Being somewhat extroverted, I enjoy traveling because I get to discover new places and people. I have been to Ghana various times, and I am excited to visit a new country during my semester abroad! While I’m not reading, learning about history, or traveling, I enjoy listening to Twice, Sir Chloe, and many other K-pop and indie artists, playing tunes on ukulele and guitar, and enjoying my favorite TV shows and musicals. I am looking forward to the many unique, enriching experiences I will have in this program and at UMBC!
Hello! My name is Ava Barnes and I am an incoming freshman from Howard County, Maryland, majoring in Ancient Studies. Thoughts of art have slowly taken over my life, but one cannot enjoy art to the fullest extent without knowing the history behind it. In pursuit of knowledge, I have taken AP courses in English literature and studied cinema at the college level. I find myself drawn to stories about mother-daughter relationships and discussions about the female nude in religious sculpture. I am also a writer and filmmaker. During the final years of high school, I wrote and directed two experimental short films and two one-act plays. My favorite pieces of media are, currently, Franny & Zooey by J. D. Salinger and The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012). I want to spend my life surrounded by like-minded individuals and I am excited to be a Humanities Scholar at UMBC!
Hi, I’m Calayah Bennett and I’m from Baltimore, Maryland. I plan to double major in Gender, Women + Sexuality Studies and Psychology. I want to eventually become a therapist as a long term career. In my freetime I like to listen to music, dance, journal/write, watch movies/series and travel with my family. I am really looking forward to studying abroad because I’ve always wanted to go to a European country and experience their culture. During my time at UMBC I hope to find long-term friends that have the same interests as me especially while living on campus. I’m really excited to be a part of the Humanities Scholars!
Hi! My name is Jason Blanco. I am a Maryland native, growing up just shy outside of Baltimore. Throughout school, I enthusiastically accepted any opportunities to connect with my community. I was involved in theatre, honor societies, and sports. The highlight was tutoring fourth graders English during senior year. I remember once talking at length about Albert Einstein with a student. He was curious about his theories and seeing his eyes light up in awe as we talked inspired me. I try to feel like that kid about something everyday; that’s sort of my medicine for life. In my free time, I like reading and hiking like a fish needs water. In the last few years, I also sang and played guitar in different indie bands. I have fallen in love with the city of Baltimore as I visited Edgar Allen Poe’s grave, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and saw punk shows in the local venues this summer. I am glad to be studying philosophy and psychology here as a part of the UMBC community.
Hello! My name is Akil Brathwaite, and I am an incoming freshman currently double majoring in Media & Comm Studies and Psychology. I was born in New York, but moved to Maryland where I began elementary school and remain to this day. I originally was in Prince George’s County, living in Lanham, but moved to Jessup before the start of my Freshman year in the Howard County school system. My main non academic interests include writing, which I’ve been doing since I was young, gaming, swimming, biking, and others. My interest in writing led to me becoming a member of my school’s newspaper, where I spent three years, building on my skills and eventually becoming an editor for two of those years. In doing so, I learned new skills like how to use certain platforms and better collaboration skills when it comes to running an organization. In my junior year, through the county’s research program, I wrote a research paper on excessive consumerism and why humans may resort to it. In my senior year, through a similar program that added an internship along with the paper, I interned with my school paper’s advisor, which included more leadership roles and responsibilities, and wrote a paper about how digital news platforms changed the journalism industry and the consumers of said news. These two endeavors, along with other classes, helped me forge my interests in digital media and the digital landscape, as well as how we as people go about our lives and interact within our environment and societies, both of which led me to my current majors. I’m looking forward to joining the Humanities Scholars community and the UMBC community as a whole!
My name is Esmeralda Gonzalez . I’m from Baltimore, Maryland, and I will be double majoring in Psychology and Linguistics at UMBC! I went to high school at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and chose the track of AP Capstone. AP Capstone is a two-year program offered by the College Board that emphasizes college-level research, collaboration, and communication skills. It consists of two courses: AP Seminar and AP Research. In AP Seminar, students learn to investigate real-world issues from multiple perspectives, evaluate sources, and present their findings. In AP Research, students design and conduct an independent research project, culminating in a comprehensive paper and presentation. During AP Research I was able to demonstrate the productivity level that may be affected based off a students’ mental state. I conducted a study in BPI that analyzed both internal and external factors that may contribute towards the shift in the individual’s mental health. I have always been passionate about the psychology. The study of psychology offers a profound understanding of human behavior, thought processes, and emotions. I am excited to learn about the complexities of the mind, understand why people act the way they do, and apply this knowledge to better understand ourselves and the outlook in our society. I am excited to meet new people at UMBC, learn new study habits, and live on campus in the LLC program.
I’m Madison Harvey, and I’m a History and English double major, with plans to pursue law school after college. I’ve always loved the diverse range of subjects that the humanities offers, and how inherently creative the field can be. My favorite subject is English because of how it has allowed me to explore and develop my own voice within my writing, and I’m anxious to continue growing as a writer by taking advantage of all the academic opportunities at UMBC! In my free time, I like to draw, listen to music, and play video games— If you can’t find me, I’m probably in my dorm playing Pikmin. I’m always happy to meet new people, so don’t let my RBF scare you and come talk to me!!! 🙂
Hello, my name is Peter Luster, I am from Waldorf, Maryland and I went to Bishop McNamara High School. I was involved in multiple fine arts in high school and I share a deep love of music. I’m planning on majoring in history with a minor in political science. I am excited to be able to be a part of this program and I look forward to all the opportunities and events that it will offer me. I am especially excited to have study abroad opportunities so I can experience different cultures and learn about them. I enjoy learning about all types of history and cultures. I usually spend my free time watching or reading about what period of history interests me most at that time. I also plan to be a part of the pep band here at UMBC, and some intramural sports. I am very excited and grateful to be a part of the Humanities Scholars Program.
