In 2022, when Pam Offutt ’82, computer science, visited campus 40 years after graduating, she was taken aback by two things: how much the university had changed and how much it had stayed the same.

“While I can still see the bones of what we knew, it is almost unrecognizable,” says Pam, who loved seeing the new buildings and how much the campus had physically grown since she and her husband, Jay Offutt ’82, computer science, graduated. However, Pam was shocked to see that the percentage of women majoring in computer science had not changed much since 1982.

“We were part of the first graduating class in computer science at UMBC. It was brand new,” says Pam. “Back then, 18 percent of the computer science population was women. When I came back to campus and looked it up, the percentage was around 20 percent. And that just doesn’t sit right after 40 years.”

Determined to be part of the solution, Pam and Jay established the Pam and Jay Offutt Graduate Student Endowment in May 2026 with a transformational $1,040,000 gift. This significant investment will expand the Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) model at the graduate level, helping CWIT Scholars pursue advanced degrees at UMBC—a primary driver for moving into senior management and executive leadership roles after graduation.

While Pam’s personal experience has centered on gender equity, the Offutt endowment is designed to support any CWIT Scholar as they pursue graduate education in computing or technology, reflecting CWIT’s broader mission of inclusive excellence.

“We are tremendously grateful for Pam and Jay’s vision, which supports our commitment to inclusive excellence,” says Jeanne van Briesen, dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology. “The endowment will help strengthen the pipeline of talent prepared for leadership in computing and technology careers.”

UMBC’s CWIT program is committed to developing community members who are prepared and empowered to be change agents in creating technology workplaces that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive. The program encourages the participation and success of all students, especially those from underrepresented groups, with a nurturing and challenging community, transformative leadership experiences, and professional development opportunities. 

“The CWIT office is buzzing with happy plans for recruiting and supporting the first cohort of Offutt Scholars this fall,” says Carolyn Seaman, director of CWIT. “We are grateful for this opportunity to support so many more of our students in taking the next step toward being the tech leaders we know they can be.”

Going beyond the gift

Pam and Jay knew the problem they wanted to solve, but they took time to discuss the issue with Seaman, van Briesen, and Kim Robinson, director of major gifts in the Office of Institutional Advancement, to come up with a plan that felt like it could make a difference.

Simply funding scholarships wasn’t enough. Pam and Jay realized that in order to truly make a difference, they needed to find a way to support students throughout their academic journey. To the Offutts, the solution was simple—mentoring and leadership development.

Offutt Scholars will receive a financial award for two years to defray school expenses, participate in leadership development, mentor undergraduate CWIT Scholars, and be mentored by more senior alumni with similar professional interests. The endowment will also support staff and programming for Offutt Scholars through the CWIT Program. This investment extends beyond financial support to build a connected community across undergraduate students, graduate students, and professional mentors.

“What stands out to me about Pam and Jay’s vision is that they are not just investing in financial support for students—they are investing in a model that builds community, mentorship, and leadership that will shape how our students persist, succeed, and lead,” says van Briesen. “They asked us to think beyond access and to focus on what it takes for students to grow into leaders in the computing field.”

Pam believes deeply in mentorship. She served on the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors from 1998 to 2004, and, most recently, served as a CWIT industry mentor. 

“What makes this gift so meaningful is the journey behind it,” says Robinson, who assisted in cultivating the relationship with the Offutts throughout their engagement with UMBC. “Pam has been engaged with UMBC in so many ways—through the Alumni Association Board, as a CWIT industry mentor, at career fairs—and that connection is exactly what led her and Jay to see this gap and want to help close it.” 

For Pam and Jay, it comes back to the experiences they had as undergraduate students at UMBC and how their careers unfolded after graduation.

Computer science pioneers

Pam and Jay both started UMBC as math majors—computer science was not yet an option—and met in Calculus 101. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl both become teaching assistants. Boy and girl form a close bond by terrorizing professors. 

“As TAs, Jay and I both had keys to the same office and we used to torture the same professors that were right across the hall from us, flipping bottle caps and stuff into their room while they were teaching,” says Pam. “So, that got the door slammed on us at least a couple of times.”

It’s the classic UMBC love story.

One semester before Pam and Jay were set to graduate, UMBC launched the B.S. in computer science. Knowing what it could mean for their job prospects and earning potential, both switched majors.

“I took a couple of extra classes and finished the B.S.,” says Pam. 

After UMBC, Pam and Jay went on to Loyola University and earned master’s degrees.

In 1988, Jay founded Offutt Associates, which later folded into Interface and Control Systems, Inc. (ICS). Serving public and private sectors, ICS provided end-to-end autonomous command and control software for satellites, operational centers, testing setups, and digital business systems. Notably, ICS technology was integrated into major aerospace and defense initiatives, including NASA’s Constellation project and the Department of Defense’s TAC-SAT tactical satellite program. Jay and his partners sold ICS to SRA International in 2008, and Jay retired a few years later.

Meanwhile, Pam took on management and leadership roles in various companies, including COO at Edaptive Systems, LLC (acquired by ManTech) and CEO at MDMeta. In 2009, Pam and fellow UMBC alumnus John duClos ’90, information systems, founded Bellese Technologies, which engineers large-scale, human-centered digital products and data solutions that improve the quality, equity, and efficiency of public health systems. As CEO, Pam made a concerted effort to hire and promote women—successfully building a workforce that was 25 to 30 percent female. It was a stark contrast to the male-dominated workspaces she had experienced throughout her career, though still not the parity she envisioned. The problem, however, was not in the motivation, but in the small pool of potential female hires.

“You can’t find women to hire because women aren’t going into tech,” says Pam. “So it’s a difficult thing.”

