When I first visited UMBC on Just for Juniors day in 2009, months before I started applying to schools in earnest, I had a vague but unshakable feeling that this was the place I would end up going to college. That feeling did not extend to where I would end up working, but I'm glad that things have worked out the way t...

UMBC was well represented at our Wedding in September 2013 in Frederick, MD. In fact, there are 7 UMBC alumni in this photo. From left to right they are Cora Morrison '08, Blair Webber '08, Arooj Rana '06, Jessica El-Zeftawy '08 '12, Aaron El-Zeftawy '05, and Russell Bard '07.

As "young alum" for just a few more years, my son was rooting for me at the annual Homecoming Alumni vs. Student kickball game hosted by the Chapter of Young Alumni this past October 2015.

I feel like I grew up at UMBC. I came to the campus in 1988 as an Administrative Assistant with big dreams of getting my degree and becoming an elementary school teacher. I was going to mold the minds of our future generations and lead them on a path of discovery and greatness. I soon learned UMBC was about more tha...

Without a doubt, as I've transitioned through several roles here, UMBC has shaped my life the past almost 9 years. As a student, I had a lot of experiences that introduced me to, and helped me to create, interesting art and meet awesome people (including roommates that I'm still incredibly close with and that were brid...

During my final year at UMBC, I worked with the Student Events Board as a Design and Marketing Director. After graduating, I joined the front office staff of the Baltimore Orioles as the Assistant Graphic Designer for the majority of two seasons. UMBC wouldn't be out of the picture for long – I took my current positi...

I had the opportunity to work on campus after graduation, and have been a part of Creative Services ever since. It has been great to see the university change over the years and be a part of that change in many ways. I'm happy to call UMBC home, and look forward to the possibility of my kids being Retrievers one day.

I met my wife Sena at UMBC and we got married in 2008. I'm glad I've been able to stay involved and give back to the university that has meant so much to me. Participating closely with CYA and the Student Alumni Association over the years has been really enjoyable and rewarding. Sena and I are also excited to be raisi...

After 23 years, there are so many people and moments that come to mind that it is almost impossible to think of a single story. I will say that some of my favorite moments every year are commencements. I have only missed one in the past sixteen years--and that was because I needed to represent UMBC at an off-campus ...

I completed my BSW in 1993 in my 40's. Better late than never. I was very disappointed that I would have had to transfer to U. of Md. in Baltimore to complete my Master's Degree, so I opted to discontinue my education at that time. I subsequently relocated to Southwest Florida and I now have a second residence at Su...

Part of being a UMBC student is realizing how many of us lead fulfilling lives off campus. I've run into successful authors, business people, performers, engineers, and videographers just to name a few. Recently, I was part of a live drawing / poetry performance at the Creative Alliance where writers from UMBC's f...

Life often defines the fruit of our destination with the seeds planted by our journey. It is life that allows us to capture our moments and make us the captain of our own ships. Experiences, people and moments is the journey that builds us and prepares us for the destination. These lessons tend to make us the author of...

Refusing to go down the soul-scrapping financial adviser track, I graduated and fell back to my youth experience working with my dad to fix up houses. That later blossomed into apartment management. I was successful doing so, but unfulfilled, and started working on my own projects simultaneously after building a busine...

Who knew then how things would turn out for me both personally and professionally since I first set foot on campus in Fall '69! It has been an amazing journey and UMBC has been a large part of it all. I remember living on campus, being an RA in the early days as the dorms were being built. The closeness of the theat...

After my faithful service in the Marine Corps, I became a transfer student at UMBC. With my Marine Corps experience and my bachelors, I was able to start a career in the federal government. Currently I am the Emergency Management and Continuity Program Manager at U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division.

As a graduate of the class of 1971, I learned to appreciate the black leather couches in the library. I am talking about, that in order to study for any length of time in the library(before dorms on campus), I would stay late studying in the library with intervals of sleeping on the couch. Once I was acquainted with...