Each year we gather to recognize each of our programs by briefly noting some of their milestones and to celebrate the work by our staff as we confront grand challenges, reimagine learning, invest in people and communities, and partner to advance the public good.
This year’s Undergraduate Student Staff Award goes to Jason Ramirez Yohe from the Pre-College Programs, the Graduate Assistant Award goes to Victoria Worley (pictured center) from the College Park Scholars Justice and Legal Thought program and
We also honored the service milestones of UGST staff: 5 Years Cassie Harrington, ACES Program Christine Jones, University Honors Kai Kai Mascarenas, Asian American Studies Program Jarrell Slade, Pre-College Programs 15 Years Jackie Kautzer, Dean’s Office Dr. Ben Parks, College Park Scholars 20 Years Dario Middleton, University Honors 25 Years JV Sapinoso, Letters and Sciences 30 Years Marchelle Payne-Gassaway, Letters and Sciences 35 Years Georgette Hardy DeJesus, Pre-College Programs
Our staff won other prestigious awards this year including:
More than 10 students from our programs were either Do Good Challenge semi-finalists/finalists or recipients of the Do Good Campus Fund. Honors College Executive Director Kristy Maddux’s project One Maryland: Equipping Interconnected Leaders received funding to create courses and field experiences to help bridge the urban-rural divide. And Impact Interns at UMD Fellows was selected as one of six inaugural Do Good Campus Signature Initiatives.
- College Park Associate Director Dave Eubanks won a President’s Distinguished Service Award for exceptional performance, leadership and service.
- Pathe Sow, English Coordinator in the Academic Achievement Programs, was recognized for his long-standing dedication to student success with a campus MVP Impact Fearlessly Forward Award.
- Dr. Francis DuVinage, director of the National Scholarships Office received the 2026 Churchill Adviser Award for his work in building the university’s impressive record of Churchill Scholarships, which supports exceptional STEM students for graduate work in the UK.
- Professor Janelle Wong was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, which recognized how her research shapes our understanding of race, immigration, and political mobilization.
- Recent inductees into Omicron Delta Kappa, one of the highest honors on campus, include Chelsea Bradford, Assistant Director of Student Life in University Honors, and Dr. Jerry Lewis of the Academic Achievement Programs.