About Us
2019 Individual Studies Graduates
Cheetveer Aneja
B.S., Sport and Social Entrepreneurship
Faculty Mentor: David Andrews, Department of Kinesiology
Chetveer Aneja is honored to be graduating with a degree in Sport and Social Entrepreneurship. This major is the idea of harnessing the power of sport in order to include people that have typically been excluded, especially by race and the color of their skin, in society. The major allowed Chetveer to analyze the complex social problems occurring in the world and gave him the ability to be able to attack these problems. For his capstone, Chetveer compared three nonprofit sport organizations in Baltimore to find best practices for starting a successful nonprofit that he can hopefully use in the future.
During his time at Maryland, Chetveer was able to dedicate himself to service including Terps Against Hunger. Spending time with friends packaging meals and having a great time was the most rewarding experience at the university. He also organized the first ever Sikh retreat at the university and is extremely proud of his fellow Sikh brothers and sisters that were able to help him accomplish this. After graduation, he hopes to continue his dream of starting his own nonprofit.
Andrés Arbelaez
B.S., Human-Centered Product Design
Faculty Mentor: Dr. J. Gerald Suarez, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Andrés Arbelaez is graduating with a degree in Human-Centered Product Design. Before he found his home in IVSP, Andrés spent his first two years as a Bioengineering and Computer Science major. His major explores how to solve human needs through the application of technology and design thinking. Andrés’ IVSP Capstone project employed participatory design as a means to improve products for marginalized populations.
At the University of Maryland, Andrés was involved as a design fellow in Startup Shell, a student-run startup incubator and co-working space. A Banneker-Key Scholar, he completed the Design, Cultures and Creativity program in the Honors College and spent a winter abroad in Barcelona, Spain. Andrés has held internships at Facebook, Instagram, and IDEO. After graduation, he’ll be travelling, taking a summer course on Fashion Design in Florence, Italy, and then moving to San Francisco to return to work at Facebook as a Product Designer.
Andrés would like thank Dr. Burton, Lori, and his faculty mentor, Dr. J. Gerald Suarez, for the constant support and enthusiasm that empowered him to truly carve his own path.
Ali Basye-Featherston
B.A., Digital Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Stephen McDaniel, Department of Kinesiology
Ali Basye-Featherston is excited to be graduating from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in Digital Marketing and Entrepreneurship. In her classes, she was able to study the relationship between consumers and producers in the realms of digital media. The major allowed her to build her knowledge and skills in the realms of digital studies, entrepreneurship, and marketing principles. During her time at the University of Maryland, Ali created a social media presence for herself that now has over 50,000 followers. As a certified yoga teacher, Ali is on a mission to inspire new yogis and provide them with the means to start and progress their practice.
For her capstone project, Ali created an online yoga program for college students. She wanted to create a resource for students to be able to practice yoga whenever, wherever, regardless of their experience level. Ali is thankful for the Individual Studies Program for allowing her to pursue her passion for digital marketing and for showing her a path to apply her entrepreneurial skills.
Patrick Batista
B.A., Cultural Awareness & Music in Advertising
Faculty Mentor: Dr. William Robin, School of Music
Patrick Battista is excited to be graduating from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Awareness & Music in Advertising. This degree combines music advertising and cultural competence to gain an understanding of culture in America and around the world. Patrick decided to create this major after an internship experience with IVSP alumnus, Brian Popowitz, at a music marketing company in Los Angeles during the summer between his sophomore and junior year. Patrick also has minors in Technology Entrepreneurship and General Business.
Outside of his major, Patrick has worked as Advertising Director at The Diamondback since his sophomore year, bringing in over $1,000,000 in advertising revenue to support independent student media. He has internship experience at Corrigan Sports Enterprises (Baltimore), Black Box (LA) and Viacom (NYC). Patrick is involved in his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha, where he served as social chair. He also played on the Club Lacrosse team for two years. Outside the classroom, office and fields, Patrick mentors four 5th graders in DC once a week through Higher Achievement.
