About Us
2016 IVSP Graduates
B.A., Maternal and Child Health Equity
Faculty Mentor: Edmond Shenassa, Department of Family Science
Claire created her Maternal and Child Health Equity BA program with IVSP in 2015. She blended coursework in sociology, public health, and maternal and child health (MCH). For her capstone project, she researched and collected interviews with policy makers to create an engaging overview on the intersection of MCH policy and human rights in the United States.
Over the course of her undergraduate education, Claire also gained experience in the field of MCH as a doula-in-training and birth photographer. She was a policy intern for the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, where she worked on multiple research projects and publications as well as Title V MCH Block Grant Profiles for each state. She also served as a communications intern for USAID’s flagship Maternal and Child Survival Program, where she co-authored and illustrated a blog on Respectful Maternity Care to recognize the International Day of Maternal Health and Rights. The Maternal Health Task Force, a program within the Harvard School of Public Health, also reposted the blog.
Claire also worked with Dr. Dina Borzekowski to develop tools for a longitudinal study on the effects of Galli Galli Sim Sim (an Indian equivalent of Sesame Street). She developed over a hundred illustrations to use in questionnaires for children to gauge their understanding of public health messages.
Claire leaves Maryland for the Grand Canyon. She will work with the Udall Foundation’s Parks in Focus program, bringing children from diverse backgrounds into National Parks to hike and learn about photography. She would like to thank Dr. Edmond Shenassa, Dr. Marian Moser-Jones, Dr. Donna Howard, Dr. Dina Borzekowski, Dr. Joan Burton, Lori Praniewicz, all her internship supervisors, her parents, and everyone else who mentored her along the way for their encouragement and support.
Melanie Barnett
B.A., Sustainable Design Marketing
Faculty Mentor: Jim Cohn, Urban Studies and Planning Program
Melanie is honored to be graduating from the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Design Marketing. Her major combines the elements of traditional design studio; environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainability; and corporate social responsibility to understand the role that sustainability plays in society. For her capstone project, she created a universal handbook for a company looking to rebrand themselves as a sustainable business.
During her time at Maryland, Melanie was active as a tour guide with Maryland Images, a member of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), American Institute of Architects (AIAS), and a member of the Student Association of Landscape Architects (ASLA). She also engaged in several internship opportunities including the New York City Department of Design and Construction and Brimelow McSweeney Architects in London.
Melanie would like to thank Dr. Cohen, Dr. Burton, Lori Praniewicz, and her family and friends for all their love and support.
Nataliya Bredikhina
B.A., Sport and Society (IVSP)
Double Major: French Language and Literature
Faculty Mentor: David Andrews, Department of Kinesiology
Nataliya is excited to graduate with a double major in Sport and Society and French Language and Literature. Nataliya’s Sport and Society major encompassed a study of the role of sports in modern society, the ways in which social issues and inequalities affect our sporting experiences, and the possibilities of making sports more accessible for participants coming from various backgrounds.
For her capstone research, Nataliya focused on the comparison of the pre-Olympic promises and the post-Olympic reality of the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. She conducted a discourse analysis of the official documentation, news reports, and a variety of media sources to explore on the example of the Sochi Games the political role and social and economic impact of the sports mega-events on the host regions.
While at Maryland, Nataliya competed four seasons on the Terps women’s tennis team. This experience gave her a unique chance to strive for her personal best in the sport she loves, while also representing the school and travelling across the United States. She will forever cherish the valuable life lessons that she learned, the friendships, and beautiful memories that she acquired as a student-athlete.
Nataliya would like to say thank you to the IVSP staff and especially to Lori Praniewicz and Dr. Joan Burton for making it possible to design her own major and study what she was interested in, to her faculty mentor Dr. David Andrews for his time, support and guidance, to Dr. Adam Beissel for guiding through the process of writing a capstone research, and also to her family, teammates, and coaches for inspiring and supporting her!
Hannah Buehler
B.S. Global Engineering Leadership & Management
Faculty Mentor: Joseph Bailey, Department Decisions, Operations, and Information Technologies
Hannah is a Maryland native, born and raised in Montgomery County. After getting her start in the engineering school and completing the Engineering Leadership Development minor, she knew she wanted something more and different. Hannah has loved having the ability to own her education and see her plans come to life through IVSP. Her current major is a testament to everything she is most passionate about: travel, people, and efficiency. Her capstone focused on developing a mentorship structure for UMD’s Women Invested in Learning Leadership program. Hannah is extremely grateful for the opportunity IVSP presents students, and only regrets not learning about it sooner!
