Student Commencement Speakers
1862-1879
Year | Speaker |
---|---|
July 11, 1862 | Thomas Franklin, one of the two graduates, gave the primary address; undergraduates Eugene Calvert, John S. Gittings, Rudolph Hitz, Addison Randall, Charles Benedict Calvert, Jr., William P. Turpin, William H. Wallis, C. Newman, and S. D. Hall also spoke or recited |
June 26, 1863 | Charles Benedict Calvert, Jr. |
1864 | [4 graduates, no commencement excercises?] |
1865 | [no graduates?] |
1866 | [at least 3 graduates, no commencement excercises?] |
1867 | [at least 1 graduate, no commencement excercises?] |
1868 | [no graduates?] |
1869 | [no graduates?] |
1870 | [no graduates?] |
June 22, 1871 | One graduate. Students read addresses. |
1872 | [no graduates?] |
June 26, 1873 | Robert S. Henry, D. Dulany Worthington, William F. Waters, Walter F. Worthington, J. Asbury Regester, Oliver C. Miller |
June 25, 1874 | John W. Coffren, Jr., Horace M. Davis, Lewis A. Griffith, Frank C. Norwood |
June 24, 1875 | [no student speakers?] |
June 27, 1876 | [no student speakers?] |
June 26, 1877 | [no student speakers?] |
June 25, 1878 | [no student speakers?] |
June 24, 1879 |
T. Truxton Houston (Salutatory), Samuel Cissel (Valedictory) |
1880-1899
Year | Speaker |
---|---|
June 29, 1880 | William H. Thomas (Salutatory), T. Truxton Houston (Valedictory) |
June 28, 1881 | H. E. Gale (Salutatory), R. S. Mercer |
June 27, 1882 | William H. Thomas (Valedictory) |
June 28, 1883 | [no student speakers?] |
1884 | [at least 2 graduates, no commencement excercises?] |
1885 | [no graduates?] |
June 17, 1886 | [no graduates or closing exercises, due to "recent reorganization"] |
1887 | [no graduates?] |
June 19, 1888 | L. B. Johnson, S. M. Chambers, A. C. Talson, Melvin C. Hazen, (orators) J. B. Weems, R. E. Smith, W. S. Singer (essayists) |
June 19, 1889 | R. M. Pindell (Valedictory) |
June 18, 1890 | C. C. Manning, W. S. Keech, Jr., R. C. M. Calvert, C. E. Soles, E. G. Niles, R. L. Russell (Valedictory) |
June 24, 1891 | F. P. Veitch, J. C. Langley, Charles Branch, Su Penn (Pyon Su), J. B. Latimer (Valedictory), and S. W. Gambrill (Class of 1892, on behalf of the undergraduates) |
June 15, 1892 | Stephen Gambrill (Valedictory) |
June 14, 1893 | H. C. Sherman, S. S. Buckley, J. J. W. Lawson, Charles Alsey, G. Y. Graft |
June 13, 1894 | [no student speakers?] |
June 19, 1895 | William W. Skinner (Valedictory) - Skinner was a nationally known agricultural research chemist and early leader in studies of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River; he served eighteen years on the University of Maryland Board of Regents, seven of those as chair |
June 17, 1896 | W. T. S. Rollins (Oration), H. H. Heyser (Valedictory) |
June 16, 1897 | W. M. S. Weedon (Salutatory), J. D. Cronmiller (Valedictory) |
June 15, 1898 | Claude V. Allnutt (Salutatory), D'Arcy C. Barnett (Valedictory) |
June 14, 1899 | H. Edward Collins (Salutatory), J. A. E. Eyster (Valedictory) |
1900-1919
Year | Speaker |
---|---|
June 13, 1900 | H. J. Kefauver (Salutatory), E. N. Sappington (Valedictory) |
June 19, 1901 | F. V. McDonnell (Salutatory), W. W. Cobey (Valedictory) |
June 11, 1902 | Robert Laurie Mitchell (Salutatory), Arthur Roscoe Hirst (Valedictory) |
June 17, 1903 | Preston Littlepage Peach (Salutatory), John Pouder Collier (Valedictory) |
June 15, 1904 | Lewis Walke Cruikshank (Salutatory), Ernest Wilbur Stoll (Valedictory) |
June 14, 1905 | Albert Augustus Parker (Salutatory), Glenworth Sturgis (Valedictory) |
June 13, 1906 | Lemuel Ferdinand Zerkel (Salutatory), Richard Hooper Dixon, Jr. (Valedictory) |
June 12, 1907 | Harry D. Williar, Jr. (Salutatory), Morris Henry Adams (Valedictory) |
June 10, 1908 | Harry Clifton Byrd (Salutatory), John Paul Lysias Shamberger (Valedictory) - Byrd returned to his Alma Mater in 1911 as Professor of English and History and football coach and rose through the administrative ranks to become president of the University of Maryland from 1935 to 1954. |
June 16, 1909 | Percival Elliott Burroughs (Salutatory), James Stanley Gorsuch (Valedictory) |
