My name is John Angelloz-Dugan. I’m from Baltimore, Maryland, and I’m going to be majoring in English at UMBC. I went to high school at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute as part of the Ingenuity program—which is a STEM program structured around research. As part of Ingenuity, I underwent a two-year internship at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. At IMET, I worked with Dr. Eric Shott, whose lab examines watershed conservation, and I was able to complete an independent research project focused on suspension feeders in urban estuaries. Though I enjoyed my science/math study, my favorite classes were in history and English. It was an AP literature class that inspired me to pursue English and writing further in college, and I’m looking forward to focusing on writing and composition more than I was able to in high school. I love analyzing text and debating ideas. I can’t wait to meet new people at UMBC, explore new interests, learn new things, and travel abroad to experience a different culture and language.
Hello! My name is Tafat Boudif, and I’m from Frederick County, Maryland! I plan to major in Political Science and minor in French. From a young age, I have always loved eye-opening experiences that introduce me to new perspectives and cultures, leading me to naturally gravitate towards history and language classes in school. Learning about history, particularly how it has affected our present day, has always been fascinating to me. Furthermore, as I have gradually discovered more diverse and inclusive environments growing up, I have come to value inclusion and develop a passion for social justice. Therefore, as a Political Science major, I hope to develop the skills to advocate for those who would otherwise not have their voices heard and further the goals of diversity, inclusion, and equity, whether it be as a lawyer or any other profession. Additionally, being Algerian, the French language has always served as an avenue to build relationships and communities, whether it be by communicating with my family back home or connecting with people from other francophone countries. In high school, my favorite class was AP Comparative Government and Politics because it was the first class where I learned about the histories of several different countries around the world and how these different histories impact their form of governance today, on top of it being taught by my favorite teacher who gave the most interesting lectures. I was also the president of the Ethics Bowl club, the public relations officer of the English Honor Society, and a member of Rho Kappa, French Honor Society, and National Honor Society. In my free time, I like to play volleyball, hike, bike, read, try new foods, see new places, and listen to music; my favorite artists are SZA, Daniel Caesar, H.E.R., and Frank Ocean. I’m very excited to join UMBC and even more excited to join the Humanities Scholars Program this fall! I’m looking forward to the opportunities it will bring, such as meeting new people, making new connections, and just having a tight knit community at the school. I am especially grateful for having the opportunity to study abroad and immerse myself in another culture. I can’t wait to see everyone in the fall and hopefully build some unforgettable friendships over the next four years together!
Hi! My name is Kat Gill and I’m a freshman English major and potential Sociology double major. I have always had a passion for reading and writing, which only grew stronger when Itook Intro to Creative Writing at my local community college. There I fell in love with writing Shakespearean sonnets, learning and utilizing storytelling theories, and reading for the purpose of improving my own writing. I continued to cultivate my interest in writing and literature through my AP Literature class, and I’m very happy to continue my interest in the discipline of English as a Humanities Scholar.In addition to my creative writing coursework, I also took courses in ethics and philosophy at community college. I found my ethics class to be particularly rewarding, as I enjoyed learning how to best help people in morally gray situations. My interest in helping people and analyzing social situations has led me to consider a double major in sociology.In my free time I love singing and listening to music, and I often end up doing both at the same time! Music was my introduction to poetry and often serves as inspiration for my poetryand other writing pieces, so it is very dear to me. I also love comics, slasher movies, birdwatching, and snowboarding.I’m excited to meet other people in the Humanities Scholars program who are as passionate about English as I am!
Hi! My name is Ashley Gutshall and I’m from Royersford, Pennsylvania. I plan to major in History, minor in Spanish, and get a Social Studies Teaching Certification. I have been really interested in history since elementary school. From begging my parents to take me to Jamestown to checking out every historical fiction book in my school library, I obsessed over learning everything I could about history. I am so excited to be able to broaden my knowledge beyond the Western history taught in high school to a more diverse and complete version of human history. I’m so excited to be a part of the Humanities Scholars program for just that reason! My love of history is also what encouraged my love of reading. I also really enjoy baking, hanging out with friends, and swimming. I have been swimming competitively since I was 8 years old and just finished my senior year of swimming as team captain and a 5 time PA State Medalist. I’m so excited to be continuing my swim career here at UMBC! I spent the last four years coaching my club team and it was my time as a coach that really influenced my decision to become a teacher. I want to be able to help and encourage the next generation of students. In high school, I participated in the National Honors Society and was a National Merit Commended Student as well as an NISCA Academic All American. I also visited Europe last summer with my language teacher. It was such an incredible experience and I am looking forward to going back to Spain (hopefully) for my study abroad! I am so excited to be continuing my education at UMBC. I know that being a Humanities Scholar will help me foster my love of history and learning as well as help me grow as a person!