While at UMD, Hannah acted as both treasurer and new member chair for her professional engineering fraternity Theta Tau, and served on SGA as the Engineering School Representative. She was an active participant in the QUEST Honors Program: studying in China, mentoring younger teams, and spending her senior year as a TA for the program’s capstone course. Hannah also had two impactful internship experiences: at Toyota Motor North America and at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.
After graduation, Hannah will be working for the Kraft Heinz Company in their Operations Management Program. She is extremely excited to start the next chapter of her life, and knows it would not be possible without the contributing authors she has had for the past few volumes. She would especially like to thank her mentor, Dr. Joe Bailey. His genuine interest in student education and success affected her experience at UMD from the start, and has guided her to graduation today. Most importantly, Hannah thanks her parents for the unwavering support every second of every day of the last 23 years. To each one of her friends, family, teachers, and adversaries, she’d like to say thank you for being part of her story.
Ryan Collins
B.A., Nutritional Physiology
Faculty Mentor: Justicia Opoku-Edsei, Department of Biology
Ryan is proud to be graduating with a degree in Nutritional Physiology. His major combined coursework in health, biology, nutrition, kinesiology and business to explore the balance of nutrition and lifestyle habits that contribute to the health and well-being of an individual. His program studied the impact of environmental considerations on physiological development, and socio-economic factors that influence dietary variations around the world, which effect health, disease progression and life expectancy. A semester abroad in San Sebastian, Spain fostered a greater appreciation of dietary variances throughout Europe and influenced his capstone, which was entitled “A Comparative Analysis of the Mediterranean and Western Lifestyles”.
While at UMD, Ryan had the opportunity to work at Kaiser Permanente, supporting development and implementation of wellness initiatives targeting at-risk health plan members. He was also exposed to the data-driven technologies that improve care, quality, efficiency and financial performance in the healthcare industry working with Inovalon; and conducted research and analysis of metabolic fitness, sports performance, body composition, and clinical trials to improve athletic performance at the U.S. Naval Academy’s Human Performance Lab.
Ryan was a Resident Advisor for three years. He also participated on UMD’s collegiate cycling team, as a nationally ranked cycling champion, and represented the university at U.S. Nationals for the last two years. Putting his cycling skills to good use, Ryan is a recipient of the 2012 Sikorsky Medal for his contributions to UMD’s entry in the Sikorsky Challenge for Human Powered Flight, where the UMD human powered helicopter earned a world record and was selected for inclusion in the Smithsonian museum.
Caroline Corbett
B.A., Globalization, Human Rights, and the Middle East
Faculty Mentor: Hoda Mahmoudi, Baha'i Chair for World Peace
Caroline is excited to be graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in Globalization, Human Rights and the Middle East. Caroline's trip to Morocco sparked her interest in Middle East studies and she hopes to travel more extensively in the region.
Caroline caught the study abroad bug early and spent one semester in London and one semester in Paris. Her internships included the National Peace Corps Association, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Department of State. Caroline's other activities included participating in CIVICUS living-learning program and Global Fellows in Washington, D.C. as well as, serving as a research assistant and a member of Sigma Kappa sorority.
Caroline plans on taking a year off before graduate school and will eventually pursue a career with the federal government in U.S. foreign policy.
Holly Cuozzo
B.A., Education and Community Development
Double Major: Education
Minors: Spanish Language and Cultures & Public Leadership
Faculty Mentor: Patricio Korzeniewicz, Department of Sociology
Holly is graduating with a major in Education and Community Development and two minors in Spanish Language and Cultures, and Public Leadership. Through the Individual Studies Program, she was able to explore education through its many facets of theory and practice, policy, social issues, diversity, and leadership. She further focused on the policy, social issues, and Spanish aspects of this major through her minors in public leadership and Spanish, respectively.
Outside of her major, Holly was involved on campus with the club women’s rugby team, the Language House immersion program, and Varsity Athletics Academic Support and Career Development Unit. She also participated in Maryland Images as a campus tour guide and in the Diamondback as a news writer and graphic designer. She gained external work experience through Center for Inspired Teaching, Food Recovery Network, the Maya Angelou Academy at New Beginnings Youth Development Center, and the Department of Juvenile Services.
