By Steffany Magid

In 2003, after one of Brady Walker’s former high school teachers was involved in a serious car accident on the infamously dangerous Route 113 in southeastern Maryland, he decided to take action. Walker formed a student advocacy group called KRASH II (Kids Requesting Action for Safer Highways II) and succeeded in obtaining $16 million in federal funds to begin improvements on stretches of the highway.

Today, a freshman in the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars program, Walker is the statutory representative for the 18-24 age group on the Governor’s Council for Service and Volunteerism Commission, which develops, updates and implements strategic plans for service programs. As the youngest voting member of the Commission, he provides recommendations for ways to recruit students and young adults for service projects and fosters relationships with local service organizations through on-site visits and evaluation of projects for allocated funds.

In addition to his administrative duties, Walker is involved in several community service projects, including initiatives pioneered by Civic Works, Baltimore’s non-profit service corps that creates usable communal spaces by transforming abandoned lots into parks and play areas, and provides academic support to inner city youth. Walker also sits on the Governor’s Work Group on Young Drivers and is a Sondheim volunteer at North Bend Elementary School in Baltimore.

Walker hopes to use his experience as a council member to raise awareness in the UMBC community about service opportunities and to take advantage of campus resources, like the Shriver Center, to create partnerships with Baltimore City organizations. “I think that students at UMBC want to serve the community, and if we mobilize people we could provide a valuable resource to organizations like Civic Works that count on volunteers,” he said.

Looking to the future, Walker anticipates a career in Maryland public service. “First, I’d like to attend law school to study corporate law and government policy,” he said. His interest in policy goes back to elementary school, where he got his first taste of leadership as a classroom representative. But what keeps Walker motivated is the “overwhelming number of people willing to commit time and energy to improve their communities,” he said. “It really is true that anyone can make a difference with the right motivation.”