael ’20, mathematics and global studies, took a walking tour of campus together this spring.

On a walk around campus in early 2020, Gough and Micheal discuss the benefits of having experiences abroad.

Thus began Gough’s assignment in Panama, where he worked as the non-commissioned officer in charge of source administration and research analysis. Since then, he has visited six times and has become quite well-versed in Panamanian politics, culture, and history, as evidenced by the stream of facts and anecdotes he related to Michael as the duo turned off of Academic Row and made their way across the quad towards the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building.

Now, the class of 1970 is donating $25,000 to support international education in hopes of boosting the number of UMBC students who are able to study abroad — the Education Abroad Access Fund. Even though Gough did not personally have the opportunity to study abroad while in school, his time in Panama taught him that immersing oneself in another culture “fundamentally changes your DNA.”

• Dale Gough ’70
• Pat Michael ’20

The sentiment was echoed by Michael, who studied abroad in Colombia—which shares a border with Panama—during their junior year at UMBC. “It rocks your world,” said Michael, who described their experience in Colombia as that of a “investigator,” constantly trying to gain a deeper understanding of the country’s customs and culture over the course of their semester-long experience. 

While Michael managed to get used to some aspects of Colombian culture, like the blunt way the people talk with one another and the nation’s proclivity for long days that start early in the morning, they know that they still have much to learn. They plan to return someday soon and even applied to teach there as a Fulbright Scholar.

Gough and Michael ended their campus tour in The Commons, where they sat below the colorful swath of international flags that hang from the ceiling. There, Michael told Gough about working as a peer advisor in the Education Abroad Office. Part of the job of a peer advisor involves explaining to their fellow students what study abroad was like—a duty that has turned out to be mutually beneficial.

“Talking about my experience has helped me ground it, but it has also inspired other people,” Michael says. “It’s fun to see some people’s faces when they light up.”

Supplemental Learning—Donna & Kara

When Donna Helm ’70, French, came to UMBC, she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to study; the career options at the time were limited for women, she recalls, but she did have an interest in teaching. Luckily, though, she wasn’t alone in her uncertainty. Most of the professors who taught her were playing it by ear, as well.

“Many of our professors were brand-newly minted Ph.D.s who had never taught, and this was their chance to sort of figure it out, too,” Helm said in a phone call with Kara Gavin ’20, an English major and Humanities Scholar. 

• Donna Helm ’70
• Kara Gavin ’20

This led to a sort of camaraderie between the professors and students, who worked together to navigate the beginnings of a brand-new school; there was a sense that everyone on campus was constantly trying new things, learning from mistakes, and improvising. 

“They had requirements, but we had a certain amount of freedom to design … what we wanted to do,” Helm said.

This led to a handful of educational experiences that may strike today’s students as a little bit unusual. Some of the most notable were the weekend excursions Helm—along with her professor and twenty classmates—used to take to an off-campus estate called the Donaldson Brown Center, located in Cecil County on the Susquehanna River. 

There, the students would fully immerse themselves in the language. “It was an opportunity to just speak French and to interact on a different level with our professors because we weren’t at the school,” Helm says. “That was really a lot of fun.”

Members of the graduating class of 1970 read an issue of The Retriever.

After the COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to switch to distance learning this spring, UMBC’s students and professors faced moments of uncertainty and improvisation not unlike what Helm’s class experienced in the school’s first year. 

Just as Helm’s professors tried to find interesting ways to engage their students, Gavin’s professors have had to completely rearrange their courses to accommodate the new online environment. The professor for her costuming class altered the final project so that students who do not own a sewing machine can either create a costume design plan, including budget and materials, or write a research essay.

Degree requirements were also somewhat looser when Helm was a student, mirroring the temporary changes to grading policies this semester to afford students an unprecedented amount of flexibility for completing their graduation requirements under the stress of a pandemic.”

And just as Helm and her professors supported one another through the often-challenging work of building a university from the ground up, Gavin said her professors have been more than understanding of what their students are going through in this difficult time.  

“My teachers also have been helpful just by asking, ‘How are you guys doing?’ In the first Zoom session of my English Technical Communication course, we spent the first 15 minutes just talking about how we were, how our families were,” Kara said. “As often as I can, I try to make sure to thank my teachers for how they have helped us in this transition.”

*****

All 1970s images are from the university’s 1970 Skipjack. All other photos by Marlayna Demond ’11, except for Kara Gavin’s image, submitted by the subject. Infographic designed by Layla Thompson-Koch.

Read more stories about the Class of 2020.

Community-engaged work has been integral to the UMBC experience for Joseph Mayhew, M.A. ‘20, TESOL; Kiplyn Jones, M.A. ‘20, public policy; Malgorzata Bondyra ‘20, management of aging services; and Thao “Rosemary” Do ‘20, biological sciences. Despite coming from such different academic programs, they have all been able to connect in meaningful ways with local and international communities. And after graduating this week, they’ll each apply their talents, skills, and sense of commitment to community-engaged careers.

Using Peace Corps skills at home

Joseph Mayhew, a Catonsville local, left Baltimore over ten years ago for the University of South Carolina. After studying political science, he worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an AmeriCorps volunteer. Mayhew helped set up shelters for refugees and immigrant youth and helped manage FEMA’s news desk hotline. He decided to follow his AmeriCorps service with the Peace Corps in San Bernardino, Paraguay. 