Pam sold the company in 2022, and now serves on its Board of Directors. Around the same time, she had that inspirational visit to UMBC where she realized that she and Jay could be part of the solution, leading to the establishment of the Pam and Jay Offutt Graduate Student Endowment.

“I want to see that needle move,” says Pam.

Last summer, Kaila Hoskins, a junior computer science major, Celine Anong, a senior information systems major, and Madeline Rippin and Hallel Dereb, both senior computer science majors, took a one-week trip to Recife, Brazil. Like many college students on an international adventure, they toured the city, visited the beaches, sampled the cuisine, and connected with locals. But the trip was more purposeful than a standard vacation. The quartet had come to Brazil to spread UMBC-style support structures for women in technology to four Brazilian universities.

Carolyn Seaman, the director of the Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) at UMBC, organized the trip as part of a Fulbright Brazil Specialist grant-funded project. She collaborated with colleagues in Brazil to establish a set of programs and activities, modeled on CWIT, to support undergraduate female computing students at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, a federal research-intensive university; the Universidade de Pernambuco, a state university; Universidade Católica de Pernambuco, a community university that reinvests all profits back into its educational activities; and CESAR School, a private school for continuing education in computing. 

Hoskins, Anong, Rippin, and Dereb were able to join the project through separate funding from UMBC’s information systems and computer science and electrical engineering departments and the Center for Global Engagement. They helped analyze survey data about the experiences of women in tech in Brazilian universities and helped launch the peer mentoring program. 

“The program was met with tons of enthusiasm from students, faculty, administrators, and local tech companies,” says Seaman. “The icing on the cake was that I was able to host four of my CWIT students.”

“There were so many ‘best parts’ of the trip,” says Anong. “We built connections, collaborated on meaningful work, immersed ourselves in Brazilian culture, and bonded with peers and mentors.” 

Support breeds success

CWIT was founded at UMBC in the summer of 1998 by Joan Korenman, a professor of English and director of the Women’s Studies Program. It started with a speaker series on women in technology, and in subsequent years expanded to include outreach and training events, scholars programs, and much more. 

It currently focuses on building a welcoming environment for women in tech by recruiting undergraduate women studying computing and engineering and their allies, and providing them with leadership opportunities, professional development, mentoring, networking, and a supportive community that they can turn to throughout their years in school and stay connected with once they enter the tech industry.

Since its inception, CWIT has served more than 500 students, about 75 percent of them women. Over the last 25 years, more than 95 percent of the undergraduate women in computing and engineering officially affiliated with the program have stayed in tech fields. These former students form a large and supportive network of tech leaders in the Maryland region and beyond.

Rippin says her own experience with the CWIT peer mentoring program—first as a mentee and then for two years as a mentor—motivated her to apply for the opportunity to spread the model in Brazil. 

“I had such fond memories from building deep connections with like-minded women in tech fields,” Rippin says. “It’s been a really rewarding experience.”

Similar challenges and a shared sense of purpose

The CWIT students felt a similar bond with the Brazilian students they met on the trip. While the tech landscape of the two countries differs in some key respects, both countries face persistent underrepresentation of women in the field. 

“I think a lot of the struggles that the women in tech in Brazil face are very similar to ours,” says Hoskins. “Things like how isolating the computer science community can feel.” 

“Meeting the six Brazilian students we kept in contact with throughout our stay in Recife and sharing experiences about our journeys as women in computing was lovely,” Anong says. “Despite our evident cultural and language differences, we had so many similarities in terms of passion, struggles, and aspirations.”

Hoskins recalls how the students took a boat ride along the rivers that flow through Recife.

Every time the boat passed under a bridge, they’d follow local tradition and clap and make a wish. It was fun, and also an opportunity to connect, Hoskins says. “It was quiet and it was a chance for us to talk and really get to know each other.”

The UMBC students left with renewed commitment to supporting other women in tech all around the world. They have kept in contact with their Brazilian counterparts and have even debuted an acronym—Supporting Women In Technology Across Borders, or SWITAB—to label their collective efforts. By the end of 2025, the mentoring programs they helped launch had more than 130 participants across five universities in Recife.

“I definitely learned so much from the experience that I’ll continue to carry forward,” Rippin says. “This just solidified how widespread the issue of underrepresentation in technical fields is, and has only strengthened my passion to continue working towards the cause.” 

Dereb echoed the sentiment: “One of the best parts of the trip was meeting motivated women who wanted to uplift each other. This experience solidified the importance of community for me, and I’ll carry that forward by being more intentional about creating and contributing to spaces where people feel supported.”

“There’s a little engineer in all of us. Because the truth is you’re iterating all the time. You’re failing, but you’re learning from those awesome failures.” 

Jamie Gurganus ’04, M.S. ’11, Ph.D. ’20, mechanical engineering, doesn’t believe engineers need to be geniuses; she also doesn’t believe failure means it’s the end of the road—so much so that her winding and impressive career over the last twenty years has been a product of taking chances, accepting the small failures, and still marching onwards. 

As an undergraduate, Gurganus pursued an opportunity to teach STEM subjects in local middle schools. The experience sparked her interest in engineering education. Her desire to help everyone see that they, too, could become an engineer has driven her professional life ever since. Students praise her for lifting them up when they felt discouraged and always encouraging them to aim high.

Gurganus’ tireless advocacy for students and continual innovation in teaching will be recognized on October 29, when she will receive the 2025 Outstanding Faculty Award from UMBC’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. 

Building confidence

Gurganus says that as a college student, she never expected to end up where she is today: “I didn’t think I’d ever be faculty or get a Ph.D.”

