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After interning with the Department of Justice his junior year, Science, Technology and Society alumnus John Rookard applied for a position with the Justice Department the summer before his senior year. Rookard realized that there were post-grad professional opportunities for him at the Justice Department after speaking with the human resources manager at his internship. He applied for one of these positions August 2016, and received an offer in March of this year.

Looking back, Arts Scholars alumna Shannon Gahs says it’s interesting to see how Arts Scholars alumni have used their experience in the program to bridge into different areas. After graduating from the University of Maryland in 2006, Gahs attended the University of Baltimore School of Law. She is now working at Bayada Home Health Care advocating for policies that will benefit nurses and therapists. In August, she was promoted to director of government affairs. “I’m using the organizational and presentation skills [that I developed in Arts] to bring together grassroots support and build coalitions with other groups advocating for our patients and nursing staff,” Gahs said.

Scholars students took home several top awards at the 36th University Student Leadership Awards on Sunday, May 7. University Awards recognized Maryland Medallion Society members and Byrd/Elkins Finalists who have contributed significantly to the general advancement of this university’s interests and displayed outstanding involvement and leadership in campus activities. These students are the university’s top 20 senior students; two Scholars alumni were recognized by the Maryland Medallion Society:

Jazz Lewis, a 2009 alumnus of Public Leadership Scholars, is currently serving as the second youngest delegate in the Maryland General Assembly. "[Public Leadership] was pivotal to me, I got my first job in politics because of Public Leadership. I interned in the [Prince George’s County] councilman’s office as part of my practicum project," Lewis said. This internship provided him with a "feel for change on the local level," especially in Prince George’s County, where Lewis grew up. Lewis was introduced to this internship opportunity when former Public Leadership Director David Crocker brought in a Prince George’s County council member to speak to their class.

After working with Public Leadership Scholars for 10 years, Jennifer Littlefield will be transitioning out as director of the program and moving into the Public Policy Undergraduate Studies Office full-time. Littlefield sent Public Leadership Scholars an email on March 8 to inform students that this semester will be her last with PL. "It’s very bittersweet for me as August will mark my 10-year anniversary with the Public Leadership Program, four years as the Director," Littlefield wrote. "I absolutely love PL, its mission, curriculum, activities, staff, and most of all YOU. I will miss it tremendously, but I'm also very excited to be focusing my attention on launching the new major in Public Policy."

Science, Discovery and the Universe alumna Steffi Yen is pursuing her doctorate degree at Heidelberg University after graduating from the University of Maryland in 2013 with her B.S. in astronomy. Yen credits SDU Scholars with furthering her passion for astronomy through academic excursions and hands-on scientific experiences. "My favourite SDU excursion was to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia, home of the world's largest steerable radio telescope," Yen said. "We got a little taste of what it's like to be an astronomer. We were able to operate a small radio telescope and analyzed the spectral emission from clouds in the Milky Way."