Starting this summer, Holly will be in San Antonio for a one-year contract with City Year, an AmeriCorps program that will allow her to gain experience in a school as a tutor, program facilitator, and administrative assistant. She will also continue to play rugby with the Austin Valkyries. In the future, Holly hopes to earn master’s degrees in secondary math education and special education, so she can work as a teacher for institutionalized juveniles.
She is thankful to Patricio Korzeniewicz and her other faculty connections, IVSP, and her friends and family for helping her to discover and follow her passion for education for marginalized groups.
Jonathan Fix
B.S., Epidemiology and Bioethics
Faculty Mentor: Lindley Darden, Department of Philosophy
Jonathan is excited to be graduating with a B.S. in Epidemiology and Bioethics. His major combines hard sciences, epidemiology, and ethics to enable him to tackle public health concerns. He completed a capstone research paper entitled HPV Vaccination Mandate: an Ethical and Epidemiologic Analysis, during his final semester.
While at Maryland, Jonathan was able to intern in the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator at the Department of State, Department of Bioethics at National Institutes of Health (NIH), the office of Representative Chris Van Hollen, the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and the Fogarty International Center at NIH. He was also founder, board member, and President of the non-profit Kenya Initiative for eDucation and Stability (K.I.D.S.). On campus, Jonathan served as the President of Terps Against Hunger, for which he also coordinated events. He was an active member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity where he served as Vice-President and Philanthropy Co-Chair. Jonathan completed the Gemstone Honors program, and was a 2014 UMD Do Good Challenge Finalist.
Colin Geatz
B.A., Fashion and Identity in American Society
Faculty Mentor: Jo Paoletti, Department of American Studies
Colin joined in 2015 after finally fully understanding just what it was that he was trying to study. His major, Fashion and Identity in American Society, is an eclectic combination of social philosophy, aesthetics, cultural studies, and identity studies. Through his academic career he has taken over twenty-five fine arts credits and over twenty-five theory credits in addition to conventional classes for a well-rounded curriculum in understanding the interrelationship between aesthetics and the social world. His capstone project consisted of exploring objectification theory to better understand its use in a multicultural landscape for regulating the sociopolitical-market of beauty.
Colin’s plans for the future, as of graduation, are still unclear. While he is intimidated about finding just exactly what his schooling might best be used for, the diverse degree that the Individual Studies Program has allowed him to create gives him many exciting options. Knowledge of culture and identities gives the possibility of many types of ethnographic work, his experience with fashion and society naturally fits into advertising or mass media, and his interests in social politics and philosophy might be well-fulfilled in social policy or by joining higher academia. Whatever it might end up being, he has his amazing education and degree to thank.
Jeffrey Hilnbrand
B.S., Product Design & Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Dean Chang, Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Jeff Hilnbrand joined IVSP in 2015 with a major in Product Design & Engineering. This major studies how to create innovative products to solve human needs while also fostering the ability to build them. Jeff's Capstone project investigates how best to introduce universal product design concepts to people in tangential fields, as he is shifting from physical product design in his studies to digital design in his career.
During his time at Maryland, Jeff served as Executive Director of Startup Shell, co-founded Bitcamp and Technica, and served on the Executive Board of Engineers Without Borders. He now runs a design agency called Minimill and will be joining the design team at Facebook in Menlo Park, CA.
Sierra Kelley-Chung
B.A., Minority Advocacy and Public Policy
Faculty Mentor: Joseph Richardson, Department of African American Studies
Sierra is graduating with a B.A. in Minority Advocacy and Public Policy. This unique major explores how marginalization and oppression intersect with race, class and gender. It has provided her a foundation for influencing public policy in an innovative way and an understanding of the historical and social context of racial prejudice. Sierra wrote a 50 page thesis for her capstone entitled, “An Unequal Playing Field: A Qualitative Study on Race, Student Debt, and Emerging Adulthood.”
Sierra is honored to represent the class of 2016 as a Senior Marshall and a true embodiment of the campus wide initiative of Diversity and Inclusion. She was the co-president of the multicultural advocacy organization Community Roots, a fellow of the Rawlings Undergraduate Leadership Program, and a reporter for Stories Beneath the Shell during her first two semesters at UMD. She has shed light on important issues in front of large student audiences, sat on and facilitated panels and town hall discussions, and raised money for charity groups. During her senior year, Sierra was a member of President Loh’s student advisory board of Diversity and Inclusion and played a role in creating “Maryland Dialogues,” an ongoing initiative that aims to foster greater inclusion at the University, and provide a space for students and faculty to engage in honest and challenging dialogues.