After graduation, Patrick will be working at FiscalNote, a technology start-up in DC. He is thankful for Dr. Burton, Carly and Lori’s dedication and support as well as Dr. Robin’s guidance throughout the Capstone process.
Emily Carnochan
B.A., Sport Marketing and Leadership (IVSP)
B.S., Kinesiology
Faculty Mentors: : Dr. Michael Friedman, Department of Kinesiology & Dr. David Andrews, Department of Kinesiology
Emily Carnochan is graduating from University of Maryland as a double major in Sport Marketing and Leadership and Kinesiology. Her major involves the promotion and branding of a professional sports team. For her capstone project, Emily researched the inequalities between males and females in the sport world. She focused on the National Women’s Soccer League and their marketing techniques, efforts, and campaigns. She was also able to interview a staff member from the NWSL to bring in valuable insight to her project and research.
Since joining IVSP in 2017 Emily has been able to obtain hands-on experience in the sports industry. She interned with the Washington Spirit in the marketing department, and she also interned with the Sports and Fitness Industry Association in marketing and communications. Emily’s time at Maryland involved working for the Athletics Department in Facilities, Operations, and Events helping to run large scale events on campus. She was also an active member of the club soccer team and served as the president in 2018.
Emily plans to start her career in the sport industry, in either the marketing or sponsorship department of a sports team. Ultimately, she would like to work for a women’s soccer team helping to advance women in sport.
B.S., Advocacy and Organization Building
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Christopher Foreman, School of Public Policy
Tino Fragale began his IVSP major in Advocacy and Organization Building during the spring of his junior year. The major studies how to raise awareness and address challenges that affect the world through developing supportive and collaborative environment to make organizations more effective. His capstone project focused on how to retain volunteers in student-led activist organizations.
All four years at UMD, Tino was involved in student activism, most prominently in the Maryland Public Interest Research Group (MaryPIRG) and the Student Government Association (SGA). Through protest, campaign work, and an internship at the Partnership for Public Service, Tino realized he wants to make it easier for U.S. residents to influence and engage their political system. He is thankful that his IVSP major for allowed him to study activism while practicing it.
He feels lucky Joan Burton, Carly McNeil, Lori Praniewicz, Cathy Barks, and Christopher Foreman coached him through creating his major and capstone to help him learn how to make change in society.
Brian Freeman
B.S., Engineering Management: Systems Thinking and Strategy
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joseph Bailey, Department of Decision, Operations, and Information Technology
Brian Freeman is an Engineering Management: Systems Thinking and Strategy major. The major studies the intersection of management and engineering, particularly in relation to the systems thinking and strategies used in corporate and engineering management. For his capstone, Brian completed a case study that showcases the analysis of operations management of the UMD Terps Racing Club to recommend an improvement management strategy through the fusion of Agile methodologies; in particular the Scrum variation.
During his time at the University of Maryland, Brian has been a part of a variety of programs and organizations that, in the end, brought him to the Individual Studies program. He entered UMD in the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program before joining the QUEST Honors program where he was awarded the Most Outstanding Capstone award for his work consulting for GE Aviation. As a member of Consult Your Community, a pro-bono and student led consulting club dedicated to serving local businesses, Brian found his calling and would become an active member for 2 years, including a year as president. As a brother of the professional business fraternity, Phi Chi Theta, Brian found his family at UMD.
Brian was brought to the IVSP program at the end of his junior year looking to fall in love with his school work again after seeing his major diverge from his interests. With the guidance of Dr. Burton, Lori Praniewicz, and Carly McNeil, Brian found the major that fit his passions. This was made possible by the truly unique and empowering foundations laid out by the IVSP program and the unending support of parents, Carol and David. Brian hopes to make his family, friends, and the IVSP program as he starts working next fall as a business analyst for the risk and management consulting firm, Protiviti, in Tysons Corner following graduation.
Victor Gale
B.S., Sustainable Construction & Entrepreneurship
Faculty Mentor: David Tilley, Department of Environmental Science and Technology
Victor Gale is proud to be graduating with a major in Sustainable Construction & Entrepreneurship through the Individual Studies Program. His major focuses on sustainable construction practices and builds a fundamental knowledge of environmental needs. Victor’s capstone project introduced the idea of reclaiming abandoned surface mines and developing them for residential use.
