Three local high school students attending the University of Maryland’s men’s basketball matchup vs. Penn State thought they’d been selected to play a “find Testudo” game at midcourt.What they found instead is their future for the next four years: Kingsley Nwogu, Laura Civillico and Joseph Southall were each handed letters welcoming them to UMD’s Class of 2030. Laura and Joseph were also the first to discover they had been invited to College Park Scholars.

Have questions about College Park Scholars? Drop into one of our hour-long virtual Scholars Touchpoints we'll be holding before the Scholars Program Preference Forms are due on February 16!

Have questions about College Park Scholars? Drop into one of our hour-long virtual Scholars Touchpoints we'll be holding before the Scholars Program Preference Forms are due on February 16!

Have questions about College Park Scholars? Drop into one of our hour-long virtual Scholars Touchpoints we'll be holding before the Scholars Program Preference Forms are due on February 16!

High school seniors newly invited into College Park Scholars at the University of Maryland: You and your families are invited to join us for a Zoom online information session about our nationally acclaimed living–learning program. 

The University of Maryland recently named Maryland Delegate Jazz M. Lewis as its director of state government relations. As director, Lewis will serve as the university’s primary liaison to state and local officials, working closely with senior leadership, faculty and campus partners to advance UMD’s priorities.Lewis is a two-time graduate of the University of Maryland, earning a Bachelor of Arts in government and politics and a Master of Public Policy degree. As an undergraduate, he participated in College Park Scholars’ Public Leadership Program, an experience he credits with launching his career in public service.

Prince George's County native Jazz Lewis came to the University of Maryland as a freshman only sure of one thing. He wanted to serve. College Park Scholars ended up being the perfect home for the future Maryland state legislator, now serving in the Maryland House of Delegates as Majority Whip, allowing him to challenge himself academically but also expand his vision of what service could look like.An email invitation in late spring from College Park Scholars' Executive Director Marilee Lindemann for Lewis to return to the place where he learned about himself was accepted eagerly.

With the announcement of the 2025 First Year Book as The Constitution of the United States, College Park Scholars set a course to make one of the nation's founding documents spring to life. What better way than a day trip to the place where the document was signed!Many of our Scholars had not visited the City of Brotherly Love before or were very young on their first trips to Philadelphia. Now armed with some understanding of the founding of the United States, they were eager to dig in.  "I have never been to Philadelphia before and I want to learn more about a city that is so important in American history," said JaeMin Thurman, a Life Sciences Scholar. "I also want to continue to build relationships with other Scholars students."