Programmatic Intern

Hybrid – Summer (full-time) 

Position Background: The Chesapeake Bay Trust (the Trust), a non-profit grantmaking organization, seeks a Programmatic Intern interested in gaining experience in the non-profit environmental sector.

Established in 1985, the Chesapeake Bay Trust uses grantmaking as a method to promote community-based participation in the restoration and protection of the natural resources of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay region.  In the past fifteen years, the Trust has significantly increased its grant-making through new revenue from a wide range of partners, with current annual grant-making of approximately $25 million.  The Trust currently allocates these grant funds through 350-400 awards per year to entities who apply through open, competitive calls for proposals as well as programs such as the Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps.

Specific Responsibilities and Learning Opportunities:

• Duties at the Trust during the summer include a variety of administrative grant-related tasks supporting our portfolio of community engagement projects, K-12 environmental education, and on-the-ground watershed and habitat restoration that support climate resiliency and public health.
• Duties at the Trust during the summer months may also include field work to assess proposed and completed restoration projects.
• The selected intern will be expected to complete an independent project of the student’s choosing related to watershed, restoration, or forestry issues and aligned with the Trust’s mission. A possible independent project will focus on a data-based outreach strategy for our Urban Trees program. 
• Independent projects completed by interns in the past have been adapted for independent study credit through the student’s university with university and professor permission.
• Students gain a wide range of skills for their resumes beyond traditional environmental organization experience, including grant management and general experience with grant-making and grant-writing.  Students also gain knowledge of and experience with a subset of the 350 to 400 non-profits that we engage every year.
• Applicants must have reliable transportation and should be willing to work nights and weekends as needed.

Qualifications and Skills: Eligible applicants must be undergraduate or graduate students attending a two- or four-year college or university in Maryland with a GPA of 3.00 or higher. In addition, all undergraduate applicants must be entering or continuing their sophomore, junior, or senior year during the fall 2026 semester. Students of all majors are welcome to apply. We will also consider applicants with one or two years of comparable experience in a relevant field. Preference will be given to candidates with interest in urban and community forestry and data analysis, and strong organizational and communication skills. Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite of programs is necessary.

https://cbaytrust.bamboohr.com/careers/76?source=aWQ9Mjg%3D

This spring, the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at UMBC celebrates a landmark achievement: 500 program graduates have earned a Ph.D.

The milestone highlights the program’s success as the nation’s original model for increasing diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Grounded in high expectations and robust support, Meyerhoff Scholars consistently go on to excel in top graduate programs and lead in academia, industry, and government while mentoring the next generation. UMBC has maintained its position as the national leader in producing Black M.D./Ph.D. graduates: Between 2014 and 2024, UMBC alumni accounted for 15 percent of all such dual-degree recipients nationwide, far outpacing any other institution. UMBC is also the leader in graduating Black students who go on to earn Ph.D.s in the life sciences, math and computer sciences, and engineering.

Joseph Washington ’97, mechanical engineering, a member of the fourth Meyerhoff cohort (M4), embodies this trajectory. A first-generation college student, he initially considered trade school after a knee injury derailed his plans to attend the U.S. Naval Academy. The Meyerhoff scholarship changed his path. In particular, Selection Weekend for admitted Meyerhoff Scholars and Summer Bridge, intensive group programming prior to the scholars’ first UMBC semester, affirmed his identity and potential: “The most important message I internalized from the Meyerhoff program was that I can be Black and intelligent,” he recalls.

Washington earned a master’s degree before returning to UMBC for his Ph.D. Today, he serves as an assistant teaching professor at UMBC at the Universities at Shady Grove. He mentors students informally, advises the UMBC chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and creates space for Meyerhoff Scholars to discuss graduate school and careers. “UMBC has always felt like home,” he says. “I would not be here if not for the Meyerhoff Scholars Program.”

A family tradition

Sadella Santos ’12, chemical engineering, M20, and her sister Melissa Santos ’12, chemical engineering, M19, also credit the program with shaping their journeys. Sadella, a senior scientist at Exponent, Inc. with a Ph.D. in chemical engineering, values the emphasis on community. “Academic success is a collective effort, rather than individual competition,” she says. “At work, I champion the message that diverse perspectives are necessary to drive scientific progress.” She pays it forward by reviewing abstracts for the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) and hosting lab visits to expose high school students to possible careers.

Melissa, who earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering followed by a J.D., applies problem-solving and adaptability skills honed through Meyerhoff to her legal career. She recently participated in a panel for McNair Scholars on summer research experiences. “Community and network are important,” she notes. “Surround yourself with people who will support you but also challenge you to grow.”

Meyerhoff scholars often refer to themselves as family—and that’s especially true for the Santoses. Justin Santos ’17, biochemistry and molecular biology, M25, is the third scholar in the family. He is completing his M.D./Ph.D. in neuroscience at Emory University this spring and will begin residency in emergency medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. He mentors students pursuing clinical-scientist careers and assists with ABRCMS abstract reviews. “High-quality, comprehensive mentorship” was invaluable to him, and he works to provide that same guidance to others.