Mayhew was excited to improve his Spanish skills and immerse himself in Paraguay’s culture. He taught English, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills to San Bernardino’s youth. 

“We were sharing strategies for the community to do their own development work based on their needs and identity as a community,” he shares. “It wasn’t about us staying and directing what needed to happen. It was about us stepping back so communities could move forward in the direction they wanted with new tools.”

Jones (front row, center, in yellow) and Mayhew (back row, third from left) with their Shriver Peaceworker cohort. Photo courtesy of Jones.

After the Peace Corps, Mayhew searched for a graduate program that would build on the skills he gained there. He didn’t know it would take him back home to Baltimore. The more he learned about UMBC’s Shriver Peaceworker Fellows Program, the more he knew it fit his career goals, integrating graduate study, community service, social change leadership, and ethical reflection. 

Seeing Baltimore through fresh eyes

The Peaceworker program reintroduced Mayhew to Baltimore, including the history of local communities and the disparities they experience, which he had not learned growing up. Mayhew began to dedicate his time working with Baltimore’s refugee and immigrant communities.

“After his Peace Corps service in Paraguay, Joe was eager to return and connect his grad studies to work that supported our region’s newcomer communities,” explains Joby Taylor Ph.D. ’05, language, literacy, and culture, director of UMBC’s Shriver Peaceworker Program.

Mayhew worked at a refugee and immigrant shelter. He also used the Spanish skills he learned in Paraguay to support the English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program and to develop high school and college readiness programs for the Latino youth at Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School (CJR).

“Chances are that if you saw young kids and families touring UMBC in the past two years, you saw Joe with his CJR students,” shares Taylor. “He’s led literally hundreds of families on their first ever college visit—that all-important first step to college access and a sense of belonging for newcomers and first-generation students.”

Bridging the language gap

Mayhew’s work with Baltimore’s Southeast community helped him to define a new career path. There, he witnessed first-hand how bridging the language gap helps English language learners access educational opportunities. He decided that the best way for him to help create positive social change was to become an ESOL teacher.

“I’m a language learner also,” says Mayhew. “Being able to move through multiple worlds and using all of your linguistic repertoire to express yourself is powerful. There are certain things that I can say in Spanish that I can’t express in English.” 

“I want students who live anywhere in Baltimore to be able to speak English while preserving their culture and language,” Mayhew shares. “They should be able to hang on to their identity and not have to live with this hierarchy that English is a language above other languages.” 

Mayhew will teach ESOL full-time in Baltimore City’s John Ruhrah Elementary/Middle School, working with another Peaceworker alum, Newcomer Center Lead Kevin Okun, M.A. ‘09, TESOL. 

Building relationships in Java

Kiplyn Jones grew up in Florida surrounded by a diverse international community that inspired her to broaden her linguistic and cultural knowledge. During high school she worked at a restaurant and began to learn Turkish and about Islam from the family that owned the business. This led her to learn Arabic and earn a B.A. in linguistics from the University of Florida. 

The next step on Jones’s journey was the Peace Corps, which placed her with a linguistically diverse (Javanese, Sundanese, and Indonesian ) speaking Muslim community in Java, Indonesia where she taught English, leadership, and teamwork skills to teens. “Anything I do, I try to do it meaningfully,” explains Jones. She was committed to having a positive impact and to learning as much as she could.

“In Indonesia personal relationships are very important for developing professional relationships,” Jones says. Both her host mother and co-teachers at a local high school helped her connect with the community. 

Jones with fellow co-teachers from SMA1 school in Pangandaran, Java. Photo courtesy of Jones.

“I was the first Peace Corps volunteer in this part of Java. The closest volunteer was six hours away,” remembers Jones. “Being the first one meant I had the unique responsibility of learning how to be a part of the community and collaborate on creating programs for future Peace Corps volunteers to build upon.”

Jones facilitating an after school English Club. Photo courtesy of Jones.

Envisioning positive change in the world

Jones’s Peace Corps experience strengthened her desire to pursue a career in international development. She knew the Peaceworker Program would help her meet these goals. 

“We have seen Kiplyn grow as a researcher as she dived into the public policy master’s program,” shares Charlotte Keniston, M.F.A ’14, intermedia and digital art, associate director of the Peaceworker Program. “Kiplyn discovered a love for program evaluation and data analysis as she completed each step of the program.”

Building on the skills she learned in Indonesia, Jones also learned to support the students in UMBC’s Grand Challenge Scholars Program (GCSP). The program is designed for undergraduate students interested in developing solutions to global challenges in areas such as sustainability, security, and health. 

“Initially, Kiplyn was apprehensive about working with students from STEM fields, as that was very different from her own background in linguistics,” remembers Keniston. “She was able to find a common ground of working together to envision positive change in the world. She’s really helped to grow and shape that program and has been a fantastic mentor to those students.”

Jones’s dedication to international development work earned her a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to Jordan. Fulbright programs are now on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but she looks forward to having the chance to travel again, and to supporting communities wherever she finds herself. 

Touring Polish violinist finds home at UMBC

Malgorzata Bondyra came to the United States as a violinist in a Polish folk band. Before she returned to Poland to finish her degree in economics, a friend asked her to replace her in a nanny position in Maryland. Bondyra accepted. She worked and enrolled as an international student in Dundalk Community College, where she earned her associate’s degree.