Post-graduation, Sierra will be working in D.C. as a finance assistant for Democratic Assistant Leader and civil rights activist Jim Clyburn at Angerholzer Broz Consulting, a Democratic Consulting Firm on Capitol Hill. She will be assisting with fundraising for two large scholarship funds and hopes to learn more about how campaign finance can influence social change. Sierra hopes to one day get her masters in Political Science or Political Communications. She would like to thank Dr. Richardson, Dr. Burton, Lori and her friends and family for all of their love and support.
Nadia Laniyan
B.S., Public Health Equity
Faculty Mentor: Justicia Opoku-Edusei, Department of Biology
Nadia is from Baltimore, Maryland and is graduating with a degree in Public Health Equity. Nadia decided to pursue her Individual Studies major in Public Health Equity because of her love for social justice and health. Nadia believes that access to quality health care and resources should be right for all people instead of a privilege. Nadia wants to work in public health and help to eliminate health disparities in our society to achieve true health equity.
Nadia has been a leader on campus during her time at the University of Maryland. During her four years at UMD Nadia has worked in Resident Life as a Community Assistant, Office Assistant and Resident Assistant, and received the Resident Assistant of the year award for South Campus Commons for the 2015-2016 school year. Nadia is a Federal Semester Fellow, Ronald E McNair Scholar, and Peer Educator for the University Health Center group- Health Works. She completed independent research on oral health literacy of college students under the mentorship of Dr. Alice M. Horowitz at the Center for Health Literacy in the School of Public Health. Nadia served as the Vice President and President of the elegant Eta Beta chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. She interned at the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases. Finally, Nadia is the co-founder of the social enterprise Cocoa Queens Hair Care and Extensions.
After graduation, Nadia plans to continue her business Cocoa Queens and to work in public health specifically with marginalized communities. Nadia also seeks to continue her education and obtain a Master’s in Public Health.
Erik Martin
B.A., Digital Marketing & New Media
Faculty Mentor: Hasan Elahi, Department of Art
Erik Martin is graduating with a degree in New Media and Global Civics. He came to UMD specifically to study in the IVSP program. For his capstone project he traveled with fellow IVSP student Zak Malamed in Europe and Jordan to meet with youth organizers and political groups to capture their ideas about civic action in education.
During his time at the University of Maryland Erik has interned at the White House, the U.S. Department of Education, and the international development agency FHI 360. He was selected as a Dell Youth Innovation Advisor, and has volunteered as a Saturday school teacher’s assistant at Montgomery Blair High School. Erik authored a Student Bill of Rights (sturights.org) to define quality education through student voices.
After graduation he will be taking a job as a Policy Advisor at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Zak Malamed
B.A., Civic Engagement and Meida
Faculty Mentor: Leslie Walker, College of Journalism
Zak is graduating with a degree in Civic Engagement and Media. This major is an interdisciplinary study of how citizens participate in the life and development of a community, with an emphasis placed on the role media plays in shaping our society. Within his major, Zak focused especially on politics and youth activism.
During his four years at the University of Maryland, Zak became the Founder and Executive Director of national student-led nonprofit Student Voice. In doing so, he created a digital platform for the student voice movement that has reached as many as 5 million, was featured at the White House for its work addressing the disenfranchisement of students, and was recognized for inciting the creation of student lobby days, the development of policy initiatives, and the formation of local student organizations across the country. Zak has shared his perspective and Student Voice's work in The New York Times, Forbes, and The Huffington Post, as well as on MSNBC and Vice News. He has also had the opportunity to document the international student experience from Baltimore, Maryland to the Za'atari Refugee Camp in Jordan. Zak looks forward to continuing his use of media to help build people power after graduation.
He owes a huge debt of gratitude to Dr. Burton, Lori, and his mentor, Professor Leslie Walker, for supporting him in making his ideal education experience a reality; his family for trusting in and supporting his unorthodox academic path; and his Student Voice colleagues, including fellow IVSP graduate Erik Martin, for the unforgettable learning experiences over the past four years.
Annika McGinnis
B.A., International Development (IVSP)
Double Major: Journalism: Multi-Platform Journalism
Double Degree: French Language and Literature
Faculty Mentor: Stacy Kosko, Department of Government and Politics
Annika McGinnis is honored to be graduating with a triple major in International Development, Multiplatform Journalism, and French. Originally a journalism major, Annika’s experiences traveling to Guatemala, Ecuador, and Haiti drove her to seek out the minor in International Development and Conflict Management and eventually her International Development major. For her Capstone, she conducted a research project, for which she traveled to Peru to study the rise of indigenous and alternative journalism using new technologies to report on impacts of extractive industries in the Amazon. She combined her research with an internship at Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.
