Student Organizations
Make the most of your Scholars experience by getting involved in the community! College Park Scholars has a rich history of supporting student organizations. We also run a number of our own student organizations, making it easy to gain leadership experience right from the start of your college career. (Many of these groups were, in fact, founded by Scholars students who saw a need within the community and worked with Scholars faculty and staff to fill it.)
Campus Queers & Allies
Campus Queers & Allies (CQA) is a dialogue group for LGBTQ+ students and allies. Students meet weekly on Friday afternoons, covering a range of issues including building community, sexuality and gender, LGBTQ+ history, and media.
Originally launched for the Cambridge Community, the organization has since expanded to allow membership across campus. Scholars Associate Director Ben Parks remains the student organization's faculty advisor.
For more information about CQA, click here.
Lakeland STARs
The Lakeland STARs program provides tutoring services and mentorship to the students of nearby Paint Branch Elementary School. Tutors are matched one-on-one with an elementary school student to provide homework assistance and participate in structured activities. Applications for new Lakeland STARs tutors open at the beginning of each semester.
Peer Mentors
The Peer Mentor program supports first-year Scholars as they transition to campus life. Sophomore peer mentors are matched with incoming Scholars to help build connection between cohorts and provide a built-in resource for new students. Applications open each spring.
Real Talk
Real Talk is a dialogue group focusing on the diverse experiences and needs of Scholars students of color. Discussion topics include microaggressions, cultural appropriation, gender/race roles and balance on campus, hot topics in the news and more. Meetings take place every other week.
Students of color and allies who are current Scholars or Scholars undergraduate alumni are welcome to join Real Talk.
Scholars Ambassadors
Help promote College Park Scholars to prospective students! Ambassadors participate on student panels at recruitment events, assist with university open houses and information fairs, and communicate with prospective students via email, phone or video chat.
Any current Scholar or undergraduate Scholars alum can become an Ambassador. Students are expected to commit at least 5 hours per semester to Ambassador activities.
Scholars Promoting and Revitalizing Care (SPARC)
SPARC, or Scholars Promoting and Revitalizing Care, raises awareness about mental health and wellness in the Scholars community and across the UMD campus. Efforts include advocacy campaigns on campus as well as social media initiatives to build competency around mental health issues.
Student Advisory Board
Share ideas and goals on behalf of your classmates, organize events and serve as a sounding board for new initiatives in the community. The Student Advisory Board consists of one freshman and one sophomore representative from each of Scholars' programs. Applications open each fall semester for new representatives.
Student Communications Committee
The Student Communications Committee supports College Park Scholars with a variety of organizational communications efforts. The Committee photographs program excursions, creates content for social media, makes short-form videos and more.
Looking for a space to hold your next meeting for any of the above Scholars organizations? Please email Ellie Lippa, College Park Scholars Administrative Coordinator, at elippa@umd.edu with your requests.