But when she got a National Science Foundation-funded fellowship in 2002 from the Teaching Enhancement Partnership Program at UMBC’s Shriver Center, she found herself enjoying the STEM classes she was teaching at local schools, especially connecting with students who may have assumed their options in life were limited.

“Many of these students came from precarious situations and weren’t thinking about going to college, much less having a STEM career,” Gurganus remembers of the Title I schools, which means they had high percentages of children from low-income families.

Gurganus taught as part of the partnership program for almost three years, and then proceeded to earn a graduate fellowship both through NSF and later NASA, which in turn cultivated a real passion for teaching and research. 

Gurganus also became a substitute teacher for the Anne Arundel County public school system, focusing on teaching mathematics. “My goals were fostering engineering awareness in these kids and showing them they, too, could do this—and showing them the real-life applications of it all.”

Breaking down the basics of math and engineering got the kids excited. As they got excited, they became more engaged, and as they became more engaged, their grades began to improve significantly. It might not have been the only reason for the successful outcome, but Gurganus believes being a young college student played a hand in it all. The breadth of knowledge and sense of authority was always present but packaged in a way that the students weren’t familiar with.

While in graduate school at UMBC, Gurganus also helped lead professional development for Project Lead The Way, a national nonprofit organization that provides STEM education programs for PreK-12 students, and Engineering is Elementary, which provides engineering teaching materials. In 2012, she became an instructor in mechanical engineering and assistant director of engineering education initiatives in the College of Engineering and Information Technology at UMBC, transitioning to a faculty role in 2014.

Over the years, Guganus’ skills, passions, and love for her students have improved UMBC’s course offerings, reputation, and quality of education. Currently, Gurganus is the associate director for STEMed Research, director for the Center for the Integration for Research, Teaching and Learning in the Graduate School and an assistant teaching professor in the engineering and computing education program. She also serves as a faculty fellow in entrepreneurship for the Alex. Brown Center For Entrepreneurship and Innovation, has mentored around 150 engineering teams under the senior capstone design course (including teaming up with Steve McAlpine to guide the kinetic sculpture team this year), and is an honorary faculty coach for UMBC’s softball team. 

Reaching across borders, she has also built international partnerships in Brazil, Portugal, Africa, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Germany, and collaborates widely on STEM education initiatives.

Embracing the journey

If her professional progression comes across as linear and like it unfolded at breakneck speed, Gurganus is here to assure you it did not.

“It’s been an interesting journey,” she says. “I stopped trying to plan my future and just accept (and expect!) the unexpected. I just take it on and see what happens.”

She’s never strayed from that principle, letting the journey—and the experiences it’s unveiled—guide her to new milestones. One of those milestones has been the nurturing of a strong undergraduate teaching fellows network on campus. Remembering her own experiences as a student and then seeing much of the same insecurity in the local middle school students from years ago, Gurganus struck out to find students who could guide other students by relating to the stresses of failure they might feel. 

“I had this mission to foster a community of individuals who never thought of themselves as being ‘smart enough’ to teach others in their own technical field,” Gurganus says. If this sounds familiar, that’s because it’s how Gurganus expresses she felt as a student herself.

While the teaching fellows program was started nearly 20 years ago as a tool for undergraduate students to assist faculty, and more importantly their peers, in classes, Gurganus has expanded the program in an organic way. 

“These students just became friends and bonded over their common interests or maybe their similar experiences in undergrad,” she says. 

“The teaching fellow program laid a foundation for growth and confidence-building in the formative stages of my career,” says De’Shaunna Scott ’19, computer engineering, who is now a principal RF integration engineer at Northrop Grumman. “I quickly felt overwhelmed and out of my element, but Dr. Gurganus was the guiding light I could always turn to. There were times, I would just show up after work and sit in Prof’s office unloading all the stresses I endured. Without fail and without question, Prof listened to every one of those complaints and provided words of advice that I still use to this day.”

“Prof G profoundly shaped my life and inspired me to become faculty,” adds Shannon Clancy ’19, mechanical engineering, who is now an assistant professor of engineering at Elizabethtown College. “As her teaching fellow and research assistant, I experienced mentorship rooted in care, unwavering support, and high expectations—even during my most uncertain moments. The teaching fellow program was the catalyst to get my Ph.D. I wanted to teach undergraduate students and build a community in my own way like Prof had.”

The fellows’ connection with each other, as well as the students they teach, has fueled the community’s growth. Gurganus begins naming fellows who are thriving post-UMBC, having gone on to receive master’s degrees, Ph.D.s, research fellowships, and more. It’s an obvious point of pride for her as she recalls the impact of all the work being a two-way street—for both her and the students.

“To teach is to engineer,” she adds. “You try it, you make it better, you bring your own spark, to keep improving with purpose and heart.”

By Nikoletta Gjoni ’09

Mark your calendars for the 2025 Alumni Awards on Wednesday, October 29, at 6 p.m., and consider joining the UMBC community at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena to celebrate Jamie Gurganus and the many remarkable individuals receiving awards. The event will be livestreamed for those unable to join in person. You can learn more at alumni.umbc.edu/alumniawards.

As a high schooler, Emily Brown ’14, M.S. ’14, computer science, dreamed of a future in STEM. Searching for a community to support her aspirations, she found the Center for Women and Technology at UMBC. Brown became a CWIT Scholar and ended up earning her bachelor’s and her master’s degrees one semester apart. After graduation, she was hired at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. This October, Brown will receive the 2025 UMBC Outstanding Alumna Award. In this Q&A, she shares how her time at UMBC—and the support she found there—helped get her to where she is today.

Q: What brought you to UMBC?