While at Maryland, Victor was a member of the UMD Skateboarding Club. He also worked as a carpenter at a startup company that converts cargo vans into livable vehicles. After graduation, Victor plans to work as a customer relations manager at Off-Grid Adventure Vans, including writing articles that relate to the company’s sustainability practices.
Victor would like to thank the IVSP staff for creating the opportunity for so many students to pursue their passions! He would also like to thank his family and friends for listening to him complain about how complicated it is to get permission to take upper-level courses with no credentials. Finally, he would like to thank Dr. Tilley and his capstone project readers helping to review his idea.
Amritha Jayanti
B.S., Science and Technology Policy
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Dean Chang, Academy of Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Amritha Jayanti is extremely excited to graduate from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Science and Technology Policy. Through Individual Studies, she was able to construct a major that combined her interests in computer science, public policy, and economics in order to building an understanding of the development, deployment, and social implications of technology on a global scale. Her capstone analyzed Google Dragonfly, a censored search engine that Google is building for the Chinese market through a technical understanding of the Search product, an economic analysis of incentives, and an assessment about the effectiveness of policies and governances.
During her time at UMD, Amritha founded Technica, currently the largest all female hackathon and was the executive director of Startup Shell, a student-run startup incubator on UMD campus. She was also a member of the Undergraduate Studies Student Advisory Committee. She conducted research on campus at three different labs: the Scarcelli Optics Biotech Lab through the Fischell Department of Bioengineering, Dr. Eun Young Chloe’s Data Visualization and Human-Computer Interaction lab through the College of Information Sciences, and finally, Michelle Mazurek’s Cybersecurity lab through the Department of Computer Science. Amritha was a fellow in the Global Fellows program in the Science Diplomacy concentration, and interned at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation.
Outside of these UMD activities, Amritha interned at J.P. Morgan, working on their data research and development team. She also took a year off from school to work as the first Product Manager for an early-stage startup in San Francisco in 2017.
Through IVSP, she has grown her passion for understanding the development, deployment, and social implications of various technologies, and is eager to see where that takes her next.
Celeste Joly
B.S., Cognitive Science
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Colin Phillips, Department of Linguistics
Celeste Joly is excited to be graduating with a degree in Cognitive Science and a minor in Spanish Language, Culture, and Professional Contexts. Cognitive Science is the study of thought, learning, logic, and information processing. As a field, cognitive science draws upon the studies of psychology, linguistics, computer modeling, neuroscience, and philosophy. Within her major, Celeste focused on the study of psycholinguistics through her capstone project. This project examined grammaticality illusions as a function of cognitive task switching.
Celeste has been blessed with many amazing experiences over her four years at the University of Maryland. She completed the University Honors program and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She was a member and leader of the University of Maryland Women’s Club Crew Team for her first two years at UMD. Celeste has also been highly involved with the Catholic Student Center all four years. She also had the opportunity to travel throughout her time at UMD. During the fall semester of her junior year, Celeste studied abroad at the University of Bristol in the UK. She has also been able to participate in mission trips to both New Mexico and Mexico City with the Catholic Student Center.
Celeste sends a heartfelt thank you to her mentor, Dr. Phillips, as well as Hanna Muller, for all their guidance and inspiration throughout the process of creating the Capstone Project; Dr. Burton and Lori for offering her the opportunity to pursue cognitive science; her siblings and friends for at least pretending to listen to her ramblings about her classes; and most importantly, her parents for seemingly endless hours of input and editing, and, of course, for their unwavering support and love.
Chloe Jones
B.S., Multicultural Information Design (IVSP)
B.S., Marketing
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pamela Armstrong, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Chloe Jones is graduating from the University of Maryland, College Park with a double degree in Multicultural Information Design and Marketing. Her IVSP major combines components of information studies, visual communication and marketing, and multicultural studies. These concentrations were used within her capstone project, which was a product design case study exploring inclusive design principles in communities.
