Impact

All photos courtesy of Monroe Kennedy.

Meet a Retriever—Monroe Kennedy, III, ’12, mechanical engineering professor at Stanford University

/ 4 minutes of reading

Meet Monroe Kennedy, III, a Meyerhoff Scholar (M20) who earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from UMBC in 2012 before earning his M.S. in robotics and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania. Monroe is now an assistant professor in the mechanical engineering department at Stanford University. His work is in collaborative robotics, building systems capable of extending robotic autonomy to scenarios where robots work closely around humans and must anticipate their needs to be effective teammates. Outside of his role as a professor, Monroe serves as a national director for Black in Robotics, a… Continue Reading Meet a Retriever—Monroe Kennedy, III, ’12, mechanical engineering professor at Stanford University

Laura with House Speaker Adrienne Jones ‘76, and fellow Alumni Association board member Lisa Nissley ‘01, after all three women spoke at the 2024 UMBC Annapolis Reception: Saluting Women Leaders.

Meet a Retriever—Laura Howell ’86, disability advocate and Alumni Association governance committee chair

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Meet Laura Howell; she graduated from UMBC in 1986 with a B.A. in political science. She is an advocate for those with developmental disabilities and the CEO of the Maryland Association of Community Services, having recently celebrated her 20th anniversary in the position. Laura is also an active member of the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors, serving as chair of the governance committee. She credits her time at UMBC and the support she received here for preparing her for a career of advocacy and service. Take it away, Laura! Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. A. I… Continue Reading Meet a Retriever—Laura Howell ’86, disability advocate and Alumni Association governance committee chair

three woman walk together smiling, wearing black and gold

Meet a Retriever—Ciomara Matamoros, mom of three and aspiring school psychologist

/ 3 minutes of reading

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… Continue Reading Meet a Retriever—Ciomara Matamoros, mom of three and aspiring school psychologist

Poulomi Banerjee '16, M.P.P. '21, and Emma Hagen '14, high five while holding a sign that reads Welcome to Our Community of Inquiring Minds. (Marlayna Demond '11/UMBC)

Meet a Retriever—Poulomi Banerjee ’16, M.P.P. ’21, annual donor and advocate of the UMBC community

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Meet Poulomi Banerjee, a double alumna—earning her degree in health administration and policy in 2016 and her M.P.P. in 2021—and current public policy Ph.D. student at UMBC who believes in the power of this community! She has her sights set on becoming just the 141st triple alum in UMBC history (bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. from UMBC). When she’s not working toward Retriever history, Poulomi works as the associate director of annual giving and alumni communications at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In her spare time (we’re just as surprised as you that she has any), you can… Continue Reading Meet a Retriever—Poulomi Banerjee ’16, M.P.P. ’21, annual donor and advocate of the UMBC community

Alumni Awards 2022. Pictured left to right: Kevin Yang ’07, Katelyn Niu ’05, Christina McWilliams, Sean McWilliams M.S. '16, and Brian Frazee ’11, M.P.P. ’12

Meet a Retriever—Sean McWilliams, M.S. ’16, Alumni Association Alumni Awards Committee Co-Chair

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Meet Sean McWilliams, M.S. ‘16, applied mathematics. Sean is a portfolio manager at T. Rowe Price and an active member of the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors, serving as one of the co-chairs of the Alumni Awards committee. Sean was a non-traditional student who found his way to UMBC as a part-time graduate student while working full-time at T. Rowe Price. Take it away, Sean! Q: What is your WHY? What brought you to UMBC? A: After working for a few years I deeply missed the academic rigor of studying mathematics. I wanted to study more math at the graduate… Continue Reading Meet a Retriever—Sean McWilliams, M.S. ’16, Alumni Association Alumni Awards Committee Co-Chair

Urban development simulation helps students learn how to balance growth, equity, and environmental sustainability 

/ 8 minutes of reading

“I could lecture students about the ethical, financial, structural, and environmental issues cities grapple with in the urban development process, but urban planning simulations create an entirely different learning process,” says Eric Stokan, associate professor of political science who partnered with the Urban Land Institute for this project. Continue Reading Urban development simulation helps students learn how to balance growth, equity, and environmental sustainability 

Kisha Parker standing at the UMBC Alumni Awards podium.

Meet a Retriever—Kisha Parker ’00, Alumni Association PR Committee Chair

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Meet Kisha Parker ’00. Kisha is a dual-degree alumna with a B.S. in biological sciences and a B.A. in psychology, and an active member of the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors, serving as Chair of the Public Relations Committee. As a student, she was very active, taking leadership roles in several organizations, including the Student Government Association (SGA) as the director of state and national affairs, and the Lambda Kappa Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., as president. UMBC is also where Kisha found love–meeting her future husband, Kevin Parker ’99, mechanical engineering, who was also involved in… Continue Reading Meet a Retriever—Kisha Parker ’00, Alumni Association PR Committee Chair

Lisa Nissley and her family at a UMBC ice hockey game during homecoming in 2023.

Meet a Retriever—Lisa Nissley ’01, Alumni Association Nominating Committee Chair

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Meet Lisa Nissley ‘01, political science. Lisa is a legislative liaison at the Department of General Services, as well as the chair of the mominating committee on the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors. In her spare time, you can find her at the ice rink (her two children are involved in figure skating and ice hockey), the pool (swim team), or the lacrosse field. Lisa also enjoys reading, cooking (when it’s not required), walking, and being creative. Take it away, Lisa! Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone who hasn’t joined the UMBC community to know about the… Continue Reading Meet a Retriever—Lisa Nissley ’01, Alumni Association Nominating Committee Chair

Man and woman sitting at a desk in a classroom in front of a whiteboard with Russian words, focused on the papers in front of them.

Meet a Retriever—Nathan Wooddell ’23, graduate student specializing in Russian and cybersecurity 

/ 5 minutes of reading

Meet Nathan Wooddell ’23, computer science. Nathan is a member of UMBC’s CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service cohort, and is getting his master’s in cybersecurity as a graduate researcher at the National Nuclear Security Agency. Nathan attributes much of his success to the connections he’s made with the staff and faculty at UMBC who have helped him to discover his true passions. During his time as an undergraduate at UMBC, Nathan also completed a Russian language certificate, and has found a way to combine his interests of both cybersecurity and the Russian language in the professional world. Take it away, Nathan.  … Continue Reading Meet a Retriever—Nathan Wooddell ’23, graduate student specializing in Russian and cybersecurity 

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