Bondyra next pursued a degree in music performance at UMBC, but during her sophomore year decided to take time off to raise her daughter.

Eighteen years later, she returned to complete her undergraduate degree in the management of aging services. And this time she had company. Bondyra’s daughter, Dominika Bondyra ‘21, computer science, was already a student at UMBC.

Finding a career within the Polish community

Just as Bondyra’s Polish culture inspired her pursuit of a career in the performing arts when she was younger, the local Polish community in Baltimore inspired her more recent interest in working with older adults. 

While raising her daughter, Bondyra had various jobs and volunteered to translate medical forms for older community members. She then began accompanying them to doctor’s visits and helping them ask questions about their healthcare. She enjoyed the experience so much she became a certified Polish language medical translator. 

“I really enjoyed working with the Polish seniors,” shared Malgorzata. “When I learned about UMBC’s Erickson School of Aging Studies I was excited to finally complete my degree in this new career path to better serve the elderly in my community.”

An internship with a twist

This spring Bondyra was to begin her final internship at Seven Oaks Senior Center in Baltimore County, home to a large Polish community. There she would help with recreation activities to help members bond with each other and support continued learning and mobility. 

After the facility temporarily closed due to COVID-19, the center continued to support its members by providing some services online. And they had a special idea for their intern. “The center asked me to finish my internship by having an online cooking class,” says Bondyra. “I really had to think about it because I am very shy.” In the end, she agreed.

“Cooking with Gosia” (short for Malgorzata) quickly became a hit with the members of the senior center. Bondyra drew on her knowledge of traditional Polish recipes she had grown up eating and cooking. She began with the more familiar recipes, like stuffed cabbage and pierogi, then moved on to lesser known dishes. The online classes drew not only the local Polish community, but also other viewers from around the world interested in Polish cooking.

While the internship offered an entirely new way for Bondyra to support others, her success in the position also reflects two decades of connection to Baltimore’s Polish community. Bondyra plays the violin for a Polish church, serves as vice president of the Baltimore chapter of the Polish National Alliance, and is the artistic director and choreographer for a local Polish folk dancing group.

This spring, in addition to her bachelor’s degree from UMBC, she’ll earn a bachelor’s degree in Polish folk dancing from University of Rzeszow in Poland. 

“I work very hard in everything I am passionate about,” says Bondrya. Next, she’ll pursue a master’s degree through the Erickson School. “I look forward to graduate school at UMBC,” she shares. “Who knows where this next adventure will take me.”

Holistic medicine from Vietnam to UMBC

Rosemary Do chose to attend UMBC at the recommendation of her brother, Duy Do ‘07, biochemistry. UMBC gave him the strong STEM foundation he needed to then attend the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and later Columbia University College of Dental Medicine to specialize as an endodontist. Rosemary heeded his advice and moved from Vietnam to the United States to also pursue a career in dentistry.

This illustration by Rosemary Do depicts Vietnam and Vietnamese geographic and cultural icons within an eye. Features include Hạ Long Bay (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the Thiên Mụ Pagoda (a historic temple). Image courtesy of Rosemary Do.

Rosemary Do’s interest in dentistry comes from a very personal experience. “My father had periodontal disease and diabetes,” she shares. “Dentists in Vietnam did not take into consideration his diabetes limiting the effectiveness of his periodontal surgeries. I want to be able to practice dentistry from a holistic point of view to help the most people.”

Finding a lab and a band

Do’s first trip from Vietnam to Virginia was quite a journey, but she had family in Virginia, so it went smoothly. More daunting was traveling from Virginia to UMBC, Do explains. UMBC meant the beginning of an independent journey with no quick access to family. She made a conscious decision to get out of her comfort zone and find community. 

Do knew that she wanted to enrich her academic experience through lab research. She reached out to Jeff Leips, biological sciences, who invited her to support his lab’s developmental biology research with fruit flies. During her three years with the lab, she learned the importance of being meticulous as well as the value of learning from mistakes. 

“My attention to detail grew, which is very important in dentistry,” explains Do. “Dr. Leips created a safe environment to learn and be innovative by encouraging us to explore, lead experiments, and make mistakes.”

Leips’s lab also gave Do meaningful social connections. This past December, Leips and the students created a band, The Leips and the Flies, with Do on guitar. Their first performance was at the department’s end of the year party. 

“Rosemary is one of the most impressive students I’ve had the pleasure of working with,” shares Leips. “She is an amazing student, an impressive young scientist, and an awesome rhythm guitar player in the lab band. We are really going to miss her but wish her well in the next step of her career.”

A better version of myself

Always focused on new opportunities to grow, Do also joined UMBC’s Aikido Club. Before joining she had never played a sport or studied a martial art, but she wanted to try. Eventually, she became the vice president of the club and helped run Women’s Self Defense Seminars. 

With a fulfilling and balanced campus experience, Do sought ways in which to engage with UMBC’s surrounding community. She began volunteering in the oncology department at Saint Agnes Hospital in Southwest Baltimore, delivering food to patients. Later she worked with UMBC’s Shriver Center to volunteer in the Multiple Sclerosis Aquatics Program at the Catonsville YMCA. 

“I have been a very privileged person all of my life. My mother is a doctor and my father is an engineer. I’ve never had to worry about anything,” shares Do. “My experience with the Shriver Center helped me learn a sense of responsibility to be a better version of myself for the betterment of others.”