Hello! My name is Rebekah Mueller. I am majoring in History at UMBC this fall, with the goal of becoming a middle- or high- school history teacher. (Or possibly elementary school… we’ll see where life takes me!) However, my interests range from music to biology to creative writing to linguistics! In addition to teaching preschool full- and part- time, I’ve helped edit and publish a high school literary magazine, connected my school community as president of the French Honor Society, volunteered as a peer buddy, lead as principal cellist in two youth orchestras, made my way to the national level of the National History Day competition (twice!!!), volunteered as a leader in my church youth group, and been an enthusiastic big (and little) sister. I’m looking forward to starting my college journey with this fantastic group of people!
Hello! I’m Jessica Obimba, a freshman humanities scholar pursuing a double major in psychology and philosophy while on the pre-med track. I enjoy reading, dancing and love spending time chatting with friends. One interesting fact about me is that I’ve had the unique experience of standing on the equator, which was both exciting and memorable.
Hi, my name is Chloe Pekich and I’m from Harford County, Maryland. I’m going in as undecided, but I do have an interest in doing something related to history and creative writing. I’ve always been interested in stories no matter what type of way it was told. I love reading, especially fiction books and graphic novels, which has created my love for creative writing. I also love cartoons and anime as another storytelling tool. I’m not an artist nor have I done anything in visual arts or animation, but I hope to be able to explore that part of storytelling with my writing. I’ve grown to love history as well over the years, especially ancient Greek, Rome, and China. I hope to learn about other types of world history while at UMBC, including other types of ancient and prehistoric history. I’m also very interested in learning a new language or two, archeology, and anything else I can fit in my schedule. In high school I’ve been in multiple honors programs like Quill and Scroll, the National Spanish Honors Society, and the National Honors Society. Some of my favorite classes were Creative Writing, Human Rights, English, and Western Civilization. I participated in my school’s newspaper as well as the school’s pinnacle. I hope to someday be able to do something with my love of history and storytelling career wise. I’m very excited to be a part of this program at UMBC, and I hope to get into new interests and meet with fellow scholars!
Hi, my name is Katarina Phucas, i’m from Silver Spring, Maryland, and am going to be a Multidisciplinary Studies major at UMBC. I attended Montgomery Blair High School, and through taking a Sociology class, I became enthralled with the subject. I grew up volunteering with institutions like Girl Scouts, donating clothes, food, dog toys, etc. I have always loved servicing my community, but love to be able to view it through a sociology lens. This love of sociology lead to me discovering more about the criminal justice system in our country. I’ve grown a passion for wanting to fight for the groups who are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system, such as juveniles, people or color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, etc. Along with my love of sociology, I have always loved writing, specifically creative writing. Writing short stories and poems has become a way for me to express myself and speak from my personal experience. In my junior year of high school, my creative writing teacher inspired me to start writing more passionately again. I am excited to be able to connect with other scholars through writing and just being able to have a strong community like this one.
Hello! My name is Aubrey Samuels, and I’m excited to be joining the UMBC community this fall as a double major in Media & Communication Studies and Animation. I’m proud to be part of the Honors College and the Humanities Scholars Program. During high school, I’ve had the privilege of taking on various leadership roles and participating in numerous extracurricular activities. I’ve been a track captain, a Chamber Singer vocalist, and the Vice President of the Black Student Union. My involvement in these activities has not only allowed me to develop my leadership skills but has also deepened my commitment to service and social justice. In the summer of 2023, I interned with TechBridge Girls Summer Program, where I facilitated STEM lesson plans and organized engaging hands-on activities for young girls. I also interned with GapBusters’ Workforce Development Program, assisting with event planning and supporting program initiatives. These experiences have shaped my passion for community building and empowerment. I am also a Spanish immersion student and have taken the language my entire academic career, resulting in my seal of biliteracy for proficiency in the language. Art has always been a significant part of my life. I enjoy both traditional and digital art, and I’m thrilled to share my creations on my Instagram art account, @pea.chycore, where I have over 2.3K followers. I also love true crime and horror, cooking shows, and curating Pinterest boards for inspiration. I’m eager to make new friends at UMBC and connect with fellow students who share my interests. Feel free to check out my art at @pea.chycore. I’m looking forward to an amazing journey at UMBC and beyond!
My name is William Stanley. Some info I have is that my academic interests are history, economics, and philosophy. A fun fact about me is my favorite album is Animals by Pink Floyd.
Hey! My name is Makayla Washington, and I am super excited to be joining the Humanities Scholars Program as a Media and Communication Studies major!
I have always had a deep appreciation for the arts, and I was sure that it would lead me to finding my purpose. Initially, I envisioned myself pursuing a career in the musical field as it has been a significant part of my life (with alternative jazz, R&B, and hip hop being some of my favorite genres to listen to and sing). However, following the pandemic, my love for reading grew stronger (my favorite book currently being 7 Days in June by Tia Williams), and exploring different literary worlds to fall into quickly became one of my favorite and most sought-after pastimes.
I have now realized that my purpose is to amplify the voices of those often taken for granted, hopefully as a Literary Agent. I want the underrepresented and overlooked women of color within publishing, who are vital in crafting our current narratives, to know that there is a dedicated support system eager to shine a spotlight on their contributions. I am confident that the opportunities and connections I will have throughout my time here at UMBC will give me the tools necessary to help reshape our current media landscape into an environment that embraces diversity and inclusivity and achieves equitable visibility.
I am eager to broaden my perspective by stepping out of my comfort zone, exploring new experiences, and meeting new people. I am particularly excited to learn more about myself and to discover what others can teach me!