Isabel Kendall ’26, modern languages and linguistics, is described by Julie Oakes, assistant director of curriculum and retention in UMBC’s Honors College, as someone who “truly represents what is best about well-rounded humanities folks.” This comes as no surprise, given her time at UMBC, where she took on mentorship roles in the Honors College, created art installations, and traveled abroad to multiple countries. She is ready to apply her artistic and creative spirit to a fulfilling career where she can see the impact of her work, after taking the time to travel around the world.
Q: What led you to be so involved in different leadership and mentor roles?
A: I didn’t start out being super involved in mentorship or leadership roles or even extracurriculars. For my first two years, I was super focused on just the academic side of things. But in the Honors College, the first class that you take is called Honors Forum, and with that, there are team leaders who are like mentors slash teaching assistants for the first-year class. And at the end of my sophomore year, I applied for a team leader position. Once I had that job, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is like everything I love.’ It’s connecting with people, it’s being a mentor—which is a really rewarding role to have—and also you’re just connecting with people and the freshman class, which is cool to see them ushered into UMBC.
Q: Tell us about your senior project.
A: It was so challenging, and so rewarding. I wanted my senior project to be multidisciplinary and just visual and creative. I did the honors independent study, and that’s where I did my whole senior project. I really pushed myself to make something I had never made before. It was actually just displayed at URCAD [Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day], and it was an art installation of ten six-foot by three-foot panels of paintings. It was super fun. I’m happy it’s over because it was so much work, but it was very rewarding.
Kendall with her special exhibit “Missionary Position: Power and Cultural Mediation Through the Lens of 16th-Century Missionaries and Postwar Sex Workers.” (Photo courtesy of UMBC’s History Department)
Q: How long did each of those paintings take?
A: It really varied because it was also multi-modal. So some of the paintings took over a month for each stage. There were just a lot of layers to it, and then some of them I painted in an afternoon. It really varied depending on the medium I was using.
Q: Do you have any plans for after graduation?
A: I’ve applied for a program called TAPIF, which is an English teaching program in France, and I’m still waiting to hear back about that. It’s basically teaching English at elementary levels and secondary levels. That’s on the horizon. I also really want to travel once I graduate. I’ve traveled in Europe because I studied abroad in Europe, and also in Japan. But I’ve barely seen the U.S. So I’d like to perhaps see California and do a road trip, or maybe travel down South.
Kendall enjoys a meal and the views while in Spain.
Q: Do you have any advice for any students who are thinking about studying abroad, but they’re still unsure?
A: It’s such a good experience to get to know yourself outside of your comfort zone and build your own resiliency. And also, you just meet such cool people when you’re abroad. It’s such a wonderful experience, and I urge everyone to study abroad. It’s so worth it in every way.
Q: Do you have any idea what you want your future career to look like?
A: Honestly, I’m not sure. I would love to continue my artistry, whatever that looks like. But I also love teaching, and that’s something I’m very passionate about. I think for the immediate future, it’s probably just dipping my toes in different things and seeing what works best for me and what I want. I think that’s one thing that I feel like I need to see the impact of my work; that’s important.
Q: In your time here at UMBC, who’s been the biggest influence in your studies?
Kendall gets some support from friends who have her back!
A: I would say Dr. Julie Oakes, my research mentor. I’ve taken three classes with her at this point, not including the honors independent studies classes I have taken with her. She’s such a wonderful and brilliant professor and especially with my senior project, her support of my vision and my ideas was so unwavering, and I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor for that. Additionally, her classes were just some of the most fascinating history classes I’ve ever taken.
Q: What part of UMBC do you think will have the biggest impact on you post-graduation?
A: The Honors College has been such a core part of my studies. My time in the Honors College has connected me with some of the best people, some of the best professors, and the best peers. I feel like I’ve gotten to know people that I’m going to know forever and people that I want to know forever. The Honors College make you feel very supported. It feels very all-encompassing like if you need something, the Honors College is there to help you.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself with the community?
A: UMBC has just been a really wonderful experience, and I feel like I’ve gotten to grow so much. The interdisciplinary nature of my studies and my senior project and all the projects that I’ve undertaken have been so rewarding. That interdisciplinarianism is not only a core component of the Honors College, but also I feel like it’s valued at UMBC. I would urge anyone to lean into being interdisciplinary in their work and exploring that.
Story written by Jason Conti, UMBC Library IT support associate. All photos courtesy of Kendall unless otherwise noted.
Read more stories about the Class of 2026.