News

A College Park Scholars alumna received one of the University of Maryland's highest honors after being named a finalist for 2026 University Medalist. The medal is the highest honor bestowed on a graduating senior for academic distinction, exemplary character, and campus and community service.There were only four finalists for this prestigious honor, including Raina Saraiya.Saraiya has spent her UMD career fighting for healthcare accessibility through research and advocacy, aspiring to become a pediatric physician and policy expert who “serves patients at the bedside and advocates for them in the boardroom,” she said.  This fall she will enroll in the Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Each fall, students residing in residence halls across the University of Maryland's campus have an opportunity to select peers to represent them as members of each hall's council. In the five residence halls that make up the Cambridge Community, many of these council roles are filled by College Park Scholars students.

Media, Self and Society program director and Merrill School of Journalism lecturer Alison Burns was named the 2026 faculty winner of the Office of Multi-ethnic Student Education's (OMSE) Excellence in Service Award at the office's annual Academy of Excellence spring awards ceremony.Each year, OMSE recognizes faculty, staff, tutors, and mentors who have made outstanding contributions to advancing the overall excellence of UMD students on campus.

The University of Maryland's Senior Marshals represent graduating seniors who have demonstrated the highest levels of scholarship, service to the campus community, extracurricular involvement, and personal growth.The 86 senior marshals, who carry the banners for schools, colleges and departments, have been named 2026 senior marshals in recognition of their outstanding scholarship, service to the campus community, extracurricular involvement and personal growth. Thirteen of them have received citations from College Park Scholars programs.

Twelve students across the University System of Maryland (USM) were recently named recipients of the 2026 USM Board of Regents Student Excellence Scholarships. The awards are the highest honor presented by the Board of Regents to recognize student achievement.Scholarships are presented in four categories: Academics, Scholarship, and Research; Innovation and Creative Activity; Leadership and Advocacy; and Outreach and Engagement. Within each category, one winner is a freshman or sophomore, one is a junior or senior, and one is a graduate or professional student. 

As spring courses drew to a close, the Office of Undergraduate Studies held its annual reception in honor of the outstanding staff, faculty, graduate and undergraduate students and their accomplishments throughout the academic year.The Graduate Assistant Award was given to Victoria Worley from College Park Scholars' Justice and Legal Thought program. Victoria was nominated by JLT's associate director, Dr. Justine DeCamillis.