Steven Handy - Valedictorian

Hometown: Forest Hill, MD

B.S., Computer Science 
Psychology Minor

Honors College Certificate

Plans: Computer Science Corporation, Programmer  

Steven Handy is a Computer Science major and a Psychology minor who will graduate with a GPA of 4.0. He has been named the outstanding student in Computer Science in the class of 2001, has been elected to several honor societies and will graduate with a certificate from the Honors College.

In addition to his minor in Psychology, he has taken a variety of other courses in the arts, humanities and social sciences. He has participated in the Quiz Bowl and the Model United Nations programs, has been active in student affairs, including the President's Student Cabinet and the Provost's Student Advisory Committee, has taken part in intramural sports programs and has been involved in mentoring.

Upon graduation, he will work for the Computer Sciences Corporation in its Federal Sector, Civil Group-NASA, with a team responsible for formatting and web presentation of data and documentation for NASA's EOS and ESDIS satellites. He anticipates graduate studies in the future.

Why did you choose to attend UMBC?
I came to UMBC because of the excellent reputation in Computer Science, big school opportunities in a small school environment, and students with smiles on their faces.

What are your future goals or dreams?
I would like to continue learning and advancing in the areas of database and web applications, meet the girl of my dreams, and purchase the Sundance Ranch from Robert Redford.

Faculty mentors who made a difference:
The professors who had the biggest impact on my education were Sue Bogar, a lecturer in the Computer Science department, for her excellence in teaching the foundations of good programming and for making class fun.

Dr. Cynthia Hody of the Political Science department for helping me understand the
importance of the world outside UMBC, Maryland and the US and for getting me involved in the Model United Nations club

Dr. Eliot Shimoff of the Psychology department for being an indescribable dynamo and funny guy.

Extracurricular activities:
Quiz Bowl, Model United Nations, Website director for Golden Key and the Club Volleyball team, President's Student Cabinet (admissions dept.), Presidents Student Advisory Council Mentoring Program, member of multiple-time champion intramural soccer, softball, and volleyball teams.

Awards/Scholarships:
University Scholar, Maryland Distinguished Scholar Finalist, Member of Golden Key International Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and Upsilon Pi Epsilon Honor Society for Computer Science.