June 15, 1910 | C. M. Saunders (Salutatory), Millard Evelyn Tydings (Valedictory) - Tydings later became a four-term U. S. Senator from Maryland, a fierce opponent of McCarthyism, and the father of Philippine independence. |
June 14, 1911 | Lindsay McDonald Silvester, Jr. (Salutatory), Joseph William Kinghorne (Valedictory) |
June 12, 1912 | M. W. McBride (Salutatory), N. L. Clark (Valedictory) |
June 18, 1913 | H. S. Koehler (Salutatory), M. E. Davis (Valedictory) |
June 17, 1914 | D. F. Schamberger (address) |
June 16, 1915 | [no student speakers?] |
June 7, 1916 | Edwin Andrew Taylor (Salutatory), Ralph Frank McHenry (Valedictory ) |
May 30, 1917 | W. D. Gray (Salutatory), H. B. Derrick (Valedictory) |
May 30, 1918 | [no student speakers?] |
May 30, 1919 | E. M. Sawyer (Senior Address) |
1920-1939
Year | Speaker |
---|---|
June 16, 1920 | Elizabeth G. Hook (Salutatory), Edward B. Ady (Valedictory) |
June 11, 1921 | Charles W. Cole (Senior Address) |
June 10, 1922 | Sterling Ruffin Newell (Address) |
June 16, 1923 | Robert Malcolm Watkins (Valedictory) |
June 14, 1924 | Aubrey S. Wardwell (Valedictory) |
June 9, 1925 | Edward F. Juska (Valedictory) |
June 8, 1926 | T. A. Brown (Valedictory ) |
June 7, 1927 | Milford H. Sprecher (Valedictory) |
June 2, 1928 | [no student speakers?] |
June 11, 1929 | [no student speakers?] |
June 10, 1930 | [no student speakers?] |
June 9, 1931 | [no student speakers?] |
June 4, 1932 | [no student speakers?] |
June 3, 1933 | [no student speakers?] |
June 2, 1934 | [no student speakers?] |
June 1, 1935 | [no student speakers?] |
June 6, 1936 | [no student speakers?] |
June 5, 1937 | [no student speakers?] |
June 4, 1938 | [no student speakers?] |
June 3, 1939 | [no student speakers?] |
1940-1959
Year | Speaker |
---|---|
June 1, 1940 | [no student speakers?] |
June 7, 1941 | [no student speakers?] |
May 30, 1942 | [no student speakers?] |
February 4, 1943 | [no student speakers?] |
May 29, 1943 | [no student speakers?] |
September 30, 1943 | [no student speakers?] |
December 22, 1943 | [no student speakers?] |
March 25, 1944 | [no student speakers?] |
June 28, 1944 | [no student speakers?] |
September 28, 1944 | [no student speakers?] |
December 22, 1944 | [no student speakers?] |
March 26, 1945 | [no student speakers?] |
June 27, 1945 | [no student speakers?] |
June 8, 1946 | [no student speakers?] |
June 7, 1947 | [no student speakers?] |
June 5, 1948 | [no student speakers?] |
June 4, 1949 | [no student speakers?] |
June 10, 1950 | [no student speakers?] |
June 9, 1951 | [no student speakers?] |
June 7, 1952 | [no student speakers?] |
June 6, 1953 | [no student speakers?] |
June 5, 1954 | [no student speakers?] |
June 4, 1955 | [no student speakers?] |
June 9, 1956 | [no student speakers?] |
June 8, 1957 | [no student speakers?] |
June 7, 1958 | [no student speakers?] |
June 6, 1959 | [no student speakers?] |
1960-1979
Year | Speaker |
---|---|
June 4, 1960 | [no student speakers?] |
June 10, 1961 | [no student speakers?] |
June 9, 1962 | [no student speakers?] |
June 8, 1963 | [no student speakers?] |
June 6, 1964 | [no student speakers?] |
June 5, 1965 | [no student speakers?] |
June 4, 1966 | [no student speakers?] |
June 3, 1967 | [no student speakers?] |
June 8, 1968 | [no student speakers?] |
June 7, 1969 | [no student speakers?] |
January 22, 1970 | [no student speakers?] |
June 6, 1970 | [no student speakers?] |
January 25, 1971 | [no student speakers?] |
June 5, 1971 | [no student speakers?] |
January 24, 1972 | Thomas White Hall, Jr. |
June 3, 1972 | Gregory W. Mitchell |
December 21, 1972 | Joan Charlotte Hennessey |
May 19, 1973 | Alexis Julia Leonard |
December 22, 1973 | Timothy John Brennan |
May 12, 1974 | C. Thomas McMillen — McMillen became the first student from the University of Maryland to be to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and later served as a U. S. Representative from Maryland from 1987 to 1993. He was a member of the 1972 U. S. Olympic men's basketball team that won a silver medal. He also played professional basketball for the Buffalo Braves (1976-1977), New York Knicks (1977), Atlanta Hawks (1978-1983), and Washington Bullets (1984-1985). |
December 20, 1974 | Martha Lynn Innocenti |
May 11, 1975 | Susan Lynne Morris |