Annika aspires to merge her IVSP major with journalism, believing in the power of stories to empower communities. In Honors Humanities, she created a literary magazine between Palestinian refugees and students in Nigeria, Ecuador and the U.S. She reported for The Diamondback and interned with Reuters in the White House/Capital Hill, USA TODAY, McClatchy Newspapers, and UMD’s Capital News Service. Annika also interned with Amnesty International and, with the Global Semester program, spent a year working for the Advocacy Project. She spent a semester in France, lived in the Language House French Cluster, and interned in Nicaragua with the Maryland Social Entrepreneur Corps.
Annika was named a Philip Merrill Presidential Scholar, a Byrd Citizenship Prize Finalist, and a class of 2016 University Medal finalist. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Kappa Tau Alpha, and Omicron Delta Kappa. Post-graduation, Annika will pursue a Global Health Corps fellowship in Uganda, working as a Communications Officer for an organization that focuses on HIV/AIDS care and community-based development. She thanks Dr. Stacy Kosko, Dr. Burton, Lori Praniewicz, and her family for their incredible support and guidance.
Priya Parikh
B.S., Global Public Health
Faculty Mentor: Elisabeth Maring, School of Public Health
Priya is thrilled to be graduating with a B.S. in Global Public Health and a minor in International Development and Conflict Management. Priya joined the Individual Studies Program her sophomore year after proposing her major as the interdisciplinary study of how the environment, social and economic conditions, and culture, in addition to behavior and genetics, can impact the health and well-being of individuals and populations.
During her time at the University of Maryland, Priya completed the Global Public Health Scholars Program and was a Global Semester Fellow in the Responses to Global Challenges concentration. She was also the founding president of Public Health without Borders, an organization she helped create the fall of her sophomore year. In building Public Health without Borders, Priya was able to utilize concepts from her IVSP major on public health projects in Peru, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia. Through the organization, she traveled abroad twice: once to Peru to focus on water sanitation and hygienic practices, and the other to Ethiopia to focus on food insecurity and malnutrition. During her four years at UMD, she also worked for Maryland’s Agriculture Extension Program– Text2BHealthy, the Maryland Center for Health Equity, and the Wilson Center.
A fair amount of Priya’s college career was spent in the IVSP office, so she would like to thank the entire office and her fellow students for making her IVSP experience so wonderful. Priya would also like to express her heartfelt thanks to Dr. Burton, Lori, Jenn, and her mentor, Dr. Maring, for their constant encouragement, patience, and advice. Most importantly, she would like to thank her family and friends for their unwavering support and for listening to her many stories – particularly her awesome parents, who hid their panic when their daughter announced she was “making her own major.”
Brianna Patterson
B.A., International and Cross-Cultural Communication
Double Major: Spanish Language and Literature
Faculty Mentor: Roberta Levine, School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Brianna is excited to graduate with a double major in International and Cross Cultural Communications and Spanish in Professional Contexts. The International and Cross Cultural Communications major analyzes factors such as culture, nationality, language, gender, and race influence the way that audiences receive and interpret messages. For her senior capstone, Brianna analyzed the influence of Latino people and culture on the modern political landscape through the 2016 presidential campaign. She also received an International Studies Citation from the College Park Scholars Program.
During her time at Maryland, Brianna participated in numerous internships including Press Intern at the Office of Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Editorial Intern for ForHarriet.com, and Multimedia News Intern for both Voice of America-Portuguese and the Council on Foreign Relations. She also served as a staff writer for the Diamondback and assistant editor for College Park Scholars Communications.
Adam Schoenhaut
B.A., Entertainment Law Studies
Faculty Mentor: David Andrews, Department of Kinesiology
Adam Schoenhaut’s major is Entertainment Law Studies, which is the study of how different forms of legal communication are used to best deal with the legal issues that members of the entertainment industry commonly face. He is also a minor in Leadership Studies, which has taught him to be a successful leader in any industry/field.
Here at the University of Maryland, Adam is a founding father of the Tau Beta Chapter of the Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity. He also spent a term on the fraternity Executive Board as the Housing Chair. The principles of Tau Epsilon Phi are friendship, chivalry, and service, and through promoting these principles Adam and his brothers have attempted to create positive social change throughout the University community.
