UMBC is always full of hard-working people who aspire to do great things, and the class of 2014 is no exception. Today, we wanted to share with you what some of our recent graduates are planning to do with their Retriever education.

For seven of her eight semesters at UMBC, Kat Schuster, theatre, dedicated her time to the costume shop on campus. A Linehan Artist Scholar, she has been recognized by the theatre department, local theatre companies and their audiences. While aiding younger students through UMBC Residential Life and the Wilde Lake High School Theatre Department, Schuster was awarded the Outstanding Departmental Service Award along with the Linehan Summer Award. She now plans to work in theatre administration and technician and costuming positions at Daydreams and Nightmares Aerial Theatre, Historical designs, and the Jim Rouse Theatre.

Mary Hester, dance and interdisciplinary studies, used her love of dance and advocacy to serve as president of the Dance Council of Majors, receive the Linehan Summer Research and Study Award, and perform at the American College Dance Festival. Her project “Arts Advocacy: Promoting Policy Change,” analyzed “the benefits of dance lessons and the political implications for arts education.” She now plans to complete an M.P.P. at UMBC.

A campus leader and driven student, Kwadwo “Kojo” Owusu-Boaitey, philosophy and biological sciences, was a Meyerhoff Scholar, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Scholar, and Salutatorian for the Class of 2014. He was greatly involved as a member of the club soccer team, president of the Meyerhoff Scholars, co-founder and treasurer of the Minority Association of Premedical Students, and vice president of Philosophers Anonymous. Owusu-Boaitey has completed breast cancer research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, has done research at MIT labs for two summers, and is now contributing to a research manuscript. He plans to earn his M.D./Ph.D. from Harvard and MIT after graduation.

Miss Baltimore 2014, Miss Maryland 2013 runner-up, and winner of two Miss America Academic Awards, Samantha Hawkins, cultural anthropology and interdisciplinary studies, visual research methodology, was a member of the Honors College and received the Undergraduate Research Award. She has volunteered weekly at St. Francis Neighborhood Center, was a goodwill ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and interned at Maryland State Arts Council and the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Hawkins plans to earn her Ph.D. in socioanthropology with a fully-funded fellowship at Harvard University.

Learn more about the Class of 2014!

The Program Assistant provides assistance to the Program Officer responsible for a set of programs in order to provide program support and general administrative support. Program areas for this position fall under the umbrella of the Maryland Center for the Book and include One Maryland One Book, Letters About Literature, Literary Walking Tours, Book Festivals, and reading and discussion programs.

Happy Tuesday UMBC Applicants!

Before I begin this week’s blog, I want to share a quick joke with you:

a. Why did the high school senior throw his watch out the window?

b. Why didn’t the Skeleton go to senior prom?

(Answers are found at the end of the blog)

The application engine needed a little bit of oiling to get started, but now it is humming away. Early Action and Spring Transfer applications are rolling in and making their way through our processing area (being downloaded from Common App, being matched with accompanying materials, etc.). We do ask for a little bit of your patience, as we work hard to get decisions out to each student in a timely manner. We are updating our systems frequently, so each day new applications are received from the Common App and will trigger the initial “we have received your application” email to you. Likewise, once your application is complete, it will undergo review.

Keep in mind we are also focusing our efforts first on Early Action applications, than spring transfer applications, then Regular Decision applications and finally Fall Transfer applications.  So if you’re a Regular Decision or Fall Transfer applicant, we may not process your application at this point as quickly as someone who’s applied for Early Decision or Spring Transfer.

When we are processing applications and documents and your application remains incomplete, we will send you an email to let you know what we’re missing and how to submit it.  So please check your email in-boxes frequently. We will launch those decisions as soon as our process can run its course.  Early action applicants can expect to receive an admissions communication in mid to late December.

Stay tuned for more on our UMBC Undergraduate Admissions Blog for more information!

ANSWER A.) He wanted to see time fly!

ANSWER B.) He did not have any body to take!

(Please, please, do not laugh too hard.)