December 21, 1975 | Susan Bette Zuckerman |
May 15, 1976 | Gary Allan Prince |
December 17, 1976 | Lawrence Weiss |
May 14, 1977 | Henri D. Barholomot |
December 19, 1977 | Elizabeth A. Williams |
May 19, 1978 | Alan Ansher |
December 18, 1978 | Karen L. Ehrlich |
May 18, 1979 | Alan and Alvin Chow |
December 18, 1979 | Cheryl E. Johnson |
1980-1999
Year | Speaker |
---|---|
May 16, 1980 | Patricia R. Richards |
December 22, 1980 | Hari Cheryl Brown |
May 15, 1981 | Mary Jane Inglesby |
December 22, 1981 | Kevin L Fast |
May 14, 1982 | Henry A. Affeldt, Jr. |
December 22, 1982 | Tony John Larioni |
May 23, 1983 | Daniel Dean Dietrick |
December 23, 1983 | Anne Beth Modlin |
May 24, 1984 | Michael Wannon |
December 21, 1984 | Seanne Elise Udell |
May 23, 1985 | Andrew W. Trice |
December 20, 1985 | Judith Tibbs Sciannella |
May 27, 1986 | Ruth Brenda Felsen |
December 23, 1986 | Michael E. Lorenzen |
May 26, 1987 | Perry William Alexion |
December 22, 1987 | Michael Ernest Severino |
May 24, 1988 | Sarah Rose-Anne Linde |
December 23, 1988 | Susan Tokarcik |
May 25, 1989 | Rhonda Y. Williams |
December 22, 1989 | Marie France Le Bouder |
May 24, 1990 | Debra Lynne Smith |
May 23, 1991 | Jeffrey Todd Adler |
December 20, 1991 | Anna Kathryn Gilcher |
May 19, 1992 | Jeffrey Alan Jones |
December 22, 1992 | Susan Elizabeth Garrett |
May 20, 1993 | Monica Willis |
December 23, 1993 | Michael David Nicoleau |
May 19, 1994 | Susan M. Ator — A Reisterstown, Md., native, Astor graduated with a 4.0 and degrees in math education and Spanish. She studied abroad in Madrid and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. She was a member of math honor societies and Phi Beta Kappa. |
December 22, 1994 | Colleen R. Read — Read graduated with a degree in Spanish language and literature and finished a degree in government and politics in the spring of 1995. She earned a 4.0 and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She volunteered for the Child Welfare division of Social Services and tutored. |
May 19, 1995 | Juanita Russell — Russell was a teaching assistant and received the Shirley Chisholm Award, among others. She earned a 4.0 while working part-time and raising a family. |
December 22, 1995 | Stuart Amateau — A psychology major, Amateau worked in the lab of the chair of the department. He got to present his research at the annual Society of Neurosciences convention. |
May 23, 1996 | Supriya Goyal — Goyal double majored in philosophy and neurobiology and achieved a 4.0 gpa. She was involved with the University Honors Program and the Central Judicial Board, as well as the student newspaper and WMUC Radio. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Golden Key Honor Society, and many other societies. |
December 20, 1996 | Beth Lowenthal — Lowenthal earned a B.A. in French (business concentration) and minors in pre-pharmacy, German, and Spanish and is from Ellicott City, Md. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and other societies. |
May 22, 1997 | Joel E. Buzy — A trained firefighter, paramedic, and emergency dispatcher, he decided to pursue an undergraduate education in biological sciences after overcoming a learning disability |
December 21, 1997 | Raymond Peters — He graduated as an anthropology major after an extended break in his undergraduate career which first ended in 1983. His work on Vietnamese kinship and culture change encouraged him to pursue graduate study. |
May 22, 1998 | Randall D. Katz — Twice a finalist for the Truman scholarship, twice a winner of the Udall Scholarship for Excellence in National Environment Policy, and member of Phi Beta Kappa, he was also a member of the Student Government Association and the Student Honor Council. He graduated with two bachelor's degrees and certificates from University Honors and College Park Scholars. |
December 20, 1998 | Amy Schlom — Marketing major and member of Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma, she graduated with a 4.0. |
May 24, 1999 | Benjamin Lynerd — Lynerd was a double major in Government and Politics and Music and was a member of both the University Honors Program and the Government/Politics Departmental Honors Program. He held leadership positions in Sigma Alpha and won the Homer Ulrich Award for Piano Performance in 1997. |
