How do you tell the stories of over 25,000 UMBC alumni? The student who was the first in her family to go to college. The student who entered with one career goal--and discovered another. The student who found a particular course, or a particular professor, became the turning point in his life.

The alumni profiled here represent a diverse range of backgrounds and occupations. Several are "firsts"--the first graduates of particular programs or majors. A few are non-traditional students, who had to balance their educational goals with family and work responsibilities. Many point to their UMBC experience as the foundation for later accomplishments.

A few of the over 500 UMBC alumni in medicine are included here, among them a forensic pathologist who examined victims of the TWA Flight 800 crash, and the director of the University of Maryland Hand Center. There are also some 500 alumni lawyers, including a U.S. Justice Department attorney involved in Nazi deportation hearings. A college professor, inspired to teach because of the teachers she met here, and a high school principal wanting to be a role model for young men are just two of the UMBC graduates who've gone on to careers in education.

Some of the alumni who've excelled in the arts are also here--a published poet, a dancer with one of the country's leading modern dance troupes, a theatre graduate who works behind the scenes, and a recent grad working at the cutting edge of imaging and digital technology.

It has not been easy to select this small sample of UMBC alums. As we researched this section, we began to find more and more significant stories than space would permit. In future issues you'll read about more of them. Class Notes also will return as a regular feature in the next issue of UMBC Magazine, along with more alumni news, so please continue to keep us informed.

Click on the names on the left to meet our Alumnis