Each year, the Alumni Association Scholarship program helps amazing students succeed at UMBC. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing some of their stories with you. This week, meet scholarship recipient Gift Jayakar ’12.
A famous English poet/playwright once asked: What’s in a name?
For new grad Gift Jayakar ’12, his first name is so much more than a moniker. To him, “gift” is the way of life he lead as a student at UMBC — and it’s a philosophy that will follow him into medical school and beyond.
“As a son of a pastor and a public school teacher, I could have chosen a career in education or religion,” said Jayakar, who has family and friends in India. “My friend’s death in the 2004 Asian tsunami gave me a direction. I decided to pursue a career in helping people as a doctor.”
Jayakar, who majored in biological sciences and minored in sociology and emergency health services, will start medical school in India this fall, with the hope of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon. Uncertain about what he wanted to study at UMBC early on, he found his roots after stumbling into an EHS class his second semester.
“I just wanted to try it out. And I loved it,” said Jayakar, who jumped at the chance to participate in research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore department of immunology, and volunteer with Maryland Shock Trauma and the emergency room of St. Agnes Hospital through a partnership with the Shriver Center.
He was also incredibly active in numerous activities on campus, including serving as a senator in the Student Government Association and assistant speaker of the SGA Senate; serving as president of the Interdisciplinary Studies Council of Majors; and playing an active role in UMBC’s pre-med society, the Relay for Life, tennis club and other groups.
“Of all the leadership and community service positions I’ve held, I value my experience with UMBC Student Government Association the most. It helped me gain a lot of confidence and realize that I can make changes to the community,” he said.
“I learn a lot when I’m involved in service. I’ve learned patience, responsibility, commitment, and punctuality after being involved in service. To me these are life-time lessons that classroom alone can never teach.”
After the 2004 tsunami in India, Jayakar and his father volunteered as missionaries to help the victims, but he left wishing he could have done more. After med school, he hopes to someday build a hospital there where people can be treated for free.
“It’s so simple,” he says of his philanthropic philosophy. “Society gives you so many opportunities to live the life you want to live. It our responsibility — 0ur duty — to give back.”

Each year, the Alumni Association Scholarship program helps amazing students succeed at UMBC. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing some of their stories with you. This week, meet scholarship recipient Gift Jayakar ’12.

A famous English poet/playwright once asked: What’s in a name?

For new grad Gift Jayakar ’12, his first name is so much more than a moniker. To him, “gift” is the way of life he lead as a student at UMBC — and it’s a philosophy that will follow him into medical school and beyond.

“As a son of a pastor and a public school teacher, I could have chosen a career in education or religion,” said Jayakar, who has family and friends in India. “My friend’s death in the 2004 Asian tsunami gave me a direction. I decided to pursue a career in helping people as a doctor.”

Jayakar, who majored in biological sciences and minored in sociology and emergency health services, will start medical school in India this fall, with the hope of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon. Uncertain about what he wanted to study at UMBC early on, he found his roots after stumbling into an EHS class his second semester.

“I just wanted to try it out. And I loved it,” said Jayakar, who jumped at the chance to participate in research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore department of immunology, and volunteer with Maryland Shock Trauma and the emergency room of St. Agnes Hospital through a partnership with the Shriver Center.

He was also incredibly active in numerous activities on campus, including serving as a senator in the Student Government Association and assistant speaker of the SGA Senate; serving as president of the Interdisciplinary Studies Council of Majors; and playing an active role in UMBC’s pre-med society, the Relay for Life, tennis club and other groups.

“Of all the leadership and community service positions I’ve held, I value my experience with UMBC Student Government Association the most. It helped me gain a lot of confidence and realize that I can make changes to the community,” he said.

“I learn a lot when I’m involved in service. I’ve learned patience, responsibility, commitment, and punctuality after being involved in service. To me these are life-time lessons that classroom alone can never teach.”

After the 2004 tsunami in India, Jayakar and his father volunteered as missionaries to help the victims, but he left wishing he could have done more. After med school, he hopes to someday build a hospital there where people can be treated for free.

“It’s so simple,” he says of his philanthropic philosophy. “Society gives you so many opportunities to live the life you want to live. It our responsibility — 0ur duty — to give back.”

Beth Wells, assistant vice provost for Academic Affairs, earned designation in April as a Board Certified Coach by the Center for Credentialing and Education.

UMBC recently asked its students a simple question: How does UMBC inspire you? But, instead of essay response customary for scholarship competitions, students were challenged to answer in video form.

As you might imagine, our students truly delivered. Twenty-seven students entered the UMBC Change the World Video Contest, which was sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions in conjunction with their award-winning Super Heroes campaign.

The winner, incoming sophomore Deanna Zare, submitted a video that picked up on the super hero theme and highlighted ways UMBC has helped her become a student leader:

“Everyone knows that UMBC is ranked the number one up and coming university, but not everyone realizes how this inspires underdogs or Retrievers just like me,” she explains in the intro.

Zare won a $3,000 scholarship for her efforts. Two runners-up won $1,000 scholarships, and four honorable mention winners took home prize packs from the UMBC Book Store. Great job, everyone!

Watch all of the submitted videos here.

Striking the Balance

Balance and focus. Those are the keys to success for student athletes. And, judging by their GPA’s, UMBC’s athletes have mastered both. This past fall, the Retrievers’ average GPA registered above 3.0 – the first time since the university started keeping track.