December 23, 1999 | G. Scott Shaw — A journalism major who was a columnist for the Diamondback, he was president of the university's chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America. He was involved in hospice care through communications projects and volunteer work. |
2000-2019
Year | Speaker |
---|---|
May 25, 2000 | Mona H. Siddiqui — The first recipient of the University Medal, she majored in both physiology/neurobiology and philosophy. She volunteered at Shady Grove Nursing Home and Longview Elementary School and researched at the National Institutes of Health. She also assisted in a maternity ward in a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, and was a member of the University Honor Council. |
December 21, 2000 | Heather C. King — After a year at Prince George's Community College, King attended the University of Maryland as a College Park Scholar and Honors student. She achieved a 4.0 gpa with her English language and literature major. |
May 24, 2001 | Mark Daniel Tosso — Tosso was involved with many campus service organizations including President's Student Advisory Council, University Senate, and the Office of Judicial Programs. A Banneker/Key Scholar, he maintained a 4.0 as a double major in history and communication. He was also a part of the Gemstone and History Honors programs and Omicron Delta Kappa. |
December 20, 2001 | Sonia Kumar — A Banneker/Key Scholar with a 3.9 gpa, she majored in journalism. With parents from other countries, her father from India and her mother of Turkish and Persian extraction from Iran, she gained an international perspective. She won a Senior Scholars Award in 2001 that allowed her to write and travel in Iran. |
May 23, 2002 | Zachary Bookman — Before entering UMD, he sold his lawn business, from which he made $50,000 throughout high school. He graduated with a degree in government and politics, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and as a Dean's Academic Scholar. He studied abroad at Oxford University, was involved in theatre, men's varsity cross-country, and chess tournaments. |
December 22, 2002 | Kirsten Ehrenspeck — She choose a major in secondary education, speech and English. She graduated with honors and a 3.9 gpa. She founded "The Prism", and helped reform "Terp Pals." She was a member of Alpha Lambda Delta honors society and the University Honors Program, as well as the Mighty Sound of Maryland marching band. |
May 22, 2003 | Rebecca Ariel Hoffberg — Graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in government and politics, and a B.S. in mathematics. A Baltimore native, she was a member of the Gemstone program, a Banneker/Key Scholar, was the Undergraduate Researcher of the year, Truman Scholarship finalist, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the Maryland Medallion Society, and the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Society. |
December 20, 2003 | Robyn Ellyn Sanderson — Double astronomy and physics major, she also sang in Maryland's Chamber Singers, a Virginia-based choral group, and directed a student singing group, Voices of Truth |
May 20, 2004 | Christine Smit — A Beltsville native, Ms. Smit was a computer engineering and vocal performance double major. |
December 18, 2004 | Renee Sihvola — A Frederick native, she graduated with a double major in government and politics and criminal justice with a 3.89 gpa. She helped found the Open Door Fellowship, and was a member of the Lutheran Student Association and College Park Scholars. |
May 21, 2005 | Fernando Balderrama — A native of Bolivia, Balderrama came to the United States as an American Field Service exchange student. Deeply influenced by the horrors of poverty in his home country, he worked with victims of the Santa Cruz riots, assisted with activities in the Lourdes Clinic, and volunteered in orphan and retirement homes. While at the university, he sought to integrate Latin American culture into campus activities and served as a Spanish mentor in the Language House. He graduated with a triple major in business, economics, and French. |
