“This university has helped me find my voice through immense emotional and mental support and compassionate mentoring from professors, advisors, and dedicated administrators. My ability to be an engaged scholar is intimately tied to the commitment UMBC administration has to students.”
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Kelsey Donnellan
Plans: MPH in Maternal and Child Health, George Washington University
B.A., Interdisciplinary Studies (Community Health and Nutrition)
Hometown: San Jose, CaliforniaA McNair Scholar, Kelsey has received two BreakingGround grants to launch and extend community initiatives with impact. One supported a seed saving effort in The Garden at UMBC, a community learning space that Kelsey co-founded, where she has served as director of academics. The other grant supported a cooking class with the SUCCESS program that serves young adults with intellectual disabilities. In 2014, Kelsey was also awarded an Undergraduate Research Award to study vegetable and fruit consumption of UMBC students, and co-wrote a winning proposal for the Prove It! competition. She was also selected as UMBC’s nominee for the nationally prestigious Truman Scholarship. This year she has been honored as a Shattuck Family Scholarship recipient and received the Mary Jo Kleiner Award for Outstanding Service to Interdisciplinary Studies. Kelsey has also supported and mentored students as a resident assistant at Harbor Hall and the Walker Avenue Apartments.