A: Initially, I was looking into other schools, but UMBC kept making its way back to the top of my list because I was looking for schools that explicitly had programs and communities for women in engineering.

Eventually, I applied for the CWIT (Center for Women and Technology) Scholars Program. As I kept coming back to UMBC for tours and meetings, I figured out this was a community that I really wanted to be a part of. At the time, Dr. Penny Rheingans was the director of the CWIT program, and hearing her talk about the program and what it would offer made UMBC one of my top two school choices. The in-state nature of UMBC meant that I would come out of school debt-free, with the kind of support that I wanted as a woman in STEM.

Q: What did you enjoy about the computer science program?  

A: I graduated from my master’s degree in the winter. I have a picture of myself and the four other people who graduated with a computer science master’s that December, and I had taken classes with all of them. At my undergraduate graduation in May, there were nine women who graduated from the computer science program. I knew all nine, which is exactly what I had attended UMBC for—to be part of a community of other women in STEM, it meant a lot to me.

Right: Emily Brown along with fellow CWIT Scholars pose to spell out CWIT.

Q: You graduated with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in the same year. How did you decide to pursue that and is there any advice you would give another student who may consider doing the same?

A: I wasn’t sure at first that I wanted to do computer science after graduation, but by my junior year I decided to stick to a computer science career. I realized then I could either graduate early or I could start taking graduate classes with the combined B.S./M.S. program. After finishing my undergraduate degree that May, I took summer and fall classes and finished my master’s in December, and that’s how I was able to graduate twice in one year.

There are both upsides and downsides to having done that. On the upside, I started my professional career with a graduate degree, which does come with more pay and professional respect. On the downside, my computer science master’s was a general master’s degree as opposed to specialized. But this has actually proven to be useful: I started my career thinking I wanted to focus on cybersecurity and now I do more AI work and I have some graduate coursework in both of those things.

Q: Is there a faculty or staff member who helped you on your UMBC path? 

A: There are three faculty members who stand out when I think of my time at UMBC. Dr. Marie desJardins, who has since retired, was an AI and machine learning professor and the professor that I completed undergraduate research with. Her passion for teaching aligned with my desire for a community that encourages women in engineering. The undergraduate research I did with her was working on the new AP computer science curriculum for the College Board. 

Dr. desJardin’s argument was that with computer science you should submit a portfolio rather than take a test. She worked with the College Board to develop what that curriculum for submitting a portfolio would look like and I worked alongside her. My former high school computer science teacher from Howard High School was also on that team, so that was really great. My younger sister has since taken the course and I said, “Did you know I wrote that course that you’re taking in high school now?” Her response was, “I’m not telling anyone that—that’s the most embarrassing thing ever.” I thought it was very exciting.

The second professor who had a huge impact on me is Dr. Tim Oates. I found his teaching style to be one that I deeply resonated with. I always tell people, when you take a class with Dr. Oates, you need to take paper without lines because he draws a lot of pictures to explain things.

He had an example where he would walk around the classroom floor and each tile was a different square and he would say, “All right, I’m an AI, and I’m using reinforcement learning and I physically step here.” He wasn’t just lecturing, he taught by physically moving his body around the classroom. 

One example he used was if a $10 bill drops from the ceiling here, I’m incentivized as the AI to keep going back to that corner of the room, where if a $1 bill drops over there, then I know that’s not as useful of a place to go. Even if you don’t have a computer science background, you intuitively go, that makes sense. I followed him to whichever class he would teach because I knew his teaching style broke it down in a way I would deeply understand. In my final class with him, I rigged a $10 bill to drop from the ceiling because he had done this example over and over. 

The third is Dr. Anupam Joshi. He was my master’s advisor and he’s now the vice provost and chief AI officer, but at the time he was a professor teaching cybersecurity classes. He is largely the reason that I work the way I do here at the Applied Physics Laboratory. He introduced me to the type of work that got me my first job at the lab. I wrote my final research paper for my master’s degree about my APL internship experience, which was combining all of my passions.

Q: Can you share your involvement in CWIT (Center for Women in Technology), both as an alum and mentor, and what your experience was as a student? 

A: I lived in the CWIT Living Learning Community my freshman and sophomore years and then lived in an on-campus apartment with other CWIT students. I met my best friends in the CWIT program. We had a CWIT alum virtual happy hour during the pandemic, and I think there were a number of us who said, “I walked into that CWIT office and just cried and then walked out and passed my classes because there was that kind of support for me.”

I have been involved as an alum since day one. After undergrad, I participated in the career fairs and networking dinners with the talent services recruiting department from APL. 

I’ve done industry mentoring nearly every year for the past six years. When I was a CWIT student, my industry mentor was from Lockheed Martin. She did a mock interview with me where she asked me the same questions she would ask a candidate interviewing for their summer internship. She then brought me on a Friday afternoon to the Lockheed Martin office facilities for a lab tour. Those two things were both extremely memorable to me, and I carried that forward with my mentees, some of whom then got internships at APL. That was the experience I sought to replicate and produce for my CWIT mentees.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit more about your current job at APL? What do you enjoy most about it? 

A: I’m currently the assistant group supervisor for the analytic capabilities group. The group is really known for a space at APL called the Live Lab, which was started as a response to a 2009 cyber attack that APL was victim of. The lab watches cyber data coming into the lab and processes it in real time to try to be more proactive about the next attack. I actually toured the Live Lab as part of a CWIT Scholars and Cyber Scholars visit day my senior year and thought to myself, ”This place is really cool. I would really like to work there someday.” The staff member running the tour that I attended was Dr. Elisha Peterson, who is my direct boss now. It took a while, but I made it to where I wanted to work my senior year of undergrad.

