"STRiVE gave me a community unlike any I've experienced before, and I am incredibly grateful to be a part of it. Learning in STRiVE was incredibly empowering with what I've learned about myself, my place in my community, and what I can do as a leader." — Lexi Malenfant '29, computer science

• Ben Bazarsuren '27, mechanical engineering (vice president for external programming, Student Events Board (seb))
• Carly Shearer '26, computer science (evaluation intern, Center for Democracy and Civic Life)
• Francheska Burrola '28, biological sciences (senator, Student Government Association (SGA))
• Keven Guruswamy '27, biological sciences (interfaith fellow, The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being)
• Maryada Bhattarai '28, information systems (treasurer, Student Government Association (SGA); special projects intern, Center for Democracy and Civic Life)
• Nate Cullen '26, psychology (captain and president, UMBC Men's Rugby Team)
• Vannessa Morant '27, mechanical engineering (digital fabrication researcher, Designing pArticipatory futuREs (DARE) Lab)

• Dr. Ciara Christian, M.A. '18, applied sociology, Ph.D. '22, language, literacy and culture (co-director, Center for Social Justice Dialogue)
• Dr. James DeVita (assistant vice president for academic partnerships & high impact experiences, Division of Student Affairs)
• Dr. Jasmine Lee (associate vice president for community and culture, Division of Institutional Equity; co-director, Center for Social Justice Dialogue)

"STRiVE created a space for me to reflect on what kind of person I am and what kind of person I want to become in terms of leadership. It also created a space for me to acknowledge my strengths and weaknesses, and continue to work on ways to improve myself." — Nneamaka Ibe '26, biological sciences

• Angelina Jenkins (assistant director, The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity, Student Engagement and Belonging)
• Matt Hoffman (director, Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Pluralism, Student Engagement and Belonging)
• Michael Canale (assistant director and Deaf & hard of hearing coordinator, Office of Student Disability Services)
• Dr. Ricky Blissett '11, bioinformatics and computational biology (associate director, Center for Democracy and Civic Life)
• Tiffani McGronan (health educator, Office of Health Promotion)
• Tori Ciorra (assistant director for student organizations, Student Engagement and Belonging)
• Trentqual Rhone (coordinator for political engagement, Center for Democracy and Civic Life)
• Wendy Low (coordinator, Center for Social Justice Dialogue)

"[By the end of STRiVE] I became a version of myself I had never seen: Uplifted, encouraged, and instilled with confidence and curiosity." — Olivia Robinson '29, biological sciences

"I adored this program and it helped me build a stronger sense of self. This is necessary in order to grow as a person, as a leader, and a community member/citizen. I'm so glad I participated in this as a freshman so I could implement it into my 4 years." — Kamarya Buckley '28, biological sciences

"Reflective, emotional, connective, and actionable, this program transformed how I see and move within spaces entirely by making me realize our collective agency. Want to learn how to make a change? Do this program." — Duncan Winger '29, philosophy and psychology

Student Affairs Assessment Leaders recently recognized Abhinav Varma Vathadi, current graduate student in the Masters of Professional Studies in Data Science program (graduating in spring 2026) and data scientist graduate assistant in the Division of Student Affairs as the recipient of the Outstanding Student Contributions to Assessment Award. This is an individual award for a full-time graduate or undergraduate student for their contributions to assessment at their institution and in the assessment community. 

Award nominator Dr. Mary Ellen Wade, director of assessment and planning, stated, "Abhinav's work exemplifies curiosity, responsibility, and collaboration, and has significantly strengthened the division's capacity for data-informed decision-making. Abhinav has contributed to a culture of shared learning across Student Affairs by developing presentations and guides to help staff confidently interpret and use data. His work reflects a commitment to student success and institutional storytelling." 

Dr. Wade nominated Abhinav for this award for the ways he has used his data science background to partner with Retriever Integrated Health, Student Engagement, and other student affairs departments to assist with assessment, particularly for his expertise with Tableau dashboards.