Reaching back to pay it forward

Naomi Mburu ’18, M26, chemical engineering, was UMBC’s first Rhodes Scholar, attending Oxford University on one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious scholarships. She earned a D.Phil. in engineering science from the University of Oxford and today serves as lead analyst at Fusion Advisory Services, providing analysis of the fusion industry to a wide range of stakeholders. Meyerhoff pushed her beyond her comfort zone into leadership roles and strengthened her public speaking and networking skills, she says. She now reviews scholarship essays for UMBC students and organizes summer internships to bring diverse talent into the fusion energy field. “Supporting the next generation is so important,” she says. “I have only come this far myself with the help of my own mentors.”

These alumni illustrate the program’s lasting influence. Meyerhoff Scholars do not simply succeed—they reach back, creating opportunities and building communities for current students and early-career researchers. The model’s impact now extends even further: universities including Penn State, UNC-Chapel Hill, UC Berkeley, Stony Brook, and others have adapted key elements of the Meyerhoff approach with support from funders such as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Simons Foundation. The Howard Hughes Medical Institutehas also been a long-term supporter of Meyerhoff and its replications.

With more than 2,200 undergraduates supported to date and a national reputation for producing leaders committed to diversity in STEM, the 500th Ph.D. stands as compelling proof of the Meyerhoff model’s effectiveness. As alumni advance in their fields and invest in those who follow, the Meyerhoff Scholars Program continues to change lives one by one, transforming the face of American science through excellence, community, and a powerful ripple effect that will benefit generations to come.

Shakespeare in Harlem

By Langston Hughes and Robert Glenn
Adapted and Directed by Gerrad Alex Taylor

A University-Professional Collaboration Between UMBC Theatre and Chesapeake Shakespeare Company.

At UMBC: October 30 - November 9, 2025
At Chesapeake Shakespeare Company: January 15 - 18, 2026

This Production of Shakespeare in Harlem is by special arrangement with ILP Theatrical, a sub-division of International Literary Properties. 

Production Team

• Sound Designer: Kaydin Hamby
• Costume Designer: Eric Abele
• Lighting Designer: Juan Juarez
• Scenic and Projections Designer: Nate Sinnott
• Assistant Costume Designer: Becca Janney
• Assistant Director: Isaiah Mason Harvey*
• Vocal Director: Andrew Hann
• Choreographer: Nigel Semaj
• Intimacy Choreographer: Sierra Young
• Dramaturg: Bianca LaVerne
• Stage Manager and Projections Designer: Grace Shepperd
• Assistant Stage Managers: Sumedha Bhat, Lucas Sanchez

Cast

• Griot: Lauren Davis*
• Madam K: Amani Abdullah
• Simple: Gerrad Alex Taylor*
• Cousin Minnie: Ambar Auth
• Leonard: Dario Prioleau
• Lulu: Liza Mupende
• Bruce: LaTrelle Jamez
• Alex: Manny Rimmer
• Female and Simple Understudy: Tatiyana J. Terrelonge (performed as Lulu in the January 2026 run at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company)

*denotes Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's Black Classical Acting Ensemble Member

Full show program and show poster are attached.

Show poster designed by Eric Abele.

Production Photos

All production photos by Kiirstn Pagan '11.

Street Scenes

Text by Langston Hughes and his contemporaries*
Music by Kurt Weill and others
Directed by Eve Muson and Katie Hileman
Musical Direction by Andrew Hann

*Street Scenes brings together moments and text from several landmark 20th-century playwrights, woven together with text shaped through contemporary AI tools. The hope is that these elements speak to one another—old and new, familiar and unexpected—as the performance unfolds. Thank you for being here and sharing the experience with us. Additional text by Eve Muson and Camila Hildalgo.

Production Team

• Sound Designer: Kaydin Hamby
• Costume Designer: Becca Janney 
• Lighting Designer: Adam Mendelson
• Scenic Designer: Tyler Brust
• Assistant Director: Grace Marsh
• Assistant Lighting Designer: Aidan Henderson
• Stage Manager: Kayla Laucks
• Assistant Stage Manager: Cameron Denny

Cast

• Drina Kaplan: Brynn Krasney
• Sam Kaplan: Lucas Sanchez
• Sidney Kaplan: Alden Lester
• Willie Kaplan: Sylvia-Novella Underwood
• Doris Grossman: Alissa Suser
• Mrs. Fiorentino: Camila Hidalgo
• Jo: Kiarra Matos
• Jeffrey Ingram: Anthony Negron
• Kay: Jadyn Fleming
• Harry Easter: Wesley Mauder
• Jim Jackson: Christian Price-Burnett
• Mamie Jackson: Jamia Tutt
• Ensember/Understudy: Sofia Hunter
• Understudy: Cameron Denny

Full show program and show poster are attached.

Show poster designed by Eric Abele.

Production Photos

All production photos by Kiirstn Pagan '11.

Welcome all to a new week of club. This is our final full week before finals and next week will be our last of the school year. Tonight's meeting is in our usual of ILSB 302 at 7:00 PM.

