Every so often, we highlight the importance of student scholarships by introducing you to the very students they help to succeed. Today, we’re featuring Kristine Galli, health administration and policy, who is a Barbara E. Burkman Health Administration and Policy Program Scholarship recipient. This scholarship is given to a student who has demonstrated academic stature and scholarly/creative activity in their chosen discipline.

Name: Kristine Galli ’14
Major(s): health administration policy
Scholarship(s): Barbara Burkman Scholarship Award

Q: Why did you decide to attend UMBC?

A: The school has a great reputation and I love the diversity of our campus community. I knew I could learn from experts in my field while cultivating relationships that have enriched my life more than ever expected. I will be graduating with an amazing degree and incredible friends.

Q: What’s been the most amazing discovery you’ve made so far as a student here?

A: Definitely learning about other students has lead to the most amazing discoveries. People are amazing and everyone has a story, so take the time to listen because both of your lives are enhanced through that connection.

Q: Tell us about a class or club that has really opened your mind.

A: Being a Peer Health Educator through University Health Services for two years was a fun and influential way to empower myself and benefit the campus community. This position helped me learn about health issues that are most pertinent to college students and engage many different subcultures to help empower them through knowledge, as well.

Q: How important is it to you as a student to get scholarship support?

A: It was extremely important for me to receive scholarship support for multiple reasons. Having your hard work acknowledged is always fulfilling, but more than that I am very grateful that this support takes some of the financial burden off of myself and my family. There are many areas of life to manage in university, so when someone helps you in such a significant way it allows you to focus more energy on succeeding in school versus worrying about how to pay for it.

Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing in your time at UMBC?

A: Thankfully I have been able to do a lot with my time at UMBC including founding a mental health awareness student organization, Active Minds. I am very happy I was able to bring this organization to campus and am extremely impressed by the students who have taken over its management. They are definitely making a powerful and positive impact on the well being of UMBC students.

Q: What would you say to the people who provided your scholarship?

A: Thank you so much!  It means a lot that people like you invest their hard-earned money to help students succeed.

Q: What do you hope to do after graduation?

A: I was accepted into the University of Manchester to earn a Master’s in International Disaster Management. While this is awesome, I have deferred for a year to explore other interests before committing to this path. We will see what life has in store!

Support the Barbara E. Burkman Scholarship!

Here in the Office of Alumni Relations, we spend a lot of time telling stories about and talking with our wonderfully supportive alums. However, we’ve decided to turn the tables and take time to get to know the people behind the scenes – the  advancement and alumni relations staff members who are hard at work on behalf of our alumni. Today we’ll be hearing from Meredith Purvis, the Assistant Director of Marketing.

Name: Meredith Purvis
Job Title: Assistant Director of Marketing
Focus Area: I help alumni and donors stay in touch with the university.
Years at UMBC: 4

Q: Where are you from originally?

A: Shamrock, Missouri

Q: What do you love most about UMBC?

A: I love my co-workers – they are unbelievably creative and smart. My second love, of course, is True Grit. Retriever Fever forever!

Q: What’s your favorite thing about your job?

A: I love meeting our alumni and donors and getting to tell their stories. And, despite my degree in English, I am also a huge data nerd – crunch all the numbers!

Q: What’s the most recent book you’ve read?

A: I recently finished up The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and I’m currently working my way through Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I love to read, but I’ve also trained myself to fall asleep while doing so, so I tend to be a little slow to finish books these days.

Q: Who do you admire and why?

A: I really admire my siblings. My little sister, Rosie, is crazy smart and she’s one of the nicest people I know. Also, she’s studying engineering, and math gives me a headache, so that has always impressed me. My little brother, Lincoln, is incredibly creative and always off having adventures and making cool movies and taking amazing photos. I can’t wait to see what he does next.

Q: If you could be a superhero, who would you pick and why?

A: I’d definitely be Thor – great costume, magical hammer, Asgard. What’s not to like?