I’m so proud of UMBC. Being recognized as someone who UMBC is proud of also is incredible.

Emily Brown ’14, M.S. ’14, computer science

Q: How did your UMBC degree help prepare you for your professional career?

A: It wasn’t just what I learned at UMBC that was valuable, but how I learned how to learn. I came into my career already knowing that I valued community and diversity of thought because I had valued it and been taught to value it from my time at UMBC. 

UMBC also prepared me to anticipate that there are things that will be interdisciplinary in nature [in my career]. I was able to quickly understand at APL that the value of interdisciplinary teams is really important.

For example, I’ve worked with a psychologist colleague on the concept of a moral foundation. There is, of course, a computing component to parsing out the information, but there’s also a psychological component: Why does this message resonate with you, but not with me? Everybody has their own semi-unique moral foundations profile and a message that aligns to your moral foundations is more likely to resonate with you. That’s something I didn’t study in my computer science coursework at UMBC and I do need to make sure that I’m taking my psychologist colleagues’ opinions and thoughts about this into account as we’re building a project.

Q: What does winning a UMBC Alumni Award mean to you?

A: My sister, who I already mentioned finds me embarrassing, has told me in the past, “You know, there’s such a thing as too much school spirit.” And I refuse to believe that. Having been given so much by UMBC and being so passionate about what I experienced in that circle on that campus, I’m so proud of UMBC. Being recognized as someone who UMBC is proud of also is incredible.

Left: Emily Brown with her younger sister at Homecoming.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to a current UMBC student, what would it be?

A: Try to do something different. I got a computer science degree, but I was also on The Retriever Weekly editorial staff, which for a CS major was super unusual. But that was my something different. I can’t tell you how many times I have been told in my professional career, “Wow, finding an engineer who is a decent writer is rare.” But that’s because I was on a student newspaper in undergrad. That ability to communicate has taken me pretty far in my career.

Mark your calendars for the 2025 Alumni Awards on Wednesday, October 29,at 6 p.m., and consider joining the UMBC community at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena to celebrate Emily Brown and the many remarkable individuals receiving awards. The event will be livestreamed for those unable to join in person. You can learn more at alumni.umbc.edu/alumniawards.

Boing! Bouncy balls strike the hallway floor as small groups of students measure bounce heights with a meterstick and record data. They repeat the test in a carpeted classroom, then analyze results in Excel, discussing how surfaces affect energy conversion.  

This might sound like a physics laboratory, but it’s actually a math course for high schoolers in Building Science Technology Education Partnerships (STEPs), a college-preparatory program for students from under-resourced high schools in Baltimore City. For two weeks this summer, 21 rising seniors and college-bound students, nine college-student tutors, and instructor Rebecca Kirvan, M.A. ’13, secondary education and teaching, filled the fourth floor of UMBC’s Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building for intensive, hands-on math instruction each afternoon. In the mornings, the students participated in professional development programming, such as a financial literacy workshop and team-based problem-solving challenges.

This is the fifth year of collaboration between Building STEPS and UMBC, but thanks to a deepening relationship between the organization and the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS), this year the summer program came to UMBC’s campus for the first time. In addition, the math portion shifted from traditional tutoring to an adapted version of MATH 110: Math in Action, a unique laboratory-style math course heading into its third year being taught at UMBC. 

“UMBC and CNMS have been incredible collaborators, providing Building STEPs students with accessible and effective math enrichment in an immersive college experience,” says Debra Hettleman, CEO of Building STEPs.

William R. LaCourse, CNMS dean, believes strongly in making math education engaging and relevant for all students, in support of developing their critical thinking skills. “Teaching math in an interactive format shows the students how it relates to their everyday lives,” he says. “Creating opportunities for them to make those connections is so important.”   

From tutoring to hands-on labs

In 2021, Cindy Greenwood, associate director of UMBC’s Center for Women in Technology, coordinated the original tutoring initiative for her capstone project in UMBC’s certificate program in community leadership, after learning from Building STEPs that that was what they needed most. 

Alexis O’Malley ’18, mathematics and psychology, took the lead developing a robust curriculum for the tutors to implement on top of her role as a calculus instructor in CNMS. Until this year, the University of Baltimore hosted the tutoring sessions. For 2025, CNMS hired Kirvan to modify the activities in MATH 110, which O’Malley also originally led with support from math department faculty.

“As a former high school teacher, I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to adapt college labs for a high school audience,” Kirvan says. “It’s great to work with this group of students and help them beef up their math skills and get ready for college.”

The students see the benefits.

“It’s been good to review concepts and practice my math skills,” shared Benjamin Kima, a participant from Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School. Sam Boad, also at Mergenthaler, said, “I’m glad they’re giving us a chance to see the content ahead of the school year.” Zaiqah Pinkney, from City Neighbors High School, added, “I like hands-on activities. It helps me learn better.”

“Students consistently rate math as their favorite part of the day,” shares Sheyna Mikeal, chief program officer at Building STEPs. “It challenges them, but the small-group structure, guided by dedicated tutors, builds confidence and encourages real growth.”

Campus immersion and career prep

Beyond providing math instruction, CNMS funded lunches at UMBC’s True Grit’s dining hall, freeing up Building STEPs’ budget for student transportation and enabling greater participation.

“I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to be on a college campus,” shared Brandon Thomas, a student at Mergenthaler.

And beyond the summer program, a larger cohort of Building STEPs students visited UMBC during the semester. They heard presentations from CNMS departments and took a tour of campus. “We’ve witnessed the power of learning on a college campus shifting the students’ perspective,” Mikeal says. “It reinforces that college is not just a goal, it’s an environment where they belong.”