Her IVSP major has enabled her to pursue her passion for inclusive design. Outside of her studies, she has completed an internship at Facebook, directed Startup Shell and was a co-facilitator of the Student Teacher Initiated Course on Digital Product Design.
After graduation, Chloe will be completing an Internship at Dropbox and will be continuing her studies in Seoul, South Korea this fall. She hopes to use her time in new communities to discover more about their unique cultural anthropology. She would like to thank her faculty mentor Dr. Pamela Armstrong, Lori Praniewicz, and Dr. Joan Burton for all of their support.
Michael Malcolm
B.S., Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
Faculty Mentor: Katherine Tully, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture
Michael Malcolm is enthusiastic to be graduating with a major in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems through the Individual Studies Program. His major studies the agricultural, nutritional, environmental, and urban conditions affecting human health and our food system by combining different perspectives and approaches to the issues of urban and local food security. Michael’s capstone project investigated how to increase nutritional dietary diversity through urban farming and sought to answer the question: Can urban farms fill the micronutrient needs of SNAP beneficiaries living in Columbia Heights Green, DC?
While at Maryland, Michael interned at Columbia Heights Green, an urban farm in DC. He was involved with UMD Startup Shell, the Tully Agroecology Lab, as well as the Green Roots Hydroponics and Aquaponics Club.
Michael owes so much to his incredible support network that has helped him these past few years. To his parents: he would like to thank you for letting him take the long road, supporting (most) all decisions he’s made along the way. To his partner Tori: he thanks you for grounding him and reminding him that the most fulfilling path is rarely the easiest. To his best friend and sister, Cat: he would like to thank you for believing in and pushing him to always help those that have fallen behind. To IVSP: he thanks you for the opportunity to take his education into his own hands. And last but certainly not least, Kate: he would like to thank you for being his educational advocate, friend, farmer-in-crime, and the most incredible mentor he has ever had in his life.
Rebecca Martinez
B.S., Healthcare Management & Science
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Kenneth Frauwirth, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics & Dr. Antony Jose, Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics
Rebecca is excited to be graduating with an IVSP degree in Health Management and Science. Her major enabled her to combine the studies of biological and chemical sciences, human behavior, and business fundamentals to better investigate the healthcare industry. As an extension of her passion for the sciences, Rebecca’s senior project examined how feminine hormones estrogen and progesterone may play a role on pregnant and menopausal women’s oral health.
In addition to her coursework, Rebecca has served as a vice president of Miles for Smiles for two years. This organization has raised thousands of dollars to raise oral health awareness in the community and provide better dental services to families in underprivileged areas of Honduras. She has also interned with CHAARG as a blog writer. CHAARG is a national community on 50+ college campuses, with the mission to empower women to be the best version of themselves through health, wellness, and fitness. After graduating, Rebecca looks forward to learning more about the healthcare industry and pursuing a career in dentistry.
Rebecca is grateful that she was able to be a part of such a unique program that allowed her to pave her own academic path. She would like to thank Lori and Dr. Burton in the IVSP office for the constant support (and food), her faculty mentor, Dr. Frauwirth, for his academic guidance, and her family, for their unwavering encouragement and love.
Madison Meyer
B.A., International Relations & Security Studies (IVSP)
B.A., Arabic Studies
Faculty Mentor: Dr. James Glass, Department of Government and Politics
Madison Meyer is a double major in International Relations & Security Studies and Arabic Studies. She decided to pursue an Individual Studies major after taking a gap year before college to live and work abroad. Entering into college, she created her International Relations & Security Studies major in order to study international relations and peace-building holistically and later added a focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including a semester of study in Rabat, Morocco. Her capstone research examined how women in the MENA region act as local peacemakers in the face of conflict and the effects of Arab women’s peace activism.
At the University of Maryland, Madison was a part of the Honors Humanities living and learning community and later lived in the Language House, in the Arabic apartment. She served as President of the Honors Humanities Student Council; President and Vice President of RESULTS, a grassroots health advocacy organization; an Honors ambassador; and as a volunteer with Reading Partners