Hello, my name is Molly Hess. I’m from Fairfield, PA, and am an incoming freshman. I am majoring in English and plan to get a secondary education certification. I’m super excited to meet new people as well as branch out from my small town. Reading and writing has been a passion of mine since I was young, and I love anything related to the arts. In high school, I was a member of several clubs, including National Honors Society, National Art Honors Society, Foreign Language Club, and Book Club. I was also the secretary of my class for two years. I threw discus for our track team, sang for choir, and played volleyball. I love music, and have been playing acoustic guitar since I was 12. I am an avid writer. I spend a lot of free time writing stories, and have been a part of many different writing contests. I won the Silver Key for the Scholastic Art and Writing Award in my region, and won an editorial essay contest. I am excited to take this education route as I love to teach and help people. I love to ski, and thus have worked in the Ski Instruction department at Liberty Mountain Resort for the past two years. There I have helped kids aged 4-6 learn how to ski and snowboard. I also have worked as a summer camp counselor at Mar-Lu-Ridge in Jefferson, MD over the past two summers. These jobs bring me so much joy and are opportunities that have shown me how important it is to support and teach kids as they grow. I am so excited to be part of this program, learn from others, and broaden my horizons at UMBC.
I am Audrey Lang and I am planning on majoring in Ancient Studies. I have achieved my Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards and gained leadership experience from my Gold Award. My academic interests include foreign language studies, prehistoric and ancient history, and archaeology. A fun fact about me is that I have taken classes to learn four languages throughout high school (Spanish, Japanese, Latin, and ASL).
My name is Rebecca Lee and I’m a rising freshman and history major in the Humanities Scholars Program. My academic interests include literature, history, philosophy, languages, and art. In my spare time, i like reading, drawing, knitting, and listening to sad music. I have a cat named Milk who looks funny.
Hey there, I’m Sarah Mendes, an incoming freshman from Frederick, Maryland, ready to embark on an exciting journey at UMBC as a Communications major. Throughout my life, and especially in these most recent post-pandemic years, I’ve come to recognize the significance of effective, attention-grabbing, and impactful communication in an increasingly online world.
As a member of a generation that grew up with smartphones and social media, I aim to leverage my studies to harness my natural abilities in navigating the digital landscape. Beyond communications, I have a diverse range of interests that fuels my thirst for academic exploration. Visual art, environmental justice, and politics are just a few areas that captivate my curiosity, and I look forward to potentially pursuing an additional minor or major that aligns with these passions.
Growing up with parents who are immigrants from Brazil, I carry with me a unique perspective that highlights the value of diverse experiences and open-mindedness. With this global mindset, I am particularly excited about the prospect of utilizing the study abroad requirement to delve deeper into South American culture and immerse myself in the rich heritage of my roots.
As an incoming freshman at UMBC, I am thrilled to engage with like-minded scholars and faculty, contributing my open-minded approach and wide-ranging interests to our vibrant academic community.
Hi! My name is Mikah Mohun-Hintze, and I’m so excited for my upcoming freshman year in the Humanities program! I’m majoring in the Communications and Technology track of English and minoring in Psychology. I chose these paths because, along with the chance to understand the human mind, I’ve always loved the power of language and how we can use it to change the lives of others. I want a job where I can write in some capacity, and it would be my dream to write fiction full-time. I am the Steward and Founder of the Kingston Little Free Library, and the recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa award, awarded to one outstanding senior from each high school in Leonardtown, Maryland. In my free time I love to read, write stories, listen to music, and watch movies and shows with my friends. I absolutely can’t wait to carve my own path and meet so many amazing people through this program!
Hello my name is Gabrielle Poissant (or Elle) and I use she/her pronouns. I live currently in Carroll County, Maryland and I plan to major in Global Studies and minor in Political Science. My life changed once I took my AP World History class. It opened my eyes to the different ways of the world. That class assisted me in figuring out what I wanted to do moving forward. My major isn’t the only thing I figured out that school year. I also created a LGBTQ student activist group in Carroll County. It was originally formed to combat the homophobic policies of the Board of Education, but then we used that platform to donate over 50 gender-affirming tools to students throughout Maryland. I also organized a donation of over $1000 worth of goods to the Carroll County Humane Society in my position as National Honor Society Vice President. I was also the President of my school’s Mock Trial team my senior year, and competed in the State Championships my junior and senior year. I adored that experience and Mock Trial also spiked my passion for law. When I am not working, I love to make clothes. I know how to knit, crochet and sew. You will probably see me doing these quite frequently. I have a big passion for music and theater as well. I sing, play three instruments, and I have done over 11 shows. I love the music aspect of my life and plan to continue that into college. Currently I am working at John Hopkins Center of Talented Youth. I am so excited to be in this program so I can grow and develop as a person. I am so thankful to be in the class of 2027 Humanities Scholars!