During his junior year, Adam studied abroad at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, where he took four different law classes, and learned about ethics, sport law, intellectual property law, and human rights law. Also while in Sydney, he interned with Future Music Group, which is a large Australian based entertainment company. As an intern, he was in charge of marketing and promotion for Future Music Festival, which is one of Australia’s most famous entertainment events.
Adam absolutely loved his experiences with IVSP, and he has no idea what he would have studied at UMD if it were not for IVSP. The ability for him to create his own field of study is something that he will forever cherish. He found the IVSP staff to be incredible, and believes that every University should offer a program like this one.
Next year Adam will be attending the Cardozo School of Law in Manhattan, New York. He knows that majoring in Entertainment Law Studies has best prepared him for this new chapter in his life. He wants to thank IVSP for an incredible past few years.
Sabrina Shirazi
B.S., Hominin Evolution
Faculty Mentor: David O’Brochta, Department of Entomology
Sabrina is graduating with a double degree in Anthropology and Hominin Evolution. Her IVSP major combined Genetics, Evolution, Anthropology and Computer Science, allowing genomic studies of human impact on the environment.
Her first internship was with the National Museum of Health and Medicine where she was exposed to human osteological diversity and studied femoral healing during the Civil War. She then continued on to an internship with the Smithsonian Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics and Natural History Museum for two years where she worked on several projects using modern and ancient DNA to examine human impact on different animals. While completing the major, she participated in a prestigious three week programming for evolutionary biology workshop offered through the University of Leipzig, in Leipzig Germany.
Her capstone project was performed with resources and samples available at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. She used analyses of morphology and taphonomy of archaeological mouse bones to examine a potential human dispersal and/or influence on species presence and morphology on the California Channel Islands.
She is looking forward to pursuing her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California at Santa Cruz where she will use ancient DNA to examine human influence on wildlife.
Demetrius Wheeler
B.A., Organizational Leadership and Development
Faculty Mentor: Nina Harris, School of Public Policy
Demetrius is extremely proud to be graduating with a degree in Organizational Leadership and Development from the University of Maryland. Organizational Leadership and Development is an interdisciplinary major that utilizes a multitude of approaches to work towards discovering what is best for individuals, society, and organizations to accomplish goals, enhance leadership, and understand and adapt to social and organizational changes. For his senior capstone, he completed a leadership analysis of the past five University of Maryland Athletic Directors and their impact on the institution’s culture. As a student, Demetrius was granted the University of Maryland Scholarship Grant and consecutive State of Maryland Rawlings Grant awards.
While at the University of Maryland, Demetrius was able to create three internships. He served as the Aid to the Athletic Development Office, Recruiting Assistant to the UMD Football Program’s coaches and staff, and interned with the UMD Track and Field program in internal operations, recruitment, and coaching. Demetrius participated in community and philanthropic initiatives arranged by the UMD Athletic Department. Since 2014, he has volunteered his time as a manager for the UMD Women’s Basketball Program. Demetrius was even gifted a personalized B1G championship ring for his efforts!
Christopher Zuleger-Freeman
B.S., Sports Marketing and Communicationt
Faculty Mentor: Adam Beissel, Department of Kinesiology and David Andrews, Department of Kinesiology
Topher is thrilled to be graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in Sports Marketing & Communication. The discovery of the IVSP program enabled him to combine his outside passions in sports, marketing and public relations into one comprehensive major. This major has enhanced his understanding of the dialectic relationship between sport and contemporary society, traditional and innovative marketing practices in the sports industry and the critical importance of a company’s brand image in the community. During his time with IVSP, Topher has had the opportunity to study abroad in New Zealand, to learn about sports globalization, as well as conduct research domestically. He completed his capstone project on professional sports stadium’s economic and social impact on Washington D.C. communities.
Outside of the classroom, Topher has been a participant on UMD’s Club Baseball team, the Sports Business Society, Terpski and IVSP’s Student Advisory Board. Furthermore, he has completed internships with the Aberdeen Ironbirds, Bai Beverages, ESPN980, Maroon PR and Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
Upon graduating, Topher will continue his current internship with Monumental Sports & Entertainment until May 2017, and will also begin an internship in January 2017 with the President’s Council on Fitness, Sport and Nutrition. In the future, he aims to become a director of marketing for a lifestyle fitness company or a sports agency.
Topher would like to thank Dr. Beissel, Dr. Andrews, Lori, Dr. Burton, his friends and, most importantly, his parents for their unwavering support and compassion over the past five years. None of this would be possible without their love and belief in him.