The following article originated in EducationWeek:Saxon Brown, a College Park Scholars Arts program and UMD alum, possesses a rare combination of childlike idealism and old soul pragmatism. Both traits have come in handy to the first-year English teacher at Bel Air High School, a large school of about 1,500 students in a suburb north of Baltimore. The 22-year-old is far closer in age to his students than he is to his colleagues, most of whom range from 40 to 65.Earlier this month, Brown spoke to Education Week about how he’s faring in his first year, which is widely seen as the start of the “make or break” period for new teachers.

COLLEGE PARK, MD. – College Park Scholars in Fall 2024 will add two programs to its roster of two-year living-learning experiences for academically talented students, but one will look and sound familiar.Data Justice will debut, and the University of Maryland’s CIVICUS program will relaunch with a new name: Civic Engagement for Social Good.The expansion will bring the number of Scholars programs to a record of 13 and provide 150 additional first-year students with the opportunity to begin their college journeys as members of an intellectually rich and socially vibrant Scholars community.

A longstanding annual tradition of College Park Scholars, Academic Showcase is the largest exhibition of undergraduate student learning on the University of Maryland campus.