December 21, 2005 | Samy Bassam Muaddi — An economics major and College Park Scholar, he co-founded the Common Grounds Project, a collaboration between the Jewish Leadership Council and the Organization of Arab Students that explores the common ground between the Jewish and Arab cultures. He also co-founded the Terp Runners sports club and was a member of the Debkeh troupe, performing traditional Arab folk dance. |
May 21, 2006 | Michelle (Shuli) Karkowsky — A government and economics double major as well as a Banneker/Key and Gemstone Scholar, she served as a member of the university's Board of Governors and the Gemstone GenEthics team. She was a leader in the local and national Jewish community, working for Senator Barbara Mikulski on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. |
December 20, 2006 | Ashleigh Butler — A music performance and music education double major from Parkton, Maryland, she played oboe in the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra, and guest taught the College Park Youth Orchestra. She was also a Gemstone Scholar, focusing her efforts on a project dealing with vaccination programs in developing nations. |
May 20, 2007 |
Ryan Cooper — A psychology major and active member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society and Rawlings Undergraduate Leadership Fellows Program. He led the Capitol Hill to Classroom community initiative, educating local low-income students about the capital and national politics. He was also an intern for Senator Barack Obama. |
December 19, 2007 | Andres Garcia — A government and politics major and sociology minor originally from Santiago, Chile. Fluent in three languages, he was also an undergraduate teaching assistant. |
May 22, 2008 | Natalie V. Prizel — A major in English with a certification in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies, she studied modernism, sexuality and gender expression in both literary and socio-political contexts. She participated in Worldwise, the Dean's Special Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and re-established the English Undergraduate Association. |
May 21, 2009 | Reginald Dwayne Betts — An English major, Betts persevered after being incarcerated at 16 to become a writer and poet. His memoir, "A Question of Freedom," was published in the summer of 2009. Betts was the recipient of the Beatrice Hawley Prize for poetry and was a Pushcart Award nominee. He also received a Holden Fellowship to study poetry at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. |
December 19, 2009* January 24, 2010 |
Talia Lewis — Received her bachelor's degree in health, culture, and inequality studies, a curriculum she designed through the Individual Studies program. While at the university, she helped found the Women's Jewish Alliance at Maryland and led an alternative spring break trip to Los Angeles, where she and 15 other students volunteered at a homeless shelter and with an after-school program for at-risk youth. The Philip Merrill Presidential Scholar and University Honors student wrote her senior thesis on organ trafficking and plans to become a family doctor in under-served communities in the United States and abroad. *-originally scheduled for this date, but was rescheduled to January 2010 after a massive snowstorm closed campus; believed to be the first time commencement has ever been cancelled |
May 20, 2010 | Onyinyechi Eke — A transfer student from Montgomery College, found time beyond her classwork and research assistantship performing DNA analysis on a hybrid system of roundworms to participate in America Reads*America Counts and HOPE worldwide, which offers after-school activities to low-income youth. Ms. Eke also participated in Howard University's prestigious Summer Medical and Dental Education Program as a dental assistant, and she planned to return to her native Nigeria as a doctor to help repair her country's dysfunctional medical system. She received honors from the College of Chemical and Life Sciences and the Office of Multi-Ehtnic Student Education. |
