As we prepare to close out the 2025–2026 GSA year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished together and thank the graduate student community for allowing us to serve.

Over the past year, GSA has worked to advocate for graduate student needs, strengthen communication and transparency, and create more opportunities for graduate students to engage with one another and with university leadership. Through Meet & Confer, college and campus-wide town halls, weekly office hours, committee representation, advocacy meetings, grant funding, Graduate Student Appreciation Week, community-building events, and partnerships across campus, we have worked to ensure that graduate student voices are represented in conversations that impact student life and success at UMBC.

At the same time, we have continued to listen. Every email, office hour conversation, survey response, town hall discussion, committee report, and student concern helped guide the work we pursued this year. None of our accomplishments would have been possible without the students who chose to engage, ask questions, provide feedback, challenge us, and help us identify ways to improve the graduate student experience.

As one leadership team prepares to pass the torch to the next, I am excited to introduce the 2026–2027 GSA leadership team, which will begin serving on July 1:

Executive Council

• President: Ahmet Kaan Aydin

• Vice President: Kennedy Davis

• Chief of Staff: Xixëllonjë Nebihu

• Secretary: Tori LaChapelle-Sproat

• Treasurer: Milind Ramesh Rampure

• Speaker of the Senate: Diane Placide

• GRP Chair: Aminah Amjad

• GEARS Chair: Gaurav Shinde

• GAAC Chair: Rishav Gupta

• EoF Chair: Pavan Raj Ravi

Student Affairs Senators

• Dharani Nadendla

• Diane Placide

• Aaryaa Rajendra Gaikwad

COEIT Senators

• Sreeja Lakkakula

• Krish Mehta

• Suma Ronanki

• Monika Battula

CNMS Senators

• Vaibhavkumar Ginoya

• Chelsea Hook

CAHSS Senators

• Elle Hook

• Carole Njoroge

• Alfred Boakye

Directors

• Director of Events: Bethel Gabriel Beyene

• Director of Communications and Marketing: Saad Ahmad Khan

Please join me in congratulating these student leaders and supporting them as they begin their service to the graduate student community. I know they will bring new ideas, energy, and perspectives while continuing GSA's mission of advocacy, service, and community building.

While the individuals serving in GSA may change, our commitment to graduate students does not. GSA will continue to advocate for your needs, amplify your voices, and work toward making graduate student life at UMBC the best it can be.

We are also still seeking graduate students interested in serving as GSA Senators. If you are passionate about representing your peers and helping shape the future of graduate student life at UMBC, we encourage you to get involved.

Interested in serving as a GSA Senator? Sign up here                               

Serving as your GSA President has been one of the greatest honors of my graduate journey. Thank you for your trust, your support, your feedback, and your willingness to work alongside us. I hope that, through our efforts this year, we helped make GSA a little more visible, a little more accessible, and a little more connected to the graduate students we serve.

With gratitude,

Aminah Amjad
GSA President, 2025–2026

Here are the links to what you all have been waiting for, recapping the memorable graduate student appreciation week! 

Note: Please log in with your myumbc account if you are unable to access the links.

• GSAW Pictures
• GSAW - Breaking the Mold 
• GSAW - Candle Making
• GSAW - Cultural Day 
• GSAW - Grad Prom & Awards 
• GSAW - GEARS Research Symposium 

Pixilated Photo Booth:

• GSAW - Grad Prom Pixilated Photo Booth Photos 4-10-26
• GSAW - Ebony Sneaker Ball 4-11-26 Pixilated Photo Booth Photos

The Library is digitizing old issues of the UMBC Review and making them available in ScholarWorks@UMBC. We've been able to obtain all of the issues except vol 14 (2013) from Undergrad Research, and we don't have that issue in the Library. Do you any of you have it and would you be willing to lend it to us to so that we can scan it to make it available online? If so, please contact Michelle Flinchbaugh, flinchba@umbc.edu, Digital Scholarship Services Librarian.

Good morning Retrievers, 

Please note that the Office of Graduate Student Life will be closed for the day today.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to your plans. We will resume our normal operating hours of 10AM - 2PM tomorrow.

This summer is a good time to revisit recordings from AOK Library’s spring workshops. Recordings are available for students who want support with research strategies, scholarly writing, citation tools, AI tools, and more.

Watch the recordings here: https://www.youtube.com/@umbclibrary/videos 

Need one-on-one research help this summer? Make a research appointment with a subject librarian. 

The Center for Democracy and Civic Life and the Division of Institutional Equity are seeking feedback on  UMBC’s Draft Framework for Inclusive Excellence.

Over the past semester, members of the UMBC community have participated in UMBC Talks forums to share experiences, perspectives, and ideas that can help shape the university’s approach to inclusive excellence.

If you were unable to attend one of these sessions, you are encouraged to review the draft framework and provide your input.

Your feedback can help inform how UMBC advances equity, belonging, access, and community engagement across campus.

📄 Review the Draft Framework for Inclusive Excellence
📝 Submit Feedback via the Online Form
📅 Feedback Deadline: Friday, June 5

Graduate students are encouraged to participate and share their perspectives to help ensure that the experiences and needs of graduate learners are reflected in future planning and implementation efforts.

Thank you for taking the time to contribute to this important campus conversation. Your voice matters.

Warm Regards,
Aminah

Even though AOK Library is not offering live workshops this summer, you can still build your research, writing, and information skills by watching recordings from our spring workshops.

Recordings cover topics designed to support students at different stages of the research process, from getting organized to using research tools more effectively.

View the workshop recordings here: https://www.youtube.com/@umbclibrary/videos 

Need one-on-one research help this summer? Make a research appointment with a subject librarian.

The library will be open the following schedule during summer session:

Monday–Thursday        8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Friday                            8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Saturday                       Closed

Sunday                          12:00 PM – 7:00 PM

The RLC and atrium are open 24/7 with Retriever Card swipe.

The finish line is in sight! It's the last day of the Grad Finals Reset, and the OGSL Office is still open and ready to be your sanctuary from the exam crunch.

If your brain needs a break from the laptops and textbooks, swing by today. Whether you have 5 minutes to spare or want to stay and hang out longer, we’ve got exactly what you need to recharge:

• 🧩 Teamwork Puzzles: Help us finish up the community puzzles!

• 🖍️ Mindful Coloring: Grab some crayons or colored pencils and just zone out.

• 🛋️ Cozy Chill Space: No deadlines, no pressure—just a quiet, comfortable space to relax and breathe.

Take care of your mental well-being as you wrap up the semester. You’re almost there, grads—come take a well-deserved breather with us before it ends!

The finish line is in sight! We are down to the last two days of the Grad Finals Reset, and the OGSL Office is still open and ready to be your sanctuary from the exam crunch.

If your brain needs a break from the laptops and textbooks, swing by today or tomorrow. Whether you have 5 minutes to spare or want to stay and hang out longer, we’ve got exactly what you need to recharge:

• 🧩 Teamwork Puzzles: Help us finish up the community puzzles!

• 🖍️ Mindful Coloring: Grab some crayons or colored pencils and just zone out.

• 🛋️ Cozy Chill Space: No deadlines, no pressure—just a quiet, comfortable space to relax and breathe.

Take care of your mental well-being as you wrap up the semester. You’re almost there, grads—come take a well-deserved breather with us before it ends!