Every weekend for six semesters Do assisted patients with stretches in the pool to alleviate their pain and increase their range of motion. Two years ago, she became the student coordinator.

As she transitions to the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Rosemary Do knows she made the right decision following her brother’s advice. “Looking back from when I left Vietnam to now, it has been a great journey,” she shares. “Everyone here at UMBC has shaped who I am today and I am grateful for that.”

Banner image: Malgorzata Bondyra (center of first row) at a folk dance festival in Poland. Photo courtesy of Bondyra.

We can all agree it was not supposed to be this way. Commencement—as President Freeman Hrabowski often reminds graduates during the ceremony—is a dignified occasion, deserving of the phrase “pomp and circumstance.” It’s also a day for jitters, lining up with your classmates in the hallways of the Event Center, and being mindful of your feet when crossing the stage. It’s a day for loud, celebratory shouts and enough clapping to make your palms feel sore afterward. Commencement is a day for shaking hands with your mentors, for hugging your suitemates and best friends so hard your mortarboard cap falls off. In short, the culmination of your time at UMBC is a full-body experience, and our class of 2020 deserved to have that day.

With traditional end-of-studies rites of passage not possible this May, our 2020 graduates are finding ways to acknowledge what they’ve lost but also celebrate their hard-earned achievements. Until we’re able to commemorate them in person, UMBC Magazine wanted to give a special shout out and send off to our 50th graduating class.

Visit umbc.edu/classof2020 and umbc.edu/together for more Class of 2020 celebratory content.

In This Together

I never planned to walk at graduation. 

Graduating college was just something everyone in my life expected me to do—why celebrate it in a three-hour ceremony? The diploma would be mailed either way.  

But as the second semester of my senior year got closer and closer, I started thinking about my “lasts” and I realized that I wanted to experience the culmination of four years’ worth of blood, sweat, and grit, and I wanted to do it with my friends. 

Julia Arbutusis the outgoing editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, The Retriever, and a proud member of the Class of 2020.

We’ve all spent four years of our lives—some, even more—working towards our degrees, and it’s difficult to think of the last moments we have missed.

We’ll never get to experience our last day of classes, or our last club meetings, or our last late night chicken tenders. We’ll never get to experience the butterflies in our stomachs as we wait for our names to be called so we can walk across the stage after a (last) week of finals, pretending that we can pick out our moms in the crowd.

While it hurts that we weren’t able to have the same May graduation ceremony as the 49 classes before us, it helps to know that if we could make it through college, we can make it through this, too. And though the future’s uncertain, one thing I know for sure is that we’re all in this together, just as we have been for the last several years. 

We’ve conquered Chem 101, given our first 15-minute presentation, written countless essays, and survived distance learning. We’ve pulled all-nighters in the Retriever Learning Center to complete assignments due at 8 a.m. the next day, spent days running on coffee, and have ordered more Domino’s pizza than we might care to admit.

We’ll remember the “plagues” that struck campus, causing campus-wide losses of power and water; the tree that mysteriously appeared on Erikson Field during the 2017 fall semester finals week—appropriately dubbed the Finalmas tree—and the first time we got really and truly spooked by a campus squirrel eating Chick-fil-A. We’ll remember the feeling of staying up late with friends, living exclusively on Admin sandwiches, and scrambling to find last-minute parking.

Personally, I’ll also miss the baristas at Starbucks, who remembered my name and my order, the newsroom tucked away on the second floor of the University Center, and the ground floor of Fine Arts, where I could often be found pretending to dance for an upcoming Musical Theatre Club production.  

All of these memories have people attached to them, and they’re perhaps the most important. We haven’t done it alone, and while it was hard to have to give up our last, perhaps most formative, semester, it’s easy to remember the people who were there by our sides, helping us through.  

Professors who have had our backs from the beginning and don’t mind if we drop by their office hours unannounced. Staff who have taught us more than we seem to be able to get from a classroom. Advisors who have checked in on us outside of advising season to make sure we’re okay. Friends who have been there since freshman orientation, and friends we were only just beginning to make this semester. 

Though we may not have been able to give everyone a proper goodbye, and we might now wish that we took a little extra time to relax, we will remember the moments with each other more than anything else. 

So I think we deserve it when I say:

Congratulations, Class of 2020.

We made it.

Julia Arbutus is the outgoing editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, The Retriever, and a proud member of the Class of 2020. A double major in financial economics and English, her next step is a master’s in journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Nothing Left to Say, but ‘Thanks’

We reached out to the graduating class to ask about warm memories and shout-outs to fellow Retrievers they’d like to share. From an ode to the campus squirrel population to words of gratitude to mentors; from virtual hugs of suitemates-turned-best friends to memories of closing curtain bows, what we heard was a genuine outpouring of love for our UMBC community.

As a biology major who spends a lot of time in labs, I’ve always joked that Stella-Blue—my sweet Labrador Retriever—is my “lab assistant” or my best “lab partner.” For the UMBC Homecoming Puppy Parade, I brought Stella to campus dressed as a scientist, complete with an Einstein wig! I was delighted when Stella won the Puppy Parade Costume Contest. Finally, her role as a “lab assistant” was made official!  

One of my favorite memories is the last day of my first semester of teaching the cinematic/animation course Visual Concepts 4. It was my first time teaching a college-level course, and I felt a great sense of accomplishment in myself and in my students as we screened their impressive short films. 