Student Affairs Assessment Leaders is an international volunteer-led community of practice dedicated to advancing equity-centered, high-quality assessment within higher education student affairs divisions. It serves as a professional network for educators to share, learn, and collaborate on measuring student learning, co-curricular success, and program effectiveness.

Welcome, Retrievers! If you've never had the opportunity to come to Retriever Integrated Health to see our facility, now is the time! Stop by and meet the mental health, medical, and administrative staff, as well as the Office of Health Promotion staff.

The Center for Well-Being (2nd Floor)
Today, Tuesday, Feb 3 | 3–5 PM

Welcome, Retrievers! If you've never had the opportunity to come to Retriever Integrated Health to see our facility, now is the time! Stop by and meet the mental health, medical, and administrative staff, as well as the Office of Health Promotion staff.

The Center for Well-Being (2nd Floor)
Today, Tuesday, Feb 3 | 3–5 PM

Program Agenda

• [5:30 - 5:55 p.m.] Program Start, Welcome, and Introductions
• [5:55 - 6:10 p.m.] What's On Your Plate?
• [6:10 - 6:20 p.m.] Two Dimensions of Thriving
• [6:20 - 7:15 p.m.] Values Alignment and Well-Being
• [7:15 - 7:30 p.m.] Program Closing

Community Standards

Food Menu

In August 2025, StoryCorps featured a discussion on interfaith work between Matt Hoffman, director of the Center for Religion, Spirituality, and Pluralism, and Dr. Fernie Rodriguez, associate vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. During the Interfaith America conference, Hoffman and Rodriguez discussed the role religion and spirituality played in their upbringing, their life experiences, the impact of world and national events in their current work, and how they work with students in their current roles.

StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit committed to the idea that everyone has an important story to tell and that everyone's story matters. Since its founding in 2003, StoryCorps has helped over 700,000 people across the country have meaningful conversations about their lives. These recordings are collected in the U.S. Library of Congress and in an online archive which is now the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered.

Four staff members of Student Affairs were part of the inaugural cohort of Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management’s Aspire Program: Emily Aiello, Event and Conference Services, as well as Candida Williams, Patrice Marshall, and Crystal Knight from Retriever Integrated Health. 

Aspire, launched in September 2025, is a semester-long program that provides aspiring leaders – individuals who are not currently supervising staff – with the essential professional competencies and interpersonal skills needed to effectively lead in the future. The cohort-based experience is delivered through a mix of engaging in-person instruction and team coaching. It's a unique opportunity open to all non-supervisory employees past their probationary period who are eager to take the first step on their leadership journey.

"The ASPIRE program not only taught me about my personal strengths and potential as a leader here, but in connecting me with other colleagues across campus gave me a support group to lean on to reach my goals," said Aiello, "It was also just nice to have a room full of people from across campus with similar goals to me that are also navigating changes in university leadership and and staffing, as well as policies. The support in that room was unmatched. I highly recommend anyone and everyone participate in the program."

After a short hiatus, Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society has returned to UMBC! On December 3, 2025, 44 students and one circle coordinator were initiated into the national organization, which has been at UMBC since 1981. These 45 initiates join over 350,000 members globally and over 750 UMBC alumni, faculty, and staff within our UMBC Circle. 

Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) is a premier national leadership honor society founded in 1914 that recognizes superior leadership and character across campus life, including academics, athletics, service, and arts. It is highly selective, with members chosen from the top 35% of their class (juniors, seniors, and graduate students). 

The organization looks forward to success in the five leadership pillars of campus life as dedicated by the national organization: Academics and Research, Athletics, Service to Campus and Community, Communications, and Creative/Performing Arts. Led by the student Executive Board, including Spencer Hupe, Samantha Bennett, Ethan Black and Audrey Grutzik, ODK is committed to making an impact through volunteering and collaboration this semester. 

Any UMBC staff or faculty member that is already a member or is interested in becoming a member of ODK can reach out to Circle Coordinator Jen Ewing Fox (jenewingfox@umbc.edu) or advisor Alicia Ryan (aliciar2@umbc.edu) in Student Engagement.