“In high school, you just had practice and games,” said Iman Kennedy ‘12, psychology, a member of the women’s volleyball team. “Here, you have practice, games, traveling, film, team meetings, coaches’ meetings, conditioning and lifting. There are all these things that go along with being an athlete. And on top of that, you still have classes. The professors aren’t going to come after you if you’re missing work or help you make up an exam. You have to stay in touch with them. All this stuff is on you. You have to learn that coming in.”

UMBC has several programs in place to help first year students adjust to their demanding schedules. The Academic Center for Student-Athletes (ACSA), located conveniently in the RAC, provides tutors and study space, and the Exceeding Common Educational Limits and Liabilities (EXCELL) program requires new students to attend study hall and advisor meetings while they acclimate to the rigors of college coursework.

“We have a terrific support system here with our EXCELL program, run by Jessica Hammond,” said Don Zimmerman, head coach of men’s lacrosse. “She and her staff do a terrific job. We want our guys to set their goals high, we want to win championships in lacrosse and we want to be outstanding students in the classroom. If we can develop a consistent attitude across the board, then that’s what we’re really striving to do.”

First-year athletes aren’t the only ones turning to the university for support, said Joseph Adewumi ‘12, biochemistry, a member of the men’s tennis team. “I know second and third years who go in, have their meetings with tutors,” he said. “The advisors know exactly how you’re doing in class, and your schedule can be made so you don’t fall behind.”

In addition to EXCELL, students take responsibility for helping their teammates develop strong study skills. “I tell our freshmen, ‘Get ahead of your work. Once travel starts, it gets crazy, so you need to make sure you know what you’re doing,’” said Michelle Kurowski ‘11, psychology, a graduate student studying early childhood education and a member of the women’s basketball team. “We help the freshmen and sophomores find their way through the transition from high school to college and playing sports.”

Striking a balance between academics and athletics is a challenging art, but those student-athletes who master it reap major rewards.

For Kennedy, her athletic life has prepared her for postgraduate life. “I’m going to dental school in the fall, and this past summer I did a program at UNC-Chapel Hill where they mimic the first year. The first year medical and dental school students were on an 8 to 5 schedule, went to classes all day and studied all night. And for them, they said, ‘There’s no time! I can’t get this work done!’ Even the instructors and TAs asked why I wasn’t freaking out. For me, it felt like life, like my schedule back at UMBC.”

(5/24/12)

Gary Kachadourian ’12, MFA imaging and digital arts, will be participating in the Maryland Art Place’s Young Blood 2012: Work by Recent MFA Graduates exhibition this summer. In addition to Kachadourian’s large-scale installation, the fifth annual exhibition will feature work by artists from the Maryland Institute College of Art, The University of Maryland-College Park and Towson University.

The exhibition runs from July 18th to August 25th, and will feature an artists’ talks and reception at 6 p.m. on the 18th. For more information, visit the Maryland Art Place’s website here.

Kachadourian was one of three 2011 winners of the Mary Sawyers Baker Prize, a Baltimore-based arts award worth $25,000. To see a video produced by MPT about the prize and Kachadourian’s work, click here.

Gary Kachadourian ’12, imaging and digital arts, will be participating in the Maryland Art Place’s Young Blood 2012: Work by Recent MFA Graduates exhibition this summer. In addition to Kachadourian’s large-scale installation, the fifth annual exhibition will feature work by artists from the Maryland Institute College of Art, The University of Maryland-College Park and Towson University.

The exhibition runs from July 18th to August 25th, and will feature an artists’ talks and reception at 6 p.m. on the 18th. For more information, visit the Maryland Art Place’s website here.

For Father’s Day 2012, The Baltimore Sun published an essay written by alumnus Seth Sawyers ’99, history, entitled “Driving with Dad.” Sawyers, who teaches essay writing for the English Department, recounted his memories of riding around Western Maryland with his father and brothers as a boy. The piece is at times poignant, but often humorous, such as when Sawyers remembers one incident involving his father convincing another driver to go through a broken light which only flashed red.

He writes:

“Somebody behind us honked. Dad craned his neck, looking at the light. Somebody honked again. Dad yanked on the parking brake handle and opened his door. ‘Don’t let anyone touch those,’ he said to Jake, pointing at the pedals. We watched him, easy, loose, walk up to the first car. He leaned in to the driver’s-side window. There was gesturing. Dad pointed to the light and then, finally, the other guy nodded. Dad jogged back and slid into the Escort. He put the car in gear and when the cars in front of us went through the red light, we followed.

‘Light’s broken,’ he said, his front teeth flashing in the sun. ‘Had to do something.'”

Constantine Vaporis, professor of history and director of the Asian studies program, will give a series of lectures onboard the Orion II, an Australian-operated cruise ship, during  a ten-day tour around the islands of Japan and Korea. The cruise will begin in Hokkaido in the far north, travel along the Sea of Japan to Busan, Korea, and then through the Inland Sea. The ship stops in a number of cities, including Otaru, Kanazawa, Matsue, Busan, Nagasaki, Hiroshima and Kobe.

During the cruise, Vaporis will deliver lectures entitled “A Maritime View of the Japanese Archipelago,” “The Samurai in History” and “Popular Culture and The Atomic Bombs in Japanese History and Popular Culture.”

The Washington Post published an article by Steven Overly on June 11 detailing the recent partnership between the University of Maryland, College Park and the aerospace and defense technology corporation Northrop Grumman. The article noted the recent trend of corporations engaging more directly with universities via donations and partnerships, and cited specifically UMBC’s own collaboration with Northrop Grumman and other firms in the development of both a master’s program and an incubator program in cybersecurity.

Read Overly’s original article for Washington Post here.