December 18, 2010 | Robert W. Puckett II — A criminology and criminal justice major, who faced significant family and personal challenges while completing his education at Maryland. |
May 19, 2011 | Jon Y. Katzer — A mathematics and economics double major, who minored in computer science. Katzer founded an SAT tutoring company while he was in high school, a business he continued to grow during his undergraduate days at Maryland. Katzer also organized an alternative spring break trip to Tampa, Florida, in spring 2009 to deliver food and work on homes that had suffered hurricane damage. |
December 21, 2011 | Kevin Matuszak — An accounting major and Gemstone team member who participated in the Gemstone Peace in Prisons Project. |
May 20, 2012 |
Heungkook "HK" Stephens — A civil engineering major, helped Engineers Without Borders develop a sustainable water resource in Brazil and a water chlorination system in Peru. "HK" also directed a youth ministry in Silver Spring, MD, and participated in two local dance troupes as an undergraduate. |
December 19, 2012 | Zainab Hosseini — A family science and black women's studies major who entered college at age 15 and graduated at 19, Ms. Hosseini worked with refugees in Iran, designed a study abroad program in Mexico, volunteered for America Reads* America Counts, and served as a student mentor in the Prince George's County school district. |
May 19, 2013 | Vijay Baharani — An electrical engineering major, Banneker-Key scholar and Honors College student, math tutor and mentor for America Reads* America Counts, and intern for the university's Dining Services who researched ways to more sustainably source food used at Maryland. |
December 21, 2013 | Kori Hill — An accounting and information systems major, Hill was a member of the 2009 class of the Maryland Incentive Awards Program, a scholarship program for outstanding students in the Baltimore City or Prince George's County school districts. |
May 22, 2014 | Sergio Torres, finance major, and winner of academic excellence awards from the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Education. |
December 20, 2014 | Kelsey Hughes, journalism major with a minor in LGTBQ studies, was part of a team that won one of the first Future of Information Alliance-Deutsch Foundation Seed Grant to create a guidebook to help "citizen journalists" more effectively document and share news. Hughes was also on The Diamondback staff and served as communications for the Pride Alliance. |
May 21, 2015 | Mackenzie Burnett, a double major in international relations and government and politics, was the executive director of Startup Shell, a student-run incubator and collaborative work-space for student enterprises on campus. She also co-founded and directed sponsorship for Bitcamp, a national hackathon that brought thousands of students to campus each spring to collaborate on software and hardware projects. Burnett also served as a legislative intern and in several governance positions on campus. |
December 19, 2015 | Elana Duré, a journalism major with a minor in international development and conflict management, served as an intern in the Office of Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy and was a member of the staff of the Mitzpeh and the Diamondback. She also hosted a program on UMD radio station WMUC and completed internships at national and international newspapers. |
May 18, 2016 | Rachel George, a double major in marketing and English, ran health campaigns and consulting projects for Maryland Social Entrepreneur Corps and was the chair and lead designer for the QUEST honors program marketing team. |
December 20, 2016 | Jacob Lowenstein, a double major in accounting and finance, was a founding member and treasurer of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and authored two feature-film screenplays while at Maryland, one of which was accepted into Vancouver Lift-Off Film Festival. |
May 21, 2017 | Shuping Yang, a double major in theatre and psychology, with a minor in German, became passionate about playwriting and theatre after arriving at Maryland. Yang's play "Goldfish" was performed at the Kennedy Center's annual Page-to-Stage New Play Festival, and she wrote screenplays for the 2016 and 2017 UMD Film Festivals. |
