Alumni

For many of us, a 30th birthday celebration means balloons, presents and parties with friends and family. For Maaden “Madie” Eshete ’07, biological sciences, however, the milestone birthday will also mean a lasting change for hundreds of rural Ethiopians without access to clean water. A first-generation Ethiopian-American, Eshete is nearing the end of a giving campaign to raise $10,000 for charity:water, which aims to help an estimated 800 million people worldwide without access to clean water by providing freshwater wells, rainwater catchments, sand filters and other lasting solutions. We talked with Eshete, who is a digital communications manager for the… Continue Reading Eshete ’07, BioSci’s “$10,000 Birthday Wish”

Several faculty members and alumni were awarded Individual Artist Awards by the Maryland State Art Council this month. The Maryland Art Council Individual Artist Awards are monetary prizes given to a select group of artists each year. This year the Maryland Art Council welcomed applications from artists working in fiction, painting, media/digital/electronic arts, solo theatrical performance and works on paper. Recipients in the media/digital/electronic arts category include: Kelley Bell ’06, MFA IMDA, Assistant Professor, Visual Arts Carrie Fucile, Adjunct faculty, Visual Arts Agnes Moon ’09, MFA IMDA Phil Davis ’07, MFA IMDA Christine Ferrera ’10, MFA IMDA Recipients in the works… Continue Reading Alumni and Faculty Receive MSAC Individual Artist Awards

In a Q&A with City Biz List, Joseph T. Jones ’06, social work, CEO of The Center for Urban Families, shares some of the challenges of his childhood years, and some of the secrets to his success in the non-profit sector, including a mentor relationship with UMBC president Freeman A. Hrabowski, III. Jones founded CFUF, a non-profit organization that connects men and women to career paths and strengthens their families, in 1999. As he tells City Biz List: I met Freeman at an event that I was speaking at in 2004 about education, father absence, and my personal story. After… Continue Reading Jones ’06, social work, on Hrabowski as Role Model

Members of the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors celebrated recipients of this year’s Alumni Association Scholarships last week at UMBC’s annual Scholarship Luncheon. The event, which drew more than 100 donors and student scholars, is often the first time donors meet their scholars, making it a truly memorable event. Board president Bennett Moe ’88, and members Thomas Spratt ’95, Anita Jackson ’80 and Cathy Bielawski ’77 greeted two of this year’s Alumni Association Scholarship winners Kate Hunsicker ’14, English and dance, and Micaela A. Perez Ferrero ’13, political science. Read more about the Scholarship Luncheon here.

Following a successful run on the internationally-ranked UMBC chess team, Ian Harris ’11, psychology, is making a career of the strategic game in his home state of Connecticut, the Norwalk Hour online reports. Harris, who is ranked a national master by the United States Chess Federation and 7th in Connecticut, is working as an instructor at the Chess Club of Fairfield County, the story says. He has also co-authored a book, “Mastering Chess,” which is set to publish sometime next month. On the topic of sharing his chess secrets with a new generation, Harris tells the Hour: “I think a… Continue Reading Chess Player Harris ’11, Psych, Teaching and Writing Book

Every so often, we’ll chat with an alum about what they do and how they got there. Today, we’re talking with Peter Wood ’06, theatre, a magician whose new show, Timeless Deceptions, opens next month in Columbia, MD. Read more about how he and his brother, Matt, a current UMBC student, are living out a dream that started on Peter’s fifth birthday… Name: Peter Wood ’06, theatre Job:  Corporate Magician Company:  Shazam Magic Websites:  http://shazammagic.com or http://TimelessDeceptions.com/tickets   Q:  In a few words, describe the type of magic you do. Would your work remind us of any particular magicians we’ve… Continue Reading Career Q&A: Magician Peter Wood ’06, Theatre

Associated Black Charities CEO Diane Bell-McKoy ’73, sociology, has recently been featured in Essence magazine and the Baltimore Business Journal, her foundation reported. In the March issue of Essence magazine, Bell-McKoy is one of several women to discuss the effects depression can have on black women. In the first-person piece, she tells Essence: “For Black women who suffer from depression, racism is a real challenge, like a slap in the face you experience day in and day out.” The Baltimore Business Journal story focuses on the fact that the majority of Baltimore city non-profit board positions are primarily filled with white… Continue Reading Bell-McKoy ’73, Soc, In Essence, BBJ

Over the last 20 years, Eastern Shore tattoo artist Todd “Noble” Holloway ’92, visual and performing arts, has made a name for himself as a businessman — and a permanent impression on his customers and the tattoo community. In a recent story on DelmarvaNow.com, the Salisbury native describes a career pathway that lead him to ultimately opening his own tattoo parlor, Right Coast Tattoo in Fenwick Island. As he told DelmarvaNow: “I didn’t really know the realm of tattooing until I started, but once I really got into, it I found that it’s all-encompassing and from there I focused on… Continue Reading Tattoo Artist Holloway ’92, VPA, in DelmarvaNow