At the presidential investiture ceremony on April 27, 2023, President Sheares Ashby, other speakers, and the UMBC community as a whole celebrated a shared commitment to a common vision—one that promises to redefine excellence in higher education through an inclusive culture. Continue Reading Leading Boldly—Celebrating President Sheares Ashby
UMBC’s art galleries are already in full bloom for the spring. With exhibits showcasing historic and innovative 20th century photography, interactive hip-hop data visualization, and the legacies of political resistance as seen through Black hair, the university’s exhibition spaces are bountiful with thought-provoking work. Continue Reading UMBC’s galleries deliver interactive and thoughtful art
Temperatures may have been cold, but the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena was warmed by the cheers of congratulations for this year’s graduates. More than 800 undergraduate and graduate students turned their tassels this week during UMBC’s 79th Commencement Ceremonies. Continue Reading UMBC graduates ready to embark on a bright future
On a Tuesday evening in early November, Main Street in The Commons was uncommonly crowded. Hundreds of democratically-minded students eagerly—and perhaps, anxiously—milled around watching the 2022 mid-term election returns. Dilnaz Hasim ’25, economics, found the scene fitting, saying, “Election Night Extravaganza is supposed to be experienced as a community, rather than as a single person, because when you make a vote, you’re making it for the whole community.” Jointly hosted by the Center for Democracy and Civic Life, the Student Government Association (SGA), and the Graduate Student Association, the campus-based election event has been around since 2004. Students from every… Continue Reading Finding Joy in the Democratic Process
President Valerie Sheares Ashby is a people person. You can see her eyes light up while she talks with folks. On her very first day as president of UMBC, Sheares Ashby made it clear that she wants to be available to students. Right off the bat, in true professor form, she set up weekly student office hours to do just that. As you might expect, her office hours are already very popular, so we decided to reflect her friendly open-door philosophy in this regular president’s column. Sheares Ashby is also engaging in a listening tour to hear from faculty, staff,… Continue Reading Office Hours
At UMBC, we welcome Retrievers of all stripes… and feathers. Spotted on campus recently enjoying student life is an 87-year-old yellow crowned amazon parrot named Chicken. Yes, you read that right, Chicken. Elle Kreiner ’20, anthropology, a current master’s student in applied sociology, rescued the bird in 2017 after his long-term caretaker passed away and the family wasn’t able to keep him. Despite coming to campus to spread his wings (metaphorically—Chicken doesn’t enjoy flying), Kreiner doesn’t believe their parrot would make a great student, although he does speak three languages. Prior to his time with Kreiner, Chicken lived in pre–World… Continue Reading Bird Brainiac
The only things faster than David and Caitlyn Bobb themselves, perhaps, are the zingers they toss at one another. As Caitlyn, a rookie running star now in her sophomore year, describes what it’s like to have a father as head coach of track and field at UMBC, her dad dryly turns it into a bit. “My dad has many sides to him, okay?” Caitlyn laughs as Coach Bobb literally acts out everything she’s saying while seated beside her. “There’s the coach side, where he’s stern, and he’s got the stopwatch in his hand, arms crossed, hat on, and ‘GO!’…And then… Continue Reading Think Fast
It’s only been a few months since she took the helm, but it feels like President Valerie Sheares Ashby has been at UMBC for years. She can often be seen engaged in lively conversation as she makes her way across campus, treating each new face not as a stranger, but simply as a friend she hasn’t met yet. She’s already a familiar face at sporting events, cheering on #RetrieverNation as a fan in the stands. And her first Homecoming felt just like that–coming home. You already know she’s a chemist, a former dean, and now a president, but we’re going… Continue Reading Getting to Know U
With Jess Presuel ’23, biological sciences, an international student from Mexico Jess Presuel’s route to UMBC was not a direct flight from Mérida, Yucatán—her home state in Mexico—to UMBC. She originally arrived in Maryland in 2015 as an au pair to a family with five children. There, she immediately felt accepted and as she cared for the children, they helped her learn English. Over time, Presuel realized she was ready to pursue her dream of becoming a surgeon, starting in fall 2021 working toward a degree in biological science. At UMBC, Presuel knew that she wasn’t just on campus to… Continue Reading How to Bridge Your Two Homes
Today, millions of college students across the country are voting. Other students are not voting—they might be discouraged that their voice can make a difference, uninformed about their voting rights, or just unengaged with the political process. In a conversation facilitated by UMBC Magazine, Musa Jafri ’24, political science, SGA director of civic engagement, Sunil Dasgupta, professor of political science, and founder and host of the podcast “I Hate Politics,” and David Hoffman, Ph.D. ’13, language, literacy, and culture, the director of UMBC’s Center for Democracy and Civic Life, discuss the vital democratic process—on campus and off—and the daily practice… Continue Reading Voting Is an Everyday Practice
The start of the school year means new beginnings. For most, this looks like new classes and friends—new experiences and opportunities. UMBC’s new president is even experiencing a whole chapter of firsts! But among the new beginnings, some things never change. This is what we love about UMBC: We bond over new experiences In the classroom and in student clubs, Retrievers take pride in finding ways to connect with each other. “People are more open to learning about different things than you would think, like different cultures,” says Sara Motamedi ’23, mathematics, who has found her classmates to be truly… Continue Reading What We Love About UMBC
UMBC students are known for the strength of their diversity: not just in their personal backgrounds, but in the breadth of their academic interests and professional goals. Accordingly, Retrievers’ summer 2022 internships spanned a vast array of subjects and disciplines, from history to mechanical engineering, and working in fields ranging from groundwater all the way up to outer space. The four UMBC students profiled below vividly embody this wide spectrum, but they all have two things in common. Each completed their internship before starting their junior year, and each has the same advice to new students: Visit the Career Center… Continue Reading From the Soil to the Stars, Internships Take Students’ Futures to the Next Level