December 19, 2017 | Rachel Smith, who received an individual studies degree in immigration and ethnic studies, amassed experience in virtually every part of the U.S. immigration system as a student. She also served as a volunteer with ALDEA -- The People's Justice Center in Reading, PA, a non-profit that provides pro bono legal aid to asylum-seeking families. |
May 20, 2018 | Michelle Sauer, a double major in English language and literature and secondary education, served as a tutor in the UMD Writing Center, a resident assistant, and a one-on-one instructor in reading comprehension. |
December 18, 2018 | Rehan Staton, a history major, served as president of the History Undergraduate Association, the Department of History representative for the College of Arts and Humanities Dean's Advisory Board, and the student representative for the College of Arts and Humanities Dean's Cabinet while spending long hours riding a trash truck or refurbishing dumpsters. |
May 24, 2019 | Amy Iandiorio, a major in criminology and criminal justice, with minors in global terrorism and history, served as an intern and research associate with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism and as an outreach and development intern with the Maryland LEAD program. She was also an award-winning resident assistant and active member of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. |
December 17, 2019 | Bita Riazi, a communications major, who has served as a programming and production intern in the D.C. Office of Cable Television, Film, Music and Entertainment, booking guests, researching stories, writing scripts and other duties. Riazi will pursue a career in media and entertainment reporting, with the ultimate goal of working in a field that can help inspire people. |
2020
Year | Speaker |
---|---|
May 22, 2020 | Citrupa Gopal, a biological sciences major and native of India who had never been to the United States before she entered the university, participated actively in research programs focused on the Chesapeake Bay and the stalk-eyed fly. She also received the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Education’s Award for Academic Excellence all four years, tutored fifth graders at a local elementary school, and served as a teaching assistant in a microbiology lab course. Following graduation, she planned to pursue a doctorate leading to a career in research and teaching. |
December 20, 2020 | Luke Teresi, a psychology major who plans to attend law school and ultimately enter elected politics to improve life for those in his community. While at Maryland, Teresi helped found the university’s chapter of the Sigma Tau Gamma social fraternity and co-founded the Cross-Cultural Adoptees Organization for students who have been adopted across races and cultures. This group was a critical support for Teresi as he examined his own life story as South Korean adopted by Italian American parents. He also was a member of the Multi-Ethnic Student Education Academic Excellence Society and the Psi Chi Psychology National Honor Society. |
May 20, 2022 | M Pease, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree with high honors in psychology and minors in Asian American studies and public leadership and plans to pursue a doctorate in counseling psychology at UMD. As an undergraduate, Pease led and supported investigations on LGBTQ+ and Asian American minority stress and mental health as a researcher in the Department of Psychology’s Gender, Culture and Health Laboratory and the School of Public Health’s Prevention Research Center. Her thesis on trans mental health was published in the journal Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. They also served as a resident assistant, a teaching assistant for four classes across psychology, English and Asian American studies, and a member of the APIDA Social Justice Task Force. They were also an administrative director, workshops director and peer counselor for the Help Center, providing confidential over-the-phone peer counseling and establishing an outreach program to educate the campus community. |