Other Building STEPs activities include visits to companies like Northrop Grumman and Beckton-Dickinson, workshops on searching for and applying to colleges, and one-on-one feedback with volunteer writing advisors.

Strength beyond academics

Students in the program, founded in 2000, are recommended by college counselors and teachers, and must maintain a 3.0 GPA. This past academic year, there were 83 juniors and 83 seniors enrolled, and there are 175 Building STEPs alumni. Nearly 80 percent earn a college degree, and nearly two-thirds earn degrees in STEM. Coming from 15 of Baltimore’s most challenged high schools, 87 percent are first-generation college graduates. Alumni return from college to offer programming to current participants, fostering leadership development.

“Together with UMBC, we’re not only strengthening academic skills—we’re also expanding access to opportunity,” Mikeal says.

LaCourse sees providing space, funds, and effective and engaging math activities to benefit local high schoolers as a natural fit for the college.

“Building STEPs participants are bright, motivated students who just need a little support to reach their potential,” LaCourse says. “It’s a privilege to be able to offer the resources the program needs—from classrooms to curriculum—to enable an enriching summer math and professional development experience. We hope to see some of their faces on campus again soon—this time as UMBC students.”

The TowerCares Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Laurel, Maryland-based Tower Federal Credit Union, has partnered with UMBC’s Cybersecurity Institute to create a new scholarship fund for UMBC students studying cybersecurity. The scholarships will support students in the university’s Cyber Scholars Program, a program with a track record of more than 10 years nurturing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. The program provides financial aid, a welcoming community, unique courses, mentoring, and the chance for students to take part in cybersecurity research and internships early in their academic careers.

 “Our mission is to help our community thrive, and partnering with institutions like UMBC—recognized as a leader in information technology and cybersecurity—is a key part of that effort,” says Allen Brisentine, chairman of the TowerCares Foundation. “The entire Maryland region benefits from UMBC’s renowned and highly regarded cybersecurity program.”

As cyber threats, ransomware, and data breaches have become daily realities in our increasingly digital world, the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals remains strong. The Cyber Scholars Program has launched the careers of over 100 graduates, many of whom have gone on to jobs safeguarding the digital data of government agencies, businesses, and everyday consumers.

“Last year we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the program, and it was such a great feeling to meet program alumni who have become cybersecurity leaders,” says Anupam Joshi, acting dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology. “We’re deeply grateful to the TowerCares Foundation for supporting this important work that both helps grow the cybersecurity workforce and makes it more inclusive.”

In the early 20th century, as physicists explored the tiny world of atoms, they noticed some perplexing things: Energy transferred only in chunks; particles that also acted like waves; mysterious links between physically separate systems. Their observations and theories marked the start of the first quantum revolution, which rocked the philosophical world of scientists (Albert Einstein was famously disturbed by some of its implications), but ultimately helped birth the technology of today by enabling the development of physical devices such as computer chips and lasers.

Many scientists believe we are now on the cusp of a second quantum revolution, as quantum concepts are poised to transform the world of information science and technology too. The new revolution offers the promise, among other things, of a new type of computer called a quantum computer. Quantum computers could quickly solve some problems that are extremely difficult for traditional machines—they might also unleash some chaos we’ll have to find ways to prevent. 

Lei Zhang, an assistant professor in the department of information systems, is working hard to prepare students for this quantum information future. In 2023 and 2024, with support from a Hrabowski Innovation Fund Grant, he developed new learning modules on quantum information concepts and integrated them into existing graduate and undergraduate courses in information systems. 

Based partly on the success of that pilot project, Zhang recently received funding from the National Science Foundation to develop a 14-week summer program in quantum information science and technology. The program, which will launch in the summer of 2025, will be open to students from UMBC and nearby Montgomery College. 

“Quantum computing is the next industrial revolution, and there will be an urgent need for skilled professionals in quantum information science and technology,” says Zhang. “This project aims to equip students with the skills and networks to meet that need and advance their careers.”

Quantum’s encryption-breaking challenge

The quantum information revolution is already smashing into our everyday world in the area of internet security. Most internet traffic is kept safe from prying eyes using a technique that works well against hackers using traditional computers but could be broken by a sophisticated enough quantum computer. No quantum computer has reached that point yet, but scientists are making steady progress in that direction, and experts are worried enough to start mandating security changes. 

In 2022, the White House released a National Security Memorandum coordinating the actions of various federal agencies in a move toward quantum-resistant forms of encryption for their computer systems. 

“The government will be one of the leaders in the change, but the whole private sector will need to follow,” Zhang says. “Everyone will need to update their systems.”

Zhang is focusing the summer program on this challenge. Students will learn about quantum computers and how they could break traditional encryption, and will also learn about new security algorithms, called post-quantum encryption algorithms, that are not as vulnerable to quantum attacks.

After six weeks of active and immersive learning activities, the students will engage in eight-week-long internships at local tech companies or in Zhang’s UMBC lab, where they will put their newfound knowledge and skills to use. At the completion of the summer program, the students will earn a MicroBachelors certificate from the online education company edX. 

Partnerships advance outreach and teaching

Zhang is partnering with individuals and programs across UMBC to make his summer program successful. Zhang’s main collaborator on the project, assistant information systems professor Karen Chen, specializes in the study of how technology can improve learning. The team also includes information systems faculty Aryya Gangopadhyay, Michael Brown, and C. Augusto Casas. 

Zhang is partnering with UMBC’s Center for Women in Technology, UMBC’s Cybersecurity Institute, and Montgomery College to recruit a diverse range of students for the summer program. 

