Meet Ciomara Matamoros ’24, psychology, who is a first-generation college student pursuing her dream of becoming a school psychologist while raising three kids. She’s a member of the Peer Advisory Team at The Universities at Shady Grove and part of the Psychology Student Association. After graduation, she plans on getting her master’s in psychology. Here, Ciomara shares how she gets it all done. 

Q: Briefly introduce yourself. What’s one thing you’d want another Retriever to know about you?

A: I am a senior psychology major at UMBC. I am also a mother of three and my favorite activities include watching my kids play sports. As a first-generation college student, I really want to be an example for my three girls and to show them that if I can overcome the obstacles to go to college, then they can too.

Q: What brought you to UMBC?

A: I came to UMBC because I knew someone who came here for a psychology major. You might think a psych major offers limited career options, but at UMBC I’ve learned about so many different types of career choices. There are lots of opportunities to network and to apply to internships.

Q: What do you plan to do after graduation?

A: I am getting my master’s degree in school psychology. I was accepted into multiple programs I applied to, thanks to the knowledge that UMBC provided me with. These programs are very hard to get into—they only accept 12 students a year. I am extremely excited to pursue my dream! I want to thank Diane Alonso, principal lecturer of psychology and director at Shady Grove, for providing me with so much support and helping me through my academic journey. Also, anytime I had any kind of questions regarding my transcripts and credits, Abigail Grainger, assistant director of undergraduate recruitment and retention, was always there to point me in the right direction.

Q: How has the UMBC community supported you in pursuing your dreams? 

A: There is so much support at UMBC, from the faculty down to the students. Everyone is willing to help you in any way they can. As a mom, I appreciated the flexibility and the large variety of courses I could take at any time.

Q: What clubs, teams, or organizations are you a part of? What do you love about them?

A: I’m a part of the Psychology Student Association. Also, I’m a member of the Peer Advisory Team, which is a specialized program here at UMBC-Shady Grove to help new students feel connected to peers and supported and encouraged. 

Q: You’re a first generation student. Tell us more about that part of your life.

A: UMBC has helped me grow so much, not only as a student but also as a leader. It’s helped me become more confident in my own abilities. 

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

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

Nancy Kusmaul, associate professor of social work, a scholar and advocate for the rights of older adults and professional caregivers, received the “Outstanding Individual in Academia” award from the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy in March 2024 at a ceremony on Capitol Hill. Kusmaul’s work is informed by her 10 years of experience as a social worker and over a decade of novel scholarship. 

As co-chair of the Committee on Aging for the Maryland Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, Kusmaul helps advance programming for seniors, professional development for social workers in the aging field, and inform policy and legislation. In 2019, Kusmaul served as a  Health and Aging Policy Fellow at the office of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services learning about how Congress and the executive branch create policies that affect care for frail older adults. 

Social work advocacy and policy

“During my time as a nursing home and hospital social worker, I witnessed the day-to-day impact of policy on practice, when families had to choose between the best of less-than-desirable options. As a scholar, I answer questions and promote policies to improve those options,” says Kusmaul. Her research and advocacy focus on improving nursing home care and organizational culture as well as the understanding of trauma experiences on direct care workers, care recipients, and their families.

 “Advocacy is a central tenet of social work, and this award recognizes my time, collaboration, and leadership in this area on behalf of older adults and their families,” says Kusmaul who recently published “Let’s cut out the ageism and the notion of getting ‘too old’” in the Baltimore Sun.

Kusmaul’s first textbook, Aging and Social Policy in the United States, is one of the first textbooks designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the conditions and policies at the local, state, and federal level that affect the rights and interests of senior citizens.

Measuring nursing home care

Her work continues in the classroom and the “lab” as a co-investigator in a new interdisciplinary research project with principal investigator Roberto Millar, M.A ’19, sociology, Ph.D. ’20, gerontology, a policy analyst advanced at The Hilltop Institute at UMBC, and co-investigator, Ian Stockwell, associate professor of information systems. For the first time, the researchers will also combine data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Care Compare database and results of the Maryland Family Satisfaction Survey. The survey assesses the experiences of family members with loved ones in Maryland nursing homes and, Kusmaul’s research, offers a unique approach to measuring quality of care.

“There are no national measures of nursing home quality that consider the experiences of family members,” she explains. “When we think about what quality is and the outcomes we’re measuring, we have to think about the different perspectives of what is good nursing home care.”

Halaevalu Fonongava’inga Ofahengaue Vakalahi, president and chief executive officer of the Council on Social Work Education, who attended the March event in D.C., said, “This award is absolutely well-deserved because Nancy is a champion of all things aging and gerontology. There could not be anyone more fitting for this award!”

Learn more about UMBC’s School of Social Work.