—Adan Martinez Rodriguez, M.F.A., intermedia and digital art, at Homecoming 2019.

Residential Life Facilities is a group that made my time at UMBC amazing. I was a maintenance assistant for three years. Every year, the group’s dynamic changed with new MA’s added, but yet every semester was always so memorable. Working with the MA’s, I learned about how to fix various things in the residential buildings, but I also learned about each MA’s different cultures and experiences at UMBC. My entire UMBC experience would be very different if I was not an MA. 

—Sarah Sinnokrot, mechanical engineering, back row, fifth from left, with the other members of the maintenance assistance staff.

One person who has made my time at UMBC amazing is Professor Susan Blunck, part of the elementary education department. Dr. Blunck has been not just my professor for many years, but my friend, support system, mentor, and confidant. She’s pushed me to my full capacity and I cannot wait to take everything she has taught me into my future elementary classroom this fall. You rock, Dr. Blunck!

—Brooke Lauren Edwards, psychology, interning at Relay Elementary School. She’s since accepted an elementary teacher position at this same school in the fall.

I remember the first day I walked into the Women’s Center. I finally found a space where I felt that I belonged. This was so important to me because I felt as though I was the only non-traditional student and would not find a community where I felt I belonged. As a single parent, this gave me a safe place to concentrate on work, and if I needed anything such as extra food, supplies, or just to talk to someone, I had Jess and her wonderful staff. 

—Joanna Riley, social work, with her son Christian Jackson at Patapsco State Park.

I came to UMBC because of Cyberdawgs. My first year on the team, we placed second at Mid-Atlantic CCDC and failed to qualify for nationals. Being a newcomer, I always believed it was my fault. The next year, I resolved to work harder. That was also the point when I was named team captain, something I also wasn’t expecting. Then at Mid-Atlantic CCDC, we fell short again. As captain, I still felt that a large chunk of the blame could be placed on me. With a little shoving from my teammates Zack Orndorff, Seamus Burke, RJ Joyce, and Cyrus Bonyadi I realized it couldn’t entirely be my fault. They eventually pushed me to run for president. Since then, we’ve won the Department of Energy’s Cyberforce Competition, Maryland Cyber Challenge, SANS Netwars Tournament of Champions, and most recently Mid-Atlantic CCDC. I am constantly amazed at the brilliance of the people I’m surrounded by. I truly believe I’m working with the best in the field. 

—Anna Tegla Staats, computer science, has been a member of the UMBC Running Club all four years and was a walk-on track and field athlete.

Just one of my favorite memories at UMBC is my first day of work as a Graduate Assistant for Assessment in Residential Life. It was my first day interacting with the department and also my first department meeting where we had homemade ice cream made with dry ice as an “ice breaker.” What makes that memory so special to me was the amount of warmth and level of inclusivity I felt from my supervisor, the department, and my fellow graduate assistants. I did not attend UMBC for my undergraduate years, so I was beyond touched by how welcomed I was made to feel. That feeling has absolutely continued throughout the last two years and I will be sad to leave upon graduating next month. 

Special thanks has to be given to my parents who always support and encourage me. I am eternally grateful. My fellow Humanities Scholars have helped to make my time at UMBC amazing. I’ve gained and learned so much from having classes with you, living with you, and just being with you. To each of the graduating Humanities Scholars (as well as those to come), I am so proud of you. You will amaze the world with your brilliance.

—Kara Deonna Gavin, English, center, with friends on the first day of school in 2016.

Retriever Rally

To encourage the class of 2020, UMBC alumni from the past five decades of graduating classes submitted notes to cheer them on as they launch to their next adventure. Here is a small selection.

The next few months will feel like being pushed off a cliff and being expected to fly. While it can feel scary, embrace and enjoy this time of growth—the world is just starting to open for you. 

—Mandy ’09, psychology

Incredible opportunity will come from every circumstance, if you continue to apply your grit!

—Bennett Moe ’88, visual and performing arts

Sharp, friendly graduates are always in high demand. Celebrate your accomplishment and keep moving forward fearlessly—you got this! 

—Kristen Avery ’16, MLLI

Through your strength and creativity, confidence and humility, you will lift every voice and solve the hardest problems ever faced.

—Patrick Ellis ’04, geography

You have worked so hard, and deserve to celebrate yourself and your huge accomplishment! You are enough and filled with good for yourself and the world.

—Fio Haire, ’17, computer science and mathematics

*****

Header image by Marlayna Demond ’11. All other images submitted courtesy of the subjects.

Majoring in the arts requires intense levels of stamina and self-discipline—long hours rehearsing, creating, writing, designing, interpreting—coupled with an inner drive for inquiry and perfection. UMBC’s undergraduate and graduate students in the arts are no exception, reaching forward even in this era of social distancing.

UMBC’s 2020 graduates in dance, theatre, music, and visual arts include scholars looking forward to graduate study, teaching, and professional creative work in their fields. Some have been able to move ahead with long-planned next steps. Others have been making adjustments in response this unique and challenging moment.

Listening to the natural world

Percussionist Jonathan Sotelo ’20, music, came to UMBC to study music education, but discovered his love of timpani by playing in the UMBC Symphony. Since then, he has been a member of the UMBC Percussion Ensemble and studied with associate professor Tom Goldstein and Baltimore Symphony principal timpanist James Wyman.

