Education

Striving for Social Change: Diane Bell McKoy '73

/ 4 minutes of reading

For anyone with anything less than a “half-full” attitude about the potential for positive social change, Diane Bell McKoy has one unwavering response. “Challenges are just opportunities,” said the 1973 sociology graduate, who serves as president and CEO of Associated Black Charities, a Baltimore non-profit devoted to making African-American individuals and families economically self-sufficient. She is also a member of UMBC’s Alex. Brown Entrepreneurship Center Advisory Board. “I love challenges, as it relates to improving outcomes within the community,” said Bell McKoy, who is organizing a major gala in June to support ABC’s efforts. “I am hooked on trying to… Continue Reading Striving for Social Change: Diane Bell McKoy '73

Striving for Social Change: Diane Bell McKoy ’73

/ 4 minutes of reading

For anyone with anything less than a “half-full” attitude about the potential for positive social change, Diane Bell McKoy has one unwavering response. “Challenges are just opportunities,” said the 1973 sociology graduate, who serves as president and CEO of Associated Black Charities, a Baltimore non-profit devoted to making African-American individuals and families economically self-sufficient. She is also a member of UMBC’s Alex. Brown Entrepreneurship Center Advisory Board. “I love challenges, as it relates to improving outcomes within the community,” said Bell McKoy, who is organizing a major gala in June to support ABC’s efforts. “I am hooked on trying to… Continue Reading Striving for Social Change: Diane Bell McKoy ’73

Love at First Byte: Lisa D. Price '87 & Dwayne A. Price '87

/ 3 minutes of reading

It’s freshman orientation 1983 and your parents have dropped you off way too early. So, what do you do to pass the time while the other students arrive? Do you study? Tour the campus? Twiddle your thumbs quietly? If you’re like Lisa and Dwayne Price, you very well might fall in love. “Dwayne was almost literally the first guy I laid eyes on at UMBC,” said the former Lisa Dates, who, like her husband, arrived on campus very early. “We got to know each other during the orientation, remained friends, and later started dating in the second semester of freshman… Continue Reading Love at First Byte: Lisa D. Price '87 & Dwayne A. Price '87

Love at First Byte: Lisa D. Price ’87 & Dwayne A. Price ’87

/ 3 minutes of reading

It’s freshman orientation 1983 and your parents have dropped you off way too early. So, what do you do to pass the time while the other students arrive? Do you study? Tour the campus? Twiddle your thumbs quietly? If you’re like Lisa and Dwayne Price, you very well might fall in love. “Dwayne was almost literally the first guy I laid eyes on at UMBC,” said the former Lisa Dates, who, like her husband, arrived on campus very early. “We got to know each other during the orientation, remained friends, and later started dating in the second semester of freshman… Continue Reading Love at First Byte: Lisa D. Price ’87 & Dwayne A. Price ’87

Behind the Scenes: Josef Novotny '04

/ 4 minutes of reading

Every year, swarms of talented singers, dancers and aspiring filmmakers move to Los Angeles looking for a chance at stardom. A meager few actually do it, seeming to instantly top the charts and clog the tabloids. Many more fail, finding the road to celebrity too difficult. Then there are the patient ones, like former UMBC tennis standout Josef Novotny ’04. Using his skills on the courts to network and secure odd jobs on the sets of movies like Eli Roth’s “Hostel: Part II,” he has begun the long climb to fulfilling his dream of becoming a filmmaker. “When I moved… Continue Reading Behind the Scenes: Josef Novotny '04

Behind the Scenes: Josef Novotny ’04

/ 4 minutes of reading

Every year, swarms of talented singers, dancers and aspiring filmmakers move to Los Angeles looking for a chance at stardom. A meager few actually do it, seeming to instantly top the charts and clog the tabloids. Many more fail, finding the road to celebrity too difficult. Then there are the patient ones, like former UMBC tennis standout Josef Novotny ’04. Using his skills on the courts to network and secure odd jobs on the sets of movies like Eli Roth’s “Hostel: Part II,” he has begun the long climb to fulfilling his dream of becoming a filmmaker. “When I moved… Continue Reading Behind the Scenes: Josef Novotny ’04

Adventures in Invention: Eric Conn '85

/ 4 minutes of reading

Eric Conn doesn’t exactly have a traditional career. Then again, he was never a traditional student. Between switching majors several times and taking a few years off from college to play in a rock band, it took Conn nearly seven years to finish school. However, he has never regretted his decision to take a non-traditional path. In fact, it is Conn’s adventurous edge that has allowed the 1985 computer science major to prosper as an inventor and entrepreneur. His latest project, Cellblock.com – a social networking site that allows users to e-mail photos from their cell phones to a real-time… Continue Reading Adventures in Invention: Eric Conn '85

Adventures in Invention: Eric Conn ’85

/ 4 minutes of reading

Eric Conn doesn’t exactly have a traditional career. Then again, he was never a traditional student. Between switching majors several times and taking a few years off from college to play in a rock band, it took Conn nearly seven years to finish school. However, he has never regretted his decision to take a non-traditional path. In fact, it is Conn’s adventurous edge that has allowed the 1985 computer science major to prosper as an inventor and entrepreneur. His latest project, Cellblock.com – a social networking site that allows users to e-mail photos from their cell phones to a real-time… Continue Reading Adventures in Invention: Eric Conn ’85

Born Leader: Jason Chamberlain '97

/ 3 minutes of reading

Jason Chamberlain first learned the value of investment as a kindergartener. Urged by his parents to deposit his allowance into a savings account, the youngster quickly learned that with a little patience, his pennies would grow to nickels, his quarters to dollars. Today, as vice president of wealth management for Smith Barney and incoming president of the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors, Chamberlain takes a similar approach to life, his career and his role as an alumnus. With a little effort and time, anything is possible. “UMBC is like most things in life,” said Chamberlain, who majored in economics… Continue Reading Born Leader: Jason Chamberlain '97

Born Leader: Jason Chamberlain ’97

/ 3 minutes of reading

Jason Chamberlain first learned the value of investment as a kindergartener. Urged by his parents to deposit his allowance into a savings account, the youngster quickly learned that with a little patience, his pennies would grow to nickels, his quarters to dollars. Today, as vice president of wealth management for Smith Barney and incoming president of the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors, Chamberlain takes a similar approach to life, his career and his role as an alumnus. With a little effort and time, anything is possible. “UMBC is like most things in life,” said Chamberlain, who majored in economics… Continue Reading Born Leader: Jason Chamberlain ’97

Swimming Upstream: George Maroulis ’73

/ 3 minutes of reading

At four o’clock in the morning, most of the world is quietly sleeping. However, George Maroulis ’73 is hard at work. As general manager of the Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx, N.Y., this UMBC alum spends the early hours of his mornings running one of the largest fish markets in the world. Maroulis describes the Fulton, which does over a billion dollars of business each year, as “one of a kind.” Alumni Relations staff member Carol Myers ’72, who spent an early April morning touring the facility with Maroulis, agrees. “It’s like walking into a giant refrigerator!” she describes,… Continue Reading Swimming Upstream: George Maroulis ’73

Around the Clock Creative: Katie Hirsch '04

/ 3 minutes of reading

Katie Hirsch is one of the lucky few who manages to combine her passions with her job. An animation and computer enthusiast since childhood, Hirsch has used her talent and enthusiasm for both fields in her career as a computer game developer, and, most recently, in her production of a short animated film about a hungry reptile. Hirsch’s two-minute short, “Dragin’ On,” will premiere in this month’s Maryland Film Festival at Baltimore’s Charles Theatre. “I was inspired to make the film because I wanted to create a made-up world with made-up rules,” said Hirsch, who graduated from UMBC in 2004… Continue Reading Around the Clock Creative: Katie Hirsch '04

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