It's not surprising that when Barbara Quinn and her husband, Mike, wanted to give her parents a unique 50th anniversary gift they looked to UMBC for answers. The school has been an integral part of their lives; her mother worked there when the school was young, the couple attended UMBC and Quinn worked at UMBC as well. Through the William and Martha Christopher Scholarship Fund in Ancient Studies, Quinn has immortalized that connection as solidly as the ancient artifacts she once studied.

"We chose Ancient Studies because that was my major, and all of my professors were just fabulous and made my experience at UMBC memorable," she says. "I think the skills that I learned in Ancient Studies, more so than anything else, really gave me some of the skills that I need professionally today." Like many alums, Quinn has seen tremendous change at UMBC. She enjoys giving back to the school, and believes that alumni participation keeps the school more than financially sound - it keeps the school alive with new ideas and accountable for its actions.

"It's hard for me to understand why alumni don't want to give back to the institution. It's something that was part of everyone's life for years and obviously it has great value in their lives today," she says. "It makes me feel really good that, through the scholarship, we're able to help in whatever small way we can right now."

Did You Know?
Ancient Studies and History major Danielle Teyssieris used this year's William and Martha Christopher Scholarship in Ancient Studies to participate in study-travel to Greece this spring. In prior years, Ancient Studies study-travel opportunities have taken students as close as downtown Baltimore and Annapolis and as far away as Israel and Alaska.