Finley Bandy spent last summer in the cool temperatures and dim light of UMBC’s Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery Special Collections—the perfect environment to preserve rare books, photographs, manuscripts, archives, and artifacts. As part of UMBC’s 2025 Co-Lab interdisciplinary undergraduate summer research program, Bandy learned techniques to produce “Special Collections 101”, an informative video about how to use the resources in the collections. Bandy also loves being surrounded by thousands of historical narratives and working with Special Collections staff Beth Saunders, associate director and curator, and Lindsey Loeper, reference and instruction archivist. The infinite possibilities housed in Special Collections and the people who ensure historical narratives aren’t forgotten have inspired Bandy to join the cadre of museum and archive professionals.
“I was accepted into UMBC’s master’s program in historical studies,” says Bandy. “I love the process of using my historical and archival research to write about what I’m finding so that other people are aware that this piece of history exists. That’s why I want my master’s research to be an online exhibit that is accessible to the world.”
Museums and archives are only two of Bandy’s passions. When Bandy transferred to UMBC from Lamar Community College in Colorado, they brought their love of Russian language, history, and culture, and their deep love of Baltimore City.
Q: Did you come to UMBC already knowing what you wanted to study?
A: When I started at UMBC, I was all set to learn Russian and study Soviet history, but then I decided to go broader and major in history. I did finish all the Russian language courses, so I can speak Russian. I’m still interested in Russian history, and I love Russian music. I really love the language and like Eastern European culture.
Q: Where does your passion for Russian language and culture come from?
A: In my community college, I took a 20th-century world history class, and learned about the Cold War, which lasted from 1947 to 1991. A lot of the history really broke my heart. It made me want to learn more about it. I took a lot of Russian history classes and started reading Russian and Soviet literature. I really love how unique it is.
Q: Is there a modern piece of Russian culture that you enjoy, or are you focused on the history?
A: I think it’s really interesting to see how Soviet culture is beginning to meld with Western culture.
Soviet rock bands are really, really cool. There’s this great rock band that has been around since the ’70s called Akvarium or Aquarium. They were underground for a long time due to the war. I listen to them a lot. There’s also a current pop musician named Monetochka. She’s really cool.
I’ve never travelled abroad or have a passport, but one day I would like to visit Moscow and St. Petersburg, and travel all over Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
Q: Do you have a community to speak Russian with and immerse yourself in Russian culture?
A: Yes! UMBC’s Russian Club is a really tight-knit group. In the past, we hosted many holiday celebrations. In post-Soviet Russia and Eastern Europe, they still celebrate Christmas, but New Year’s is celebrated more because during the Soviet era, atheism was promoted and New Year’s didn’t have religious ties. Towards the end of the fall semester, we organized a giant Novy God [New Year’s] celebration. And then in the spring, we celebrated Maslenitsa. In the Russian Orthodox Church, this is the last week to feast before a period of fasting that ends at Easter. We also hung out a lot and talked about different Eastern European cultures. It’s called the Russian Club, but we have students from all over Eastern Europe—Ukraine, Armenia, and Belarus.
Q: Why do you love Baltimore City?
A:. Even though I was in Colorado for community college, I spent a lot of my childhood in Baltimore City because my grandmother worked in the city and my mom lived there. I have a connection to Baltimore, but I never really knew its history. I took “The History of Baltimore” at the Lion Brothers Building downtown. Every week, we took field trips to historic sites in Baltimore City to connect what we were learning with real-world experiences.
Q: Why did you change your major from Russian to history, and who has inspired you in this path?
A: I decided to switch majors from Russian to history while doing research in Professor Melissa Blair‘s “The History of Baltimore” class. It inspired me to pivot and focus my work on Maryland’s transportation history. The experiential learning and field work inspired me to better understand Baltimore and its history. I think Baltimore is a very unique city with a rich history that is often ignored by the historical record. I enjoyed interacting with other public historians and museum professionals within the city through that class.
I’ve also worked a lot with Professor Nicole King in American studies—I took her “Preserving Places, Making Spaces in Baltimore” class twice. In 2025, we worked with the Poppleton Now Community Association and the Southwest Partnership Historic Preservation Committee on a Public History and Preservation Study. It included my research on the “Highway to Nowhere,” a 1.4-mile stretch of U.S. Route 40 in West Baltimore, built in the 1970s, that ends abruptly. The highway cuts off a section of Poppleton, one of the city’s oldest historically Black neighborhoods. We also created an online story map.
Q: Why are you passionate about transportation equity?
A: I don’t have a car, so I rely on Baltimore’s terrible public transportation. I love public transit, and I need it to be better. In the Baltimore history class, I realized the bus schedules, the bus routes, and the history of highway construction in the city have limited transportation, not expanded it. I conducted research with American studies Professor Michael Cassiano, my public humanities advisor. I presented my research, “Our City Is a City Without an Expressway: A Historical Review of Transportation Injustice in Baltimore City,” at URCAD. I’m interested in exploring these topics in my master’s program.
Q: What is a challenge that you love?
A: I love creative writing. I’ve been writing since I was a kid. I think it’s a natural segue into history, because history is narrative-based. It’s very humanistic. I won’t say it comes naturally to me. It takes me probably an hour to write a sentence because I overthink my word choices a lot. But I love using language to evoke certain feelings and really press home on an idea. I try to choose the right word to fit what I’m talking about and its context. I also try to support students in the writing process as the History Student Council president. Last semester, we organized a bi-weekly writing group to encourage community and motivation within the major.
Q: What advice do you have for undergraduate and transfer students?
A: For undergraduate students, I would say to be realistic. Don’t put too much on your plate. That’s been the biggest challenge for me. I’ve been suffering a lot of burnout, because, in addition to my classes, I am a teaching assistant for “Introduction to the University for Transfer Students.” I started getting better at saying no to things. I encourage students to get out there, explore new things, but also recognize their limits. Prioritize making space for something that brings you joy.
For transfer students, I would say time management. Most of us work full-time or part-time, are raising families, and have other commitments. We’re not fresh out of high school and can sometimes internalize a feeling of being behind or not doing college “right.” It’s important to get over that because it doesn’t really matter. When I was 18 years old, my coworker was 40 years old. They had been working for decades. Once you leave high school, age doesn’t matter the same way—people are people, and everyone is busy. I wouldn’t focus on trying to get things done in a way that’s expected of you. Instead, focus on what you need to do to succeed.
Read more Class of 2026 stories.
Tags: American Studies, AOK Library, Baltimore City, CAHSS, GES, History, SAPH