The project will be guided by the expertise of local leaders from government and private industry and its effectiveness will be evaluated by UMBC’s Chris Rakes, a professor of mathematics education.

Going forward, Zhang plans to continue scaling up his quantum education efforts. The coursework from the summer program will be made freely available for other educational institutions to use. It could also be incorporated into programs for adult learners. 

In collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Zhang also plans to use knowledge generated from the summer program to organize professional development workshops for instructors in four-year and community colleges. 

The impact of Zhang’s efforts can already be seen on the individual level. Khushdeep Kaur, a master’s student in information systems, first heard about quantum computing from Zhang. “I felt amazed and eager to learn more about the technology,” she says. She is now part of Zhang’s research group, studying quantum computing topics. 

Dongchan Kim, a senior majoring in information systems, also joined the lab after taking one of Zhang’s classes in spring 2024.

“I really enjoyed learning about technology that could become the ‘next big thing,’” he says. “Like AI, I think quantum computing has the power to transform industries. I look forward to contributing to its development in the future.”

Over two weeks at the end of January, six UMBC faculty woke up early to deliver lectures and lead workshops with students more than 9,000 miles away, in the small Asian nation of Brunei, located on the island of Borneo. The online talks were part of the Diversity in Cybersecurity, Brunei conference, organized jointly by Edah Hasnal, an advocate for gender diversity in the tech sector in Brunei, and Carolyn Seaman, director of the Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) at UMBC.

The idea for the conference was born out of an internship that Hasnal completed with Seaman in the fall of 2021 through the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, a U.S. State Department-funded leadership development program. During the internship, which was conducted remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hasnal created a series of short videos highlighting tech workers in Brunei. She also worked with Seaman to propose a follow-up project that ultimately turned into the Diversity in Cybersecurity, Brunei conference.

The goal of the conference was to share cybersecurity concepts and career paths with women interested in the tech sector. Out of around 50 applicants, the organizers picked 10 women with varying backgrounds. 

“We wanted to keep the conference relatively small, so that we could connect the participants with further opportunities,” Hasnal says. She says she was inspired by the stories of the women who attended, including a woman who worked as a cleaner while pursuing a tech education. Hasnal also says that Brunei is working to diversify its economy, and she sees the tech sector as a natural area of growth. 

Seaman recruited speakers from across UMBC to join the conference virtually and share their cybersecurity knowledge with attendees. Karuna Joshi, information systems, Deborah Kariuki, education, Christine Mallinson, language, literacy, and culture, Vandana Janeja, information systems, and Sreedevi Sampath, information systems, gave talks on topics ranging from cloud computing security to AI deepfake detection.

“The great thing about having women trainers who come from different backgrounds was that it was both insightful and inspiring for us all,” Hasnal says. 

It was wonderful to have CWIT’s reach extend so far through participation in the conference, Seaman says. “We’ve been dedicated to increasing gender parity in the tech industry, and we could see that many of the same issues and same goals we have are shared by people on the opposite side of the world.”

Kayla Tomas ‘23, information systems, maintained a challenging schedule during her undergraduate years. There were days she rose early, studied, and attended classes in the morning and afternoon, headed to volleyball practice in the late afternoon, paused a half hour for dinner, and then dashed off to lead a dance class in the evening. “It was the support of my friends, my family, and the mentors here at UMBC that made it easier,” she says.

Despite the challenges of a hectic schedule, she wouldn’t have it any other way, given what she gained from each opportunity. As a student athlete, Tomas says that one of her best undergraduate experiences was being on the Division I women’s volleyball team that won the America East Title three years in a row.

“The friendships I made, the breakthroughs I experienced, and the challenges I faced, made me a stronger individual, and this couldn’t have happened without an amazing group of girls I had the privilege in sharing the court with,” Tomas says.

Valuing the whole person

Tomas was a member of the Center for Women in Information Technology (CWIT) Scholars Program, which anchored her not only financially but also psychologically.

“One person I really have to give credit and thanks to, and someone I will continue to maintain a connection with, is Erica D’Eramo, assistant director at CWIT,” Tomas shares. “She has helped me a lot. We have one-on-one meetings, and if I have a question that I can’t figure out, she always knows who to direct me to. But it doesn’t even have to be about school—it can be about just how I’m doing emotionally, mentally, or physically.”

Tomas has also received support from UMBC alumni through the Alumni Endowed Scholarship. “Receiving that award was such a proud moment, because I knew these scholarships are very competitive.” she shares. “They saw a young woman’s drive to make a difference, to support her community.”

Creating a new student group

Beyond her academic work and competition on the volleyball court, dance has played a major role in Tomas’s UMBC experience. She had enjoyed dancing from a young age, and while at UMBC began to attend dance classes and workshops in the Baltimore-Washington area. She noticed the lack of Latin dancing on campus and she knew of other students who shared the same passion, “and so I did something about it,” she says.

Tomas started to offer evening Latin dance classes in the Public Policy Building. “That was a lot of fun, seeing my friends support me,” she says, “and also support dance genres of different cultures.”

“So many students here at UMBC are self-motivated” to try new things, observes Tomas. “They’re go-getters—that’s their mentality. And I love it because it rubs off on me, and I’m sure on other people.”

Emerging as a leader

The experiences of other graduating students mirror those of Tomas. When she began her undergraduate studies at UMBC in 2019, Sianna Serio ’23, computer science, had only one thought in mind: to focus on her academic studies. But within a short period of time, she became involved with the Resident Students Association, began to work for Residential Life, and gave President Valerie Sheares Ashby her first tour of campus.

