Join us for our end of the year Celebration & Awards! 

5th Annual Black & Latine/x Celebration & Awards

Monday, May 18, 2026

5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. 

University Center, Ballroom 3rd Floor

This celebration is in recognition of the achievements of UMBC's Black and Latina/e/o/x graduating students as well as contributing community members.Black and Latine/x students have made invaluable contributions to the wider UMBC community. This celebration is in recognition of Black and Latine/x graduating students and of all the allied staff, faculty, alumni, and programs that work to support them.

During the gathering, we'll enjoy food together, we'll showcase keynote speakers, student musical and dance performances, and award presentations to honor student contributions, as well as the faculty and staff who've contributed to their success.

Light refreshments and appetizers will be served starting at 5:30 pm for all guests in attendance. 

Graduates must check in no later than 5:45 p.m. The program will begin promptly at 6 p.m. 

Dress code: We encourage all attendees and graduates to dress in their "celebration best." While cap and gown are not required, we would be thrilled to see attendees embracing cultural attires.

If you would like to nominate a community member for one of our Affinity Celebration & Awards, you may nominate them here using the Awards Nomination Form or https://forms.gle/TLH8uDwccy5gBJtj8. You may submit multiple nominations for the same or different individuals. Please submit all nominations by April 20th, 2026. 

For those interested in attending, you can RSVP HERE!  Save the date on your calendars! Graduates that RSVP by Friday, May 1st at 6pm will be highlighted during the event and receive honorary graduation cords.

If you have any questions, please email us at themosaic@umbc.edu.

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy. 

UMBC Pride Week 2026 is bringing the vibes, and you’re invited to celebrate the stars of our community. Join the LGBTQ+ Faculty & Staff Association for an evening of recognition, networking, and (of course) appetizers at the Pride Awards Ceremony!

Whether you’re looking to mingle with queer professionals or just want to celebrate the incredible work being done on campus, this is the place to be.

📅 When: April 29, 2026 🕔 Time: 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM 📍 Where: UMBC (Check the Pride Center for specific room details!)

📢 Call for Nominations! Know a student, faculty, or staff member making waves? We want to hear about them!

✨ Deadline to nominate: April 21

🔗 How: Scan the QR code in the image to submit your nominations today!

Let’s honor the people who make our campus a more inclusive place. See you there! 

We’re gathering student input to help shape future improvements to the AOK Library. This survey takes just a few minutes, and your voice directly informs upcoming planning decisions. Thank you for sharing your perspective! 

The Indigenous Peoples' Union is hosting a potluck-styled event in celebration of the spring season, the semester reaching its end and of the deep heritages of cuisines familiar to Indigenous communities - appropriately titled "Food Heritages Day."

Thursday, April 30th | 5-7 PM | Center for Well-Being 118

We will be enjoying a variety of dishes and drinks while having enriching discussions about the histories and pathways of different ingredients (wheat, maize, eggs, etc.) in relation to Indigenous peoples globally. For instance, frybread is a staple amongst Northern American Indigenous communities, in spite that wheat is not a native species to the Americas and is intertwined with colonialism, cultural adaptations, and food sovereignty.

Please RSVP by April 28th if you'd like to attend and let us know if you will bring a contribution. The contribution does NOT have to be food/considered Indigenous (we will have some 'Non-Native' dishes as well (ex. Flan)) as we'll be talking about foods and ingredients of all backgrounds and histories. Event is not limited to students. Come with an appetite, a contribution (encouraged), an interest to learn, and a tupperware!

The RSVP form is set to allow edits after you've responded in order to prevent duplicate responses. If you have any questions or inquiries, you can email one of the leads, send a message to one of our socials or email c280@umbc.edu.

• RSVP Here: https://forms.gle/AxKj4Lt45FfCZntv7
• Take a peek at what others are bringing here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/

"He is right; banana trees are not native to our El Salvador. Banana trees were introduced during colonialism between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries in Latin America through the development of plantations. Banana trees are indeed native to the South Pacific and Southeast Asian regions, Yes, under the lens of Western environmentalism, banana trees are an invasive species to my ancestral native lands. However, to us, bananas are not invasive; they are displaced relatives that have adapted well to our climates and are now incorporated into our traditional diets. Ultimately, the kinships and relationships we have developed with them have made them our relatives as well. All I can think of is that, like me and many Indigenous peoples in the diaspora, banana trees have also been displaced. We have been displaced from our native and ancestral lands and forced to adapt to our new environments and form new kinships with our new land." Jessica Hernandez (Maya Ch’orti and Binnizá-Zapotec) in Fresh Banana Leaves.

To see the original post, click here. 

Did you see the academy award winning film Sinners?  Come hear Phoenix' critical take on this and more!

Conceptions of Blackness: A Fantastical Re-Imagining of Black Heroism and Villainy

Presenter: Phoenix Gordon
Mentor: Sharon Tran, English

Oral presentation: RAC 106 | 10 – 10:15 a.m.

