UMBC Honors and ACHIEVEMENTS

ALUMNI Achievements
UMBC alumni hold major positions in business, government, education and non-profit organizations. From prestigious award winners to Presidential advisors, UMBC alumni are helping to shape the future.

In 2008, three UMBC graduates received one of the world's most selective academic awards, the Gates Cambridge Fellowship: Ian M. Ralby '02, modern languages and linguistics, M.A. intercultural communication; Philip Graff '08, physics; and Simon Gray '08, chemical engineering.

Five UMBC graduates are now studying at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. 

• Philip Graff ’08, physics and mathematics, has entered the Ph.D. in Physics program.
• Simon Gray ’08, chemical engineering, is pursuing a M. Phil. in Advanced Chemical Engineering.
• Skylar Neil '06, ancient studies, received an M.A. in Classical Archeology from Tufts University and will begin at Cambridge this fall.
• Aaron Ralby ’05, modern languages and linguistics and valedictorian of the 2005 class, received an M.Phil. in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Tripos in 2006 from the University of Cambridge and is now working on a fully-funded Ph.D. in Medieval Studies at Cornell University. He will spend the next year abroad at Cambridge completing dissertation research.
• Ian Ralby ’02, modern languages and linguistics, M.A. intercultural communication, has received his second Gates Cambridge Scholarship in as many years. He graduated with both a B.A. in Modern Languages and Linguistics and a M.S. in Intercultural Communication from UMBC and was the Class of 2002 valedictorian. Ralby’s first Gates Cambridge award funded his M.A. in International Relations; he will now pursue a Ph.D. in International Relations.

Pascal Charbonneau ’06, financial economics, and Eugene Perelshteyn ’04, computer science, have been named International Grandmasters in chess.

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Aaron Ralby ‘05 published his first book, “Undercover Knights and Warriors,” in the Hammond Kidsquest series. He is presently completing his Ph.D. at Cornell and recently studied at the University of Cambridge.

The summer 2009 Maryland Historical Magazine features articles from two UMBC alumni: Richard Hardesty ’02, ’08 M.A. history, for “A Veil of Voodoo” and Willa Banks ’08 M.A. for “Curtis Washington Jacobs: An Architect of Absolute Black Enslavement, 1850-1864.”

Ben Schuman ’96 was cited repeatedly in Justice Mark Cady’s opinion for the Court in the Iowa marriage case, Varnum v. Brien, for an article he wrote for the Georgetown Law Journal. His note was titled “Gods & Gays: Analyzing the Same-Sex Marriage Debate from a Religious Perspective.”

Hadieh Shafie, M.F.A. ’08, is one of three recipients of the inaugural Baker Artist Award, an innovative, online honor from the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund. The Baker Artist Awards are designed to promote Baltimore-area artists on the Web and encourage other artists to relocate to the city to grow the arts community.

Ruth Bowler, M.F.A. ’08, received an Individual Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council.

Louise Schlegel ’09, theatre, was winner of the Miss Maryland 2008 title.

Tavon Cooke ‘04 is the recipient of the U.S. State Department’s Rangel Fellowship for 2009-11.

• GRAPHIC DESIGN: Ronald Mugabi, Sean Heavey, Jennifer Hong, Samantha Song, and Allison Mowry
• PHOTO: Michelle Renay Wilson and Terah Murray
• PRINT MEDIA: Dennis Garcia
• FILM: Matt Szychowski, Brendan Huza, Justin Wineke, Jonathan Ramirez, Antonio Calderon and Kevin Goodson
• GAMING: Elka Cahn, Joel Bowers, Matt Fioravante, Adam Shook, Tommy Truong, Justin Wineke and Danny Hollis
• CADVC’s Show Pick: Michele Renay Wilson and Sean Heavey

Wambui W. Kamiru ‘06 interdisciplinary studies, is the first UMBC McNair Scholar to receive a degree from the University of Oxford. Kamiru graduated magna cum laude from UMBC in May 2006 with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies. Kamiru earned a M.S. in African Studies at the University of Oxford in 2008.

Alexander Pyles ’09 was one of eight students chosen out of a nationwide pool of applicants for the 2008-09 Freedom Forum's NCAA Sports Journalism Scholarship. He also recently won a highly competitive Maryland, Delaware, D.C. 2008 Press Association Reese Cleghorn Internship. Pyles was one of only 37 finalists vying for eight paid summer newspaper internships.

Adrienne Jones ’76, psychology, is the Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Pro Tem, the second highest ranking member of the House.

Matthew Loftus ’07, chemistry, and Hadi Gharabaghi, ’06, visual arts, have received the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholarship. Only 34 students in the nation received this year’s scholarship, which honors high achieving students with financial need. Considered one of the most generous U.S. academic awards, it provides up to $50,000 per year for up to six years of graduate or professional study in any field.