With a strong interest in new music, Sotelo has commissioned a number of his student composer colleagues to write solo percussion pieces for him.

“My most important achievement at UMBC,” says Sotelo, “was learning how to listen. I’ve learned how to listen to the natural world, and how to apply it to music. Because of that, I am able to make my performances more connective to the audience, in any type of music—improvisations to the orchestral repertoire.”

He looks forward to attending graduate school at the University of Maryland, College Park, with the goal of becoming an orchestral timpanist.

An athlete, an artist

Linehan Artist Scholar and Division I soccer player Courtney Culp ’20, visual arts, has combined her loves of sport and visual arts to create impactful works during her time at UMBC.

The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis screened her film A Mile in My Cleats as the opening presentation of the 2020 Race and Sports Day, held just before Martin Luther King Day. Through her documentary, she gave others space to share their stories of what it’s like to be a black female athlete. She shares, “I finished the project with an immense amount of new knowledge of my craft and closer relationships with my peers at UMBC.”

Studying Italian art and culture in Rome in 2019, with UMBC visual arts faculty Kimberly Anderson and Lynn Cazabon, also played a significant role in Culp’s UMBC experience. “I have gained lifelong friends at UMBC that have pushed and challenged me for the better,” she says. “I will forever be grateful for my time here.”

Culp will begin an M.F.A. program in illustration with minors in production design and themed entertainment design at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) this fall. “My hope is to become a visual designer for animation, film, and interactive entertainment projects.” She is also slated to play soccer at SCAD.

Contemporary musician

Few musicians are equally adept at more than one instrument, but Christian Hartman ’20, music, is an exception. He has made a name for himself as both a cellist and percussionist.

The principal cellist of the UMBC Symphony and a Linehan Artist Scholar, Hartman will attend the University of Delaware in the fall for graduate studies in cello performance. While at UMBC, he received a Music Performance Fellowship and Music Achievement Award.

“I’m considering an academic career, which would allow me to perform, teach, and research,” says Hartman, “especially in the fields of contemporary and early music in which I’m most interested.”

His interest in contemporary music has led to collaborations with composers, and he has premiered a number of new compositions. A composer and arranger himself, he has written and arranged music for a variety of ensembles, including works premiered by high schools, honor groups, dance companies, and collegiate ensembles.

As a percussionist, Hartman plays snare drum in the Baltimore’s Marching Ravens Drumline, which he intends to continue through graduate school. He also drums for the Baltimore-based rock band The Negative Men and serves as percussion director for Manchester Valley High School marching band, his high school alma mater.

Lighting a new path

Linehan Artist Scholar Corey Goulden-Naitove ’20, theatre, has already had the opportunity to work professionally as a lighting designer at the Annapolis Shakespeare Company, Abington Friends School, and Long Lake Camp for the Arts. He had planned to continue this path when he graduated. But as coronavirus stay-at-home orders rolled out, and show after show was cancelled, he watched as five months of work evaporated in 24 hours.

Remarkably, the next day Goulden-Naitove received a call from Indiana University, Bloomington, inviting him to their Design + Technology program. At the time, it seemed “out of the blue.”

“They called up to offer me a spot in the M.F.A. program, with an assistantship with a living wage and tuition remission,” he says. Now, he will have a chance to continue studying his craft and remain connected to the theatre industry during COVID-19 closures.

This past winter at the Southeastern Theatre Conference, Goulden-Naitove presented his lighting design for the 2019 UMBC production of Anon(ymous), and won First Place in the Undergraduate Lighting Competition. He would later learn that it was that lighting design and award that caught the attention of the University of Indiana.

“UMBC was definitely the right choice for me—I have had opportunities here that I don’t think I would have found anywhere else in the world,” Goulden-Naitove says. “I am very grateful to all of my professors, to the university, and to Earl and Darielle Linehan for helping to make this happen.”

Inspiring the next generation of students

It’s no wonder that Linehan Artist Scholar Teresa Whittemore received the dance department’s Outstanding Senior in Choreography Award—her work has been twice featured at the American College Dance Festival. This includes the work Giving Skin, performed this spring.

Whittemore has also twice presented for UMBC’s Undergraduate and Creative Achievement Day, and through departmental dance showcases. And Arts by the People has presented her choreography in New York.

In addition to choreography, Whittemore also loves to teach. Following graduation, she plans to teach at three area studios—JMD Studios, EMC Performing Arts, and Kinetics Dance Theatre, where she is currently assistant school manager.

Everyday activities become something more

Brandon Ables, who earns his M.F.A. in Intermedia and Digital Arts this spring, had expected to travel to Romania this September as a Fulbright scholar. Fortunately, although coronavirus complications have delayed his travel, it will still move forward in February 2021. In Romania, he’ll teach English at a university and will conduct an arts research project on the Romanian deadlift weightlifting form and history.

In the meantime, Ables will continue his research in the U.S. His work replays dreams, notes, and ideas using everyday environments and actions, accompanied with hypnotic suggestions. “I’m interested in discovering and creating triggerable actions within daily routines to score with audio and visual self-help style suggestions, guiding the subconscious to solve practical and absurd challenges,” he says.

“Activities like lying in bed, chewing, and looking in the pantry become opportunities to carve the subconscious into a desirable shape with no extra effort required.”