This study examines constructions of Blackness in relation to pain. I explore how Black heroism is accompanied by pain and whether it is still revolutionary when removed from it. The notion that Black people do not feel pain has been used to justify their dehumanization/villainization. Black presence in White-dominated spaces has birthed many polarizing categorizations of Blackness: “the good” versus “the ghetto”; “not Black enough” versus “Black enough.” Such distinct labels render Blackness only acceptable when gentrified by the removal of pain, and uncouth when backed by the acknowledgement of it. I analyze how Black creatives intervene in these narratives by engaging in textual analysis of historical and contemporary depictions of Blackness, informed by critical race theory, through film, television, and literature. By focusing on Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys, Misha Green’s Lovecraft Country (2020), and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025), I consider realist iterations of Black pain and how they are reconstructed through fantastical elements. When coupled with wizardry and vampires, I argue that audiences gain a whole new perspective of understanding Blackness, power, and oppression. These works recreate the Black “hero” and “villain” into multidimensional beings who do not exist solely in hardship, or as victims.

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22 in the RAC:

URCAD.umbc.edu

Visualizing Enforcement: ICE Activity and Community Response in Maryland

Presenter: Andrea Quispe, Sondheim Scholar
Mentor: Tamara Bhalla, American Studies

Oral presentation: RAC 230 | 11:40 – 11:55 a.m.

My capstone research and public humanities project in American Studies examines the chronological escalation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Maryland through the creation of a digital timeline. The digital timeline visualizes how enforcement has heightened over the past two years using two forms of public recording: social media and mainstream news media. This presentation examines how social media functions as an information network for the Maryland Latinx community compared to mainstream media news coverage to understand how different platforms decide what counts as urgent and shareable. While mainstream media prioritize large-scale enforcement stories, social media circulates localized warnings and “know your rights” resources. Using content analysis of ten Maryland-based Facebook group posts and three mainstream news coverage sites, this project will uncover the differing criteria and purposes that go into publishing community encounters with ICE. This digital visualization not only brings attention to the ongoing realities of enforcement, but also demonstrates how Maryland communities have responded by creating rapid communication networks to protect one another.

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22 in the RAC:

URCAD.umbc.edu

Have you been seeing more announcements or emails related to AI tools or usage on campus? Do you have questions regarding the recent guidelines that were shared on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the classroom? Would you like your voice heard, or would appreciate having student perspectives brought to the forefront of these conversations relating to AI policy and guidelines? 

The Kotturi Lab would like to hear from you! If you would like to come together in a safe space to discuss AI use on campus, please stop by room 259 in the Library for this student only, student focused, in-person listening session on Wednesday, April 22nd, from 12 noon - 1:30PM. Faculty will not be present, and conversations that occur within the space will remain anonymous to protect students' identities. All majors are welcome!

Free pizza and swag will be provided!

We encourage students interested in participating to add the individual events to their calendars!

These listening sessions are supported by the AOK Library, in partnership with Computer Science & Electrical Engineering, Information Systems, and the Dresher Center. We thank you for your support!

Hello everyone! We have an exciting event coming soon!

In collaboration with Chartwells, Retriever Essentials will be hosting our biggest Farmers Market of the semester next week April 20th, from 12:00 - 1:00pm at the Commons Terrace. We will have mainly produce items such as apples, bananas, peppers, etc., with a couple of other household/personal care necessities.

Be sure to bring your bags/boxes, and we hope to see you there!

Calling all students, faculty, and staff!
UMBC Dining is hosting upcoming focus group sessions and wants your feedback. Share your experiences and help shape future dining improvements.

Student participants will receive $25 Retriever Dollars, plus food and beverages during the session.

Please review session details and sign up for a preferred group:

• Monday, April 20: COMM 328 (The Commons)
• Tuesday, April 21: True Grit’s Conference Room

Register here: https://signup.com/go/bYtYsFE

Aircrafts by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics chapter at UMBC, Design, Build, Fly (DBF) and Student Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) teams

Presenters: Shrikant Bhatnagar, Kalel Kai, Ben Bazarsuren, Daniel Shin, Jonah Malcom, Austin Wagener, Nebiyu Mammo, Murali Indukuri, William Vandenberg

Mentor: Joseph Washington, Mechanical Engineering

Students will display the prototypes of their aircafts on the RAC track throughout the day.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics chapter at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County was created to address the absence of a formal aerospace engineering program on campus. Without dedicated coursework in aeronautics, many students had limited ways to explore a field that plays a central role in transportation and national security, and engage in fascinating research. In response, the chapter built an experiential pathway into aerospace through student-led competition teams. At the core of this effort were the Design, Build, Fly (DBF) and Student Unmanned Aerial Systems (SUAS) teams, where students took ownership of the full engineering lifecycle. From early design concepts to manufacturing, systems integration, and flight testing, members engaged in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles for international competitions. Students experienced aerospace theory through processes that mirror those used in professional aerospace development. Members strengthened not only their technical abilities, but also their capacity for teamwork, documentation, and leadership under real constraints. Over time, this approach positioned UMBC’s teams as the leading undergraduate-led aerospace competition groups in Maryland, demonstrating how experiential learning can meaningfully expand access to aerospace education.

This work was funded by UMBC SGA, UMBC Mechanical Engineering Department, UMBC COEIT, Northrup Grumman Corporation.

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22 in the RAC:

URCAD.umbc.edu