Tonight we will be hosting a speaker, Mary Ella Jourdak. She is an activist and advocate operating out of Annapolis with years of experience in the field and ripping into Delegates not doing their job. She is going to talk with us about the work she does and how you can engage in advocacy and activism in less structured ways beyond entering government or working for delegates. Come show support for our speaker and learn how you can get involved in larger movements or even start your own!

Got Flex? Use it before it expires at 8 PM on May 20th, 2026!

Stock up on our Flash FLEX Warehouse Sale favorites like snacks, protein bars, and drinks. Submit your order via Google Form by May 17 at 8 PM. Flex is charged at submission.

Please allow 3-5 business days for processing. You’ll be notified when your order is ready for pickup at the True Grit’s Dining Offices.

Good luck on finals!

Congratulations to Frank Rodriguez '26 on being accepted to the English Literature PhD program at Penn State University! Read a statement from Frank below:

My name is Frank Rodriguez, and I am a senior at UMBC majoring in English and Education. It's my honor to announce that after graduating next month, I plan on continuing my academic journey at The Pennsylvania State University, as a member of their English literature PhD program. Along with other benefits, I have been offered a six-year contract, with an option for a seventh, of consistent funding and support. 

Regarding my field of research and interests for my graduate school studies and research, my work will be conducted primarily through a postcolonial lens, while also completed by ecocriticism, as well as labor, diaspora, and empire studies. My aspiration is to study Latin America, the Caribbean, and West Africa; specifically, the diasporic communities that originate in those spaces, as well as the groups that have coalesced in these geographical regions. I would pay particular attention to the roles of food, space, and labor play in the lives of these groups as they work to adapt to and assimilate into their new environments while retaining their cultural heritage. Along with a variety of other factors, I attribute my upbringing in immigrant communities to significantly influencing the fields of research I most gravitate towards. 

Growing up in these communities, the word "college" wasn't thrown around a lot. I'm the first in my family to graduate high school, so all of this is foreign territory. As such, I'm a bit terrified at the prospect of starting all over again in an area where no one knows who I am, as well as the weight of making people proud and providing an admirable representation of myself, my family, and my heritage. However, the prospect of continuing my education and edging closer each moment toward fulfilling my childhood dream of being a professor excites me immensely.

Additionally, I enthusiastically anticipate the opportunity to demonstrate to those around me that my place in academia is merited, and that I am in whichever space I am legitimately. 
I want to conclude by extending my gratitude to all of my past and current classmates, my professors, and the English department more broadly. I was so profoundly anxious when first beginning college, being the first in my family to attend, and from the beginning, everyone around me was so gracious and kind to me. I felt acknowledged and cherished, allowing me to flourish. It aches me to leave such a caring community, but I wish everyone the best in their endeavors, and humbly ask you to do the same for me. 

One photon, a trillion electrons. A Q&A with our Faculty, Daniel Suárez-Forero, is now live in UMBC News. They discuss Daniel's research interests and goals for his experimental group at UMBC. We thank Sarah Hansen for this fun read.

Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

By Jacqueline E. Lawton
Directed by Joseph W. Ritsch

Produced by special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials supplied by WILLIAM MORRIS ENDEAVOR ENTERTAINMENT, LLC.

Production Team

• Sound Designer: Madeline "Mo" Oslejsek
• Multimedia Designer: Adam Mendelson
• Costume Designer: Becca Janney 
• Co-Lighting Designers: Juan Juarez and Adam Mendelson
• Scenic Designer: Nate Sinnott
• Assistant Scenic Designer: Kayla Laucks
• Assistant Costume Designers: Ann Davies and Timothy Clark
• Assistant Lighting Designer: Malaak McDonald
• Assistant Sound Designer: Gale Daniel
• Fight Choreographer: Gerrad Alex Taylor
• Intimacy Choreographer: Grace Shepperd
• Puppet Engineer: Daniel Ettineger
• Stage Manager: Morgan Decker
• Assistant Stage Managers: Jada Abbott, Jadyn Fleming

Cast

• Dorothy: Divine Iweha
• Wicked Witch of the West; Glinda, Good Witch of the South; Fight Captain: Grace Marsh
• Aunt Em; Locasta, Good Witch of the North; Guardian of the Gates: Tatiyana J. Terrelonge
• Undle Henry; Wizard of Oz; Hungry Wildcat: Anthony Negron
• Scarecrow: Michael Duffy
• Tin Woodsman; Townsfolk: Christian Price-Burnett
• Cowardly Lion; Townsfolk: Dario Prioleau
• King of the Winged Monkeys; Townsfolk; Toto Puppeteer; Male Swing: Alden Lester
• Female Swing: Megan Chouinard

Full show program and show poster are attached.

Show poster designed by Eric Abele.

Production Photos

All production photos by Kiirstn Pagan '11.

Hi,

The interest form for the e-board next year is out! Please fill out by Friday, May 8.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuWcaR3_fz-NRtkQxBqsIcVHOo8kmAjr6AztzQr52xmJp8-A/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Thank you!