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student advisory board group photo

Student Advisory Board

Mission

The Scholars Student Advisory Board amplifies student voices, connects programs with central staff and with each other, represents diverse perspectives, and strengthens our communities in order to enhance the Scholars student experience.

Upcoming

Next Open Meeting coming in February 2026

Structure

The Student Advisory Board consists of one first-year and one second-year representative from each Scholars program. In addition, one first-year and one second-year serve as commuter representatives.

As a member of the Student Advisory Board, you have the opportunity to serve your peers, your program, and the Scholars community. Representatives act as a liaison between their peers in their programs and the Scholars central staff, offering the student viewpoint on new initiatives and providing suggestions that might improve the student experience in Scholars.

In particular, representatives:

  • Share curricular and co-curricular components of your program experiences with the central staff and other board members.
  • Respond to concerns or issues within the Cambridge Community or on campus.
  • Share Scholars' initiatives, upcoming events, or announcements with their programs.
  • Assist in the management of Scholars-wide events such as Service Day, Fall Fest, therapy dogs, and the charity kickball tournament.

Expectations

Members of the Student Advisory Board attend hour-long meetings on Thursday evenings. In addition, representatives participate in community events organized by the Student Advisory Board.

How to Get Involved

The Student Advisory Board is open to any first-year Scholars student, with applications to become a first-year representative available at the start of the fall semester. All applicants will be invited to participate in an interview. 

This position is a two-year commitment. Students who serve as first-year representatives are expected to continue in their role and serve as the second-year representative for their program.

Program Representatives

These are the Student Advisory Board representatives for the 2024–2025 academic year. Students can contact their program representative with any questions or concerns. 

Laura Neer
Second-year representative
lneer@terpmail.umd.edu

Nicole Akintola
First-year representative
nakinto1@terpmail.umd.edu

Farhaan Sultan
Second-year representative
fsultan@terpmail.umd.edu

Azana Persaud
First-year representative
apersau5@terpmail.umd.edu
 

Jaina Simon
Second-year representative
jsim4444@terpmail.umd.edu 

Jayzanay Blessett
First-year representative
jblesset@terpmail.umd.edu

Harry Neill
Second-year representative
hwneill@terpmail.umd.edu

Spencer Anthony
First-year representative
santhon4@terpmail.umd.edu

Ryan Budinick
Second-year representative
rbudinic@terpmail.umd.edu

TBA
First-year representative

Michael Olson
Second-year representative
molson05@terpmail.umd.edu

Aleesha Bora
First-year representative
abora1@terpmail.umd.edu

Daren Pefok
Second-year representative
dpefok@terpmail.umd.edu 

Elle Deffaa
First-year representative
ecdeffaa@terpmail.umd.edu

Aine Heron
Second-year representative
aheron1@terpmail.umd.edu 

Sylvia Randle
First-year representative
srandle@terpmail.umd.edu

Rajiv Damera
Second-year representative
rajivdam@terpmail.umd.edu 

Jake Han
First-year representative
jakehan@terpmail.umd.edu

Emmanuel Dean
Second-year representative
edean826@terpmail.umd.edu 

Grace Campbell
First-year representative
gcampbe6@terpmail.umd.edu

Ritvik Sawhney
Second-year representative
rsawhney@terpmail.umd.edu

Zully Calderon
First-year representative
zvilleda@terpmail.umd.edu

Taylor Phillips
Second-year representative
tphilli8@terpmail.umd.edu 

Natalie Best
First-year representative
nbest1@terpmail.umd.edu

Vaishnavi Banda
Second-year representative
vaishnavibanda2@gmail.com

Samantha Ruth
First-year representative
sruth@terpmail.umd.edu

Maria Meza
Second-year representative
mmeza@terpmail.umd.edu 

Jadin Zabala
First-year representative
jzabala1@terpmail.umd.edu

For More Information

Portrait of Ben Parks

Ben Parks

Associate Director for Student Affairs, College Park Scholars
Portrait of Ashley Ogwo

Ashley Ogwo

Coordinator for Student Engagement, College Park Scholars
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