Hi! My name is Cameron Shiao. I’m an incoming freshman double majoring in English and Mathematics. I’ve always had an eclectic mix of interests: being an English major, I’ve always loved reading and writing, but I’m equally taken with all other forms of art and storytelling, like visual art and music (I was a member of the Peabody Children’s Chorus for 10 years, and I was a part of my high school’s Chamber Choir; both of those experiences are some of my fondest). Furthermore, studying singing from a young age gave me an acute awareness of phonetics that led naturally to an interest in linguistics as I grew older. Although I’m tragically monolingual, I studied French in high school, I’ve been studying Japanese independently for around three years now, and I plan to learn Mandarin Chinese (and hopefully many other languages!) in the future. As for the STEM side of things, my interest in math took some time to set in (said interest was initially sparked by a video game, of all things), but after really getting to know the subject, I’ve come to see mathematics as yet another form of art. (I recommend Paul Lockhart’s “A Mathematician’s Lament”; it’s a fantastic look into why people find it so hard to love math these days, written with an abundance of charm and grace!)
As you can tell, my interests are vast and varied, but I love each and every one of them deeply. Above all, I love to create and to tell stories; I’m endlessly fascinated by art and the people who make it. I’m looking forward to exploring all of these interests and finding new things to love in college!
Hello, my name is Julia Silver. I am a freshman planning to major in Anthropology and Environmental Science. I became fascinated by Anthropology after watching anthro students study Shudra ghats in the movie Masaan. My experience as a nature camp counselor and frequent hiker at the Patapsco woods sparked my interest in Environmental Science, and I hope to study human relationships to the natural world. I hope to study abroad in Ecuador to visit family and learn about Ecological Anthropology. My hobbies include playing the fiddle, guitar, and piano. Last year I wrote, recorded, and produced a full-length album named “Answer: Operation True Cheese” in which I search for the ever-elusive Marcel Cheese and end up destroying the universe. I also love to play card games, and in high school I founded the Solitaire Club for members to play Solitaire and listen to ambient music. I am thrilled to be a part of the Humanities Scholars Program at UMBC, and I’m so excited to meet fellow scholars and faculty.
Hi, my name is Ileana Su and I am excited to start my freshman year here at UMBC! When I heard about the Humanities Scholars Program and its study abroad requirements I was super excited to apply! I enjoy exploring new and diverse cultures and I am an extremely enthusiastic foodie eager to try exotic cuisines from around the world. In high school, I was active in theater, chorus, diversity and Asian culture clubs. Participating in these different extracurricular activities allowed me to become a part of Tri-M, National Honor Society, and Spanish National Honor Society, as well as earning me the Commitment to Education and Achievement Award. Currently, I have not determined my major yet, but during my college career I look forward to studying abroad, both in South Korea and Japan. I am taking steps towards my goals by pursuing classes such as Korean, and eventually Japanese. In my free time I enjoy watching anime, Korean dramas, singing, reading, going to musicals, and playing video games. Currently I am obsessed with listening to Nicki Minaj and Stray Kids (a Kpop group). I am also enjoying watching anime such as Vinland Saga and Chainsaw Man. Some of my favorite musicals (since I’m too indecisive to choose one) are Les Miserables, Dear Evan Hansen, Heathers, and the Waitress. During my time at UMBC I hope to find others with similar interests to befriend and explore the world with!
Hello! I’m Ryan Supplee, a Freshman Humanities Scholar, and I’m incredibly excited to start this journey as an English Literature and Applied Mathematics double major! You may be wondering “What use is a degree in English Literature and Applied Mathematics?” If you happen to come to a conclusion, please let me know.
Although I adore both Math and English, I love doing Theater and Choir too! I have been a Circle Leader for Theater, and a Student Conductor for choir, both of which gave me the opportunity to help my fellow artists excel. I attained a Superior in acting at 2022’s ITS Festival, All-State Thespian and Singer over the last 3 years, and was a member of my high school’s Chamber Choir. I’m hoping to be active in both communities on campus, although the balancing of it all will take some practice. During the Summers, I also have an internship with CACI as a Project Analyst and watch my mother’s two pet pigs, Lord Voldepork and Sasha. I’m excited to be part of UMBC, and can’t wait to see what these 4 years have got!