In her four years on campus, Serio participated in the Society of Women Engineers, Sign of Life, First Generation Network and the UMBC Crafters club. She credits faculty, staff and students alike for keeping her going, saying, “When you’re super focused on doing everything at once, sometimes you don’t get a chance to reflect on how that’s impacting you. My mentors did a really great job of providing support and checking in on me.”

Coaches support a student researcher

Emily Ferketic ’23, physics, enjoyed the remarkable distinction of having a paper published in a peer-reviewed journal under the mentorship of Sebastian Deffner, associate professor of physics. “He saw potential in me that I didn’t see in myself,” she shares.

Despite her rigorous academic schedule, she also excelled on the volleyball court, becoming captain of UMBC’s Division 1 team. In 2021, she won the coveted America East Elite 18 award. Her coaches, too, have been especially engaged. “A few weeks ago, I was presenting my research at Undergraduate Research and Achievement Day. All of my coaches showed up, not only to support me, but also to learn about the work I’ve been doing when I’m not in the gym,” she shares.

A diverse, supportive community

Students who complete double majors face especially challenging demands. Avni Patel ’23, biological sciences and gender, women’s and sexuality studies, achieved academic excellence in both fields of study and also became a community leader at UMBC, revitalizing the Hindu Students Council. “The best part of my UMBC experience was finding a diverse community of peers and mentors where I was appreciated and encouraged to reach my full potential,” she says.

One theme strongly resonates through the experiences of all these students: the UMBC community values the whole person. Whether a student is focusing on academic work, participating in student organizations, competing as an athlete, or engaging with any number of other activities, the university’s culture of mentoring and support is there to help them succeed.

Performers of the music piece “Corporel,” by the French-Slovenian composer Vinko Globokar, must use their own body as a percussion instrument. They beat, scratch, smack, and tap themselves. They chatter their teeth, snore, and cluck their tongue. The composition’s “patterns of sound and gesture” are arresting, “keeping us transfixed even as we flinch,” the L.A. Philharmonic website says in its description of the piece.

To Brandon Gouin ’23, music performance, learning the work was a highlight of his time at UMBC. “This work is a discovery of self and musical potential that resonates deeply within me,” he says. He performed the piece at his senior recital this year, when members of the music community at UMBC were celebrating the opportunity to once again gather in practice spaces and concert halls after the isolation of COVID-19.

Gouin credits his teachers and mentors, especially Tom Goldstein, associate professor of music,and Patrick Crossland, affiliate artist, with helping him reach that moment on stage—as well as with helping him find his path as an artist.

Gouin’s experience is reflective of the experience of many members of the class of 2023. Although each individual has unique talents, passions, and goals, they are brought together by a feeling of gratitude to the UMBC community for helping them find their way. Faculty, staff and fellow students helped them open their minds to new possibilities, and mentored them on their journey to discovering a career path that fits.

Challenging preconceptions

When Gouin arrived at UMBC, he thought performance jobs for percussionists were mostly limited to professional orchestras—a highly competitive and difficult career path for any musician to pursue. However, as he dove into the local music scene, his eyes were opened to other possibilities.

“I began to see opportunities as a contemporary performer by attending the Livewire festival of New Music that UMBC holds every year and watching many performances of music I had never heard of before,” he says. He also attended local experimental music shows at the Red Room in Baltimore and the Rhizome in D.C.

“Audiences at these shows are very engaged, and that is exciting to me as a performer,” he says.

Mentors illuminate new possibilities

Gouin’s professors introduced him to new styles of music and showed him the vibrancy of the contemporary music world. Tom Goldstein directs the UMBC Percussion Ensemble of which Gouin was a member. Goldstein says he often programs works by lesser-known composers, and sometimes pieces by UMBC faculty and student composers.

“I think if the students perform a piece composed by someone they know, they may start to think ‘Hey, I could do something like that, too,’” he says.

Gouin appreciated the exposure to a variety of music and says he has adopted the inclusive mindset of his music professors as he pursues career opportunities after graduation. “My teachers aren’t only in love with one or the other kind of music but commit themselves fully to working with all kinds of music,” he reflects. “I think that kind of mindset is healthier and has more longevity for an artist’s life.”

Other Class of 2023 graduates say they encountered similar opportunities for growth and expression at UMBC. Shaniah Reece ’23, information systems, discovered a love of research and a way to connect her technical skills to her passion for social justice. Hala Algrain, M.P.S. ’23, health information technology, reconnected with a love of teaching, and switched her career plans from industry to academia. Elijah Mugabe ’23, chemistry, threw himself into lab work and a quest to investigate unanswered scientific questions. And Connor McPherson’23, history, found a way to connect his interest in the humanities with a career in the Navy.

Community builds confidence

In addition to finding their path at UMBC, these students also found communities that encouraged them to excel on their academic and personal journeys. They found student groups, faculty mentors, peer advisors, and scholars’ programs that pushed them to succeed and provided the support they needed.

“Undoubtedly, the most enriching part of my time at UMBC has been the remarkable sense of community I have experienced here,” Reece says “It has provided me with opportunities for personal growth, enabling me to evolve holistically. As I reflect upon my experiences, I feel confident and prepared to take on any obstacles that may lie ahead.”

Algrain agrees that the culture of UMBC and the level of support were the best parts of her experience at UMBC.

For Gouin, the chance to connect with mentors who were dedicated performers, as well as enthusiastic teachers, was life changing. He even joined a percussion quartet with fellow and former students that they named “Hi Tom,” in honor of Tom Goldstein.

Goldstein shares that for him the honor goes in the opposite direction.

“I love working with the students—it’s a fantastic part of my life,” he says. “It’s an honor and a privilege to get to know them.”

Read more Class of 2023 stories.