This summer, Ables will complete an interactive novel about parking, autonomous cars, and impulse purchases. He will also develop a one-man-band live performance to add more complexity to the actions he’s using to trigger self-hypnotic audio and visuals. And then, onward to Romania.

Performer, producer, teacher

Raymond Robinson ’17, music technology and jazz studies, and ’20 M.A.T., music, came to UMBC in 2013 as Linehan Artist Scholar and a multifaceted musician. He already was a skilled pianist and saxophonist, but he credits UMBC and his professors for his mastery of music theory and music technology.

“Now I produce, engineer, and know advanced jazz theory, arrangement, and composition,” he says. “I would not be the musician and educator that I am today without the guidance of all my teachers. I feel like I owe it to them to also be a teacher.”

Robinson feels that it’s important to have more men in the education system, especially black men. “I hope to have the opportunity to teach students of all ethnicities about acceptance and open-mindedness before perspectives and deeper implicit biases get locked-in,” he says. And he hopes to be a role model for black boys and young men.

He looks forward to teaching instrumental and general music in Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County public schools. He also looks forward to resuming performances at popular venues around Washington’s U Street corridor and with A.B.M and New Impressionz, two of the major Go-Go bands in the District.

Intensive training, unique opportunities

Linehan Artist Scholar Emily Godfrey ’20, dance, has performed at the Kennedy Center not once, but twice. Godfrey first appeared there in 2018 at the American College Dance Festival, performing choreography by Maia Schechter ’18, dance. She then appeared again in 2019 in choreography by assistant professor Ann Sofie Clemmensen.

Godfrey’s own choreography, terminal, was chosen in 2020 for the American College Dance Association (ADCA) Mid-Atlantic North Conference Gala, along with Giving Skin by Teresa Whittemore. At UMBC, she has appeared on stage with Baltimore Dance Project and in many dance department programs.

With the financial support of the Linehan Summer Award and the Dance Department Summer Award, Godfrey attended several intensive programs. These include the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Summer Intensive, the Paul Taylor American Modern Dance Summer Intensive, the Peridance Blueprint Summer Intensive, and study at the Gerlev Sports Academy in Denmark.

Following graduation, Godfrey plans to pursue a professional career in dance performance with national and international companies.

Satisfying “my creative side”

Double majoring in the arts and sciences can be daunting, but Linehan Artist Scholar and Honors College student Sarah Brewer ’20 will graduate with a B.A. in dance and a B.S. in biology. She credits open communication with dance and biology faculty, a team of advisors, and her own focus on time management for making it work.

As she prepares to leave UMBC, Brewer remains committed to both art and science. She is interning at a molecular biology lab within the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and recently interviewed for a full-time position. She says the work at the lab “satisfies some of my creative side and all of my scientific side.” Still, she’s already reaching out to contacts at local companies to find ways to continue her work in dance. 

Brewer says her proudest undergraduate moment was a duet performance choreographed by Teresa Whittemore ’20, When Eve and Eve Bit the Apple, at an ACDA gala performance in spring 2019. The piece was one of only two undergraduate works among twelve selected for the gala.

She shares, “To be a part of Teresa’s choreographic process, and build a creative relationship with her and my duet partner Michelle Ye ’22 was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had at UMBC.”

The perfect fit

Some UMBC students dream of attending the university for years before they arrive on campus. Linehan Artist Scholar Olivia Mills ’20, visual arts, had a different experience.

“I’m not from Maryland, and I wasn’t familiar with UMBC until the end of my college search,” Mills says, “but once I researched it and was offered the Linehan Artist Scholarship, it rose to being my first choice—and it was the perfect fit for me,” she says.

Mills’s focus has been on animation. Her senior capstone project and 2020 URCAD presentation, the animated film Creatures in Crisis, challenged the notion that robust animated film projects emerge only from major studios.

As an artist at UMBC, she especially enjoyed Commonvision programs, and made a point to share her work during annual Art Week festivities and in seasonal zines.

Given the impact of coronavirus on the arts, Mills plans to use her time immediately following graduation to build her artistic portfolio. “While the coronavirus situation saddens me and has been a source of stress, a silver lining is I now have to stay in and work on my art,” she says. “I’m also glad there is a virtual network through UMBC’s Career Center and Alumni Association to get on-track with my professional goals.”

Catherine Borg contributed to this article.

Banner image: Emily Godfrey ’20 performs with colleagues in Baltimore Dance Project’s 2020 concerts at UMBC.

All Photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC unless otherwise noted.

Like many new UMBC students, Jana Burns ‘20, information systems, was interested in so many topics when she stepped on campus that choosing a major initially proved challenging. When she transferred to UMBC from Brown’s Town Community College in Jamaica, she thought she wanted to study psychology and art. But she had also taken several programming courses and began to see the significant ways that technology impacts how people live. 

The connections she made on campus led her to become a Cyber Scholar, which then opened more doors. She accessed the right opportunities at the right moments, and is now graduating with an exciting position in her field and a support network to carry her forward.

This experience is one many UMBC students share—building relationships that expand possibilities, for careers and for life.

Right mentors, right internship

Burns chose UMBC after experiencing the university’s welcoming and friendly environment during a campus tour. Once she became a Cyber Scholar, she connected with students and mentors on a new level through the Center for Women in Technology. “It seemed like a family,” she says. 

Jana Burns with Richard Tapia at the Tapia Conference. Photo courtesy of Burns.

As a first-generation college student, says Burns, her UMBC community has been essential to her success in her academics, research, and personal life. “I was put in touch with people who I would not have met otherwise,” she shares, adding that she regularly texts with her industry mentor, Kijafa Saunders ‘02, information systems, M.S. ‘11, engineering management.

On campus, Burns has formed close connections with Vandana Janeja, professor and interim chair of information systems, and Cindy Greenwood, assistant director of the Cyber Scholars Program. They are always there and always supportive, says Burns. 

Her experience in the Cyber Scholars Program has also encouraged her to become a leader in other communities on campus. She is the secretary and an executive board member of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority. She’s also a member of the UMBC Caribbean Student Council, which she calls her “cultural home on campus.” 

Learning with a team

Last summer, as Burns began to take concrete steps toward her career after graduation, she completed an internship at Booz Allen Hamilton, a leading management and IT consulting firm. Burns was connected to the internship through Saunders, who had worked at Booz Allen as an associate systems engineer.

There, Burns worked alongside about 60 other interns from other institutions across the country.  She had the opportunity to collaborate with a small group of other students to create an image change detection application for surveillance drones. Together, they tested and presented their work. 

After graduation, Burns will work at Northrop Grumman as a systems engineer in the company’s rotational program—a program she learned about fromGreenwood. She will have the opportunity to work in different departments to learn which areas interest her most. 

Community of support within the lab

Harper Montgomery ‘20, biochemistry, knew he wanted to be an entomologist since he was seven years old. He became fascinated by insects through spending time outdoors in Southern California, where he lived before moving to Howard County.

Once at UMBC, Montgomery began looking for the right research opportunity—something that would prepare him for a career studying the creatures he found so intriguing. Through another student, he heard about Mercedes Burns and her work on arachnids and daddy long legs, which is close to his interest in entomology.  He reached out to Burns, assistant professor of biological sciences, was invited for an interview to work in her lab, and the rest is history.

Montgomery shares that the lab has provided him with much more than the opportunity to do research. “I absolutely love my lab. It’s my home in the sciences,” he says. “The way that Burns approaches research and mentoring is one of the best that I’ve ever seen. She is a fantastic mentor who pushes her students.” 

Not only does Montgomery get to work alongside Burns, but he says that the graduate students in the lab have been mentors to him. And everyone encourages each other to pursue unique opportunities and take their research to the next level. 

Exploring different angles

Even as an undergraduate, Montgomery had the opportunity to present a poster, with two other students, at the American Arachnological Society meeting. He’s also presented his research at UMBC’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day in 2019 and 2020.

And like Jana Burns, Montgomery has accessed particular opportunities that have opened doors for his developing career. 

Through a high school classmate, Montgomery was connected with an internship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For two summers, he was involved with genetics research focused on the microbiology of soybeans. Looking back at the experience, Montgomery says the internship inspired him to take a microbiology course at UMBC, and also enabled him to become well-versed on a broader range of biology topics, which has proven useful in connecting with mentors and industry professionals.

After graduation, Montgomery will pursue a Ph.D. in entomology at the University of California, Riverside, a top program. He consulted with Burns during the application and decision process, and describes her mentorship and support “invaluable.” 

A nurturing network

Olusayo Adeleye ‘20, M28, mathematics, looks back on her experience during the summer bridge program of UMBC’s Meyerhoff Scholars Program fondly. She was drawn to the program because of its emphasis on community and supporting students academically and personally. “It was one of the best decisions that I made before college,” Adeleye says.

When Adeleye arrived on campus, she planned to major in mechanical engineering, but was drawn to mathematics and economics. She was eager to connect with people on topics that impact decisions they make every day. 

Mentorship has played a significant role in her UMBC experience, and will continue to be a part of her academic journey after she graduates. Her mentors include Ivanna Abreu, program coordinator of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, Mitsue Wiggs, assistant director of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, as well as other students, particularly Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, M26, ‘19, mathematics.

When Adeleye changed her major to math, Opoku-Agyeman quickly began introducing her to contacts on and off campus. She also recommended internship opportunities that she should apply for. 

“Lifting others as I climb”

Eventually, Adeleye joined Opoku-Agyeman as a member of the organizing committee that launched the Sadie Collective. The group’s inaugural Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Conference for Economics and Related Fields, in 2019, was the first conference for black women economists in the United States. 

Adeleye says that the Sadie Collective enabled her to develop important “soft skills” that she hadn’t focused on much before, in leadership, teamwork, and communication. “I believe so much in the goal of the Collective,” she explains. By being part of a group designed to support and increase the number of black women in economics, she says, “I am lifting others as I climb.”

Adeleye attended the American Economic Association’s annual conference in San Diego this year, where she connected with leading economics researchers.

Building on these unique, impactful experiences, Adeleye has earned a highly selective predoctoral fellowship at NYU’s Stern School of Business. The fellowship is supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which provided funding to UMBC beginning in 2017 to support underrepresented students at the highest levels of economics. 

Adeleye will be one of just two students selected for the program. She will be mentored by economist Peter Henry, who is the former dean of the NYU Stern School of Business. After her pre-doctoral fellowship, Adeleye plans to pursue her Ph.D. in business with a focus on corporate social responsibility and corporate strategy. 

Banner image: Jana Burns in the ILSB. Photo courtesy of Burns.