College Park Scholars kicked off the spring semester with a February dialogue event for students to share their own personal stories around our annual theme, “Migrations.” Many of the participants, as first- or second-generation Americans, spoke of their connections to their parents’ or grandparents’ cultures through food. They also referenced the emotional impacts their families’ respective migration stories had on their own lives. On March 5, 2019, Scholars hosted our marquee theme event, “MIGRATIONS: Conversations on food, art and cultural fusion.” The Do Good Dialogue was presented in conjunction with The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and the Year of Immigration.

When Sophia Burton first entered college, she had little idea what major she wanted to declare, much less what career she wanted to pursue. “I never planned it out this way,” says Burton, who graduated from the University of Maryland (UMD) in 2007 and currently works on migration issues in Germany. “I’m not saying one shouldn’t have a plan, but for me it was never like, ‘I know I want to be an engineer or a lawyer.’” Her lack of a plan, however, was made up for by a passion that even those with clear-cut career aspirations sometimes lack. Family migration history For Burton, that passion was in multiculturalism—particularly the cultural dynamics surrounding migration and international relations.

College Park Scholars has been coordinating an annual theme for four years—starting with “Trash: The Problem of Waste in Our Lives and Our World” in the fall of 2015. The annual theme gives our students, who tend to spend most of their Scholars classroom time within their individual programs, an opportunity to interact across programs. We take on a complex, multifaceted problem, work to understand its causes and impacts, and discuss how we might address it. Because each student comes into the discussion with their unique perspectives and the perspectives they’re learning in their respective Scholars program, the annual theme affords students a larger venue in which to make interdisciplinary connections.

In 2017, College Park Scholars welcomed more than 800 freshmen to what would become its 24th citation class, the Scholars Class of 2019. All who successfully completed the requirements of their Scholars program received their official Scholars citation. But there were some that went above and beyond the expectations, leaving a lasting impact on the community. On Oct. 18, 2019, Scholars honored these extraordinary students at its annual Citation Awards. Those recognized included 24 juniors—two from each program—chosen by their program directors for outstanding achievement and 24 for outstanding citizenship.

As part of our yearlong #ScholarsAt25 recognition of our 25th anniversary, Scholars is publishing occasional profiles on our alums. To be considered for an alumni profile, please fill out the form at go.umd.edu/alumniprofile. Sean Murphy Alum of: Science, Technology and Society (STS) Year graduated: 2012 for first degree, 2016 for the second—I originally graduated with a BS in mathematics. After a failed year in graduate school in applied mathematics, I reevaluated things and decided to go back to UMD for a BS in electrical engineering.

College Park Scholars has awarded the inaugural Kenneth A. Joseph Memorial Endowed Scholarship, to first-year Media, Self and Society Scholars student Amanda Hernández. “Affording college was always something that I worried about, especially when I was trying to decide where to enroll,” says Hernández. “This scholarship is not only helping me on that front but has also inspired me to do more. I’m incredibly grateful for being chosen and hope to represent College Park Scholars more in the future.”

College Park Scholars recently awarded the very first Randall G. and Susan Woodfield Hoffman Endowed Scholarship, to Ryan Gerbes, a sophomore mechanical engineering major in the Science, Technology and Society (STS) Scholars program. “I can’t begin to describe the honor and gratitude I feel as the first recipient of the Hoffman Scholarship,” says Gerbes. “The award, and the spirit of service, gratitude and community that it represents, inspires me to continue my work with fresh passion and commitment.”

Kristen Wolfe Alum of: Life Sciences Year graduated: 1998 A 1998 graduation year must mean you were in the first class of Scholars. What was it like? Did you understand what Scholars was about when you accepted the invitation? Yes, I was the first class. For me, I didn’t realize what Scholars was. I had applied to the University of Maryland, and this letter came in the mail that they were offering me this program. Once I came for Orientation, I started to realize it was something new and different. They explained that it was a program that helped people with adjusting to college, and you'd have other students in your classes that you lived with and would be able to get help from along the way.

College Park Scholars Executive Director Marilee Lindemann often jokes to new students that some of them may end up meeting the love of their life in Scholars. The line usually gets an incredulous, slightly nervous laugh from students, but it’s true: Some of our Scholars students eventually go on to fall in love and marry. In this special Valentine’s edition of our alumni profiles, we offer a Q&A with one such couple. Jeff Amoros and Corey Brewer          Alum of: BOTH: International Studies  Year graduated:          BOTH: 2009

Scholars students received the following message today from Dr. Marilee Lindemann, executive director of College Park Scholars: Dear students, I know the past few days have been a lot to take. You’ve undoubtedly experienced a range of emotions in a very short span of time, as rumors have spread about the campus response to the coronavirus. I’m sure you feel like you have a lot of questions and not enough answers. Maybe the only thing you know for sure now is that you feel uncertain and anxious. This is a new and unsettling situation for all of us. It is also a rapidly evolving situation, which has added to the difficulty of communicating about it in a way that works for everyone.