Jack Mullee '08, American studies and sociology, received a 2008-09 Fulbright Research award to study the economy in Buenos Aires.

Cleopatra Borel ‘02, interdisciplinary studies, participated in the shotput event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Bejing, China.

Kevin M. Maxwell ’02 Ph.D., Language, Literacy & Culture, is the superintendent of schools for Anne Arundel County Public Schools. An educator for over 20 years, Maxwell previously served as a chief educational administrator, community superintendent, principal and teacher in Maryland public schools. Under his leadership as principal, Walter Johnson High School in Montgomery County was named one of the 100 best high schools in the U.S.  Maxwell was recently named Public School Superintendent of the Year by the Fullwood Foundation.

J. Thomas Sadowski ‘89, political science, was named CEO of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore.

Duff Goldman ‘97, philosophy and history, was named one of “Baltimore’s 40 Under 40” by Baltimore Magazine in 2008. Goldman owns and operates Charm City Cakes in Baltimore and is the host of Food Network’s Ace of Cakes.

The Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company, directed by UMBC alumnus Daniel Singh ‘00, visual and performing arts, won two 2008 Metro DC Dance Awards for its new work, “Bell Song.” Dakshina received awards for "Emerging Group" and "Excellence in Costume Design.”

Christianna Stavroudis '08, modern languages and linguistics, was accepted into the Erasmus Mundus European Master's Program. She will pursue graduate study and research at universities in the Netherlands, Finland and Germany. Stavroudis also received a full scholarship from the program for non-European Union nationals with exceptional academic records.

UMBC theatre alumni were nominated for 2008 Helen Hayes awards. James Brown-Orleans '05 was nominated in the category of "Outstanding Lead Actor-Resident Play" for My Children! My Africa! at Studio Theatre. Mandy Moore '07 and Eric Messner '01 were both in productions nominated for the Canadian Embassy Award for Outstanding Ensemble: Moore was in Alone It Stands at The Keegan Theatre, and Messner was in Scenes from the Big Picture at Solas Nu.

Richard Byrne ’86, English, received the inaugural Prague Post Playwriting Festival Award in 2008. In addition to a cash award, Byrne’s play received a full production at Prague’s Divadlo Minor Theater in 2006. Byrne is also the editor of UMBC Magazine.

Scott Jeffrey ’81, geography, was awarded the 2008 Maryland Professor of the Year Award by the Carnegie Foundation. Jeffrey teaches at the Community College of Baltimore County and has developed the first associate’s in art degree in Maryland in Geographic Information Systems.

Harry S. Johnson ’76, political science, a partner in the Baltimore law firm of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, was the first African-American president of the Maryland Bar Association.

College of Engineering and Information Technology

Stephanie Reel ‘85, information systems management, was named one of “Maryland’s Top 100 Women” in 2008 by Maryland’s Daily Record.

Kimberly Ellison Taylor ’93, engineering and information technology, was voted chair elect (vice chair) for the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants. She will be the first African American, female chair for the organization, which has 11,000 members.

Debora Lin '08, chemical engineering, received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, which provides generous funding for Ph.D. study for top science, math and engineering students. In fall 2008, Lin will enter Stanfordís Ph.D. program in chemical engineering. Devin Burns '08, mechanical engineering, and Abraham Beyene '08, chemical engineering, and Mustapha Jamal '07, bioengineering and biomedical engineering, received Honorable Mention recognition. Jamal is currently a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University.

David Chapman '06, '08, M.S. computer science and electrical engineering, is the recipient of the distinguished NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship '08 award for his proposal entitled "Climate Studies Using the EOS Aqua Satellite Radiance Data Records."

Katerina Rohonyan, computer science and electrical engineering, placed third at the 2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship. Rohanyan hopes to make the U.S. woman's Olympiad team.

College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences

Four alumni received 2009 National Science Foundation Fellowships (NFS): Andrea Abler ‘08, Tesia Nyasha Stephenson ‘09, Aaron Stoler ‘07 and Yan-Jin Zhu ‘08. In 2007, two UMBC alumni received the award, and both are from the Class of 2005: Oni Mapp, biochemistry and molecular biology, and Chad McCormick, biochemistry and molecular biology, philosophy. 

Jonathan Grabe '08, biological sciences, is one of just 40 students nationwide to receive a Phi Kappa Phi Award of Excellence for 2008-2009 to aid in his pursuit of an M.D. degree. Phi Kappa Phi is the oldest and most distinguished national honor society dedicated to the recognition and promotion of academic excellence in all fields of higher education. Award selection is based on academic performance, citizenship and character.

Post-doctoral Fellow Victoria D’Souza ‘02, Ph.D. biochemistry and molecular biology, is on the faculty at Harvard University. She received a $2-million start-up package from Harvard’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. While at UMBC, D’Souza worked in Howard Hughes Medical Investigator Mike Summers’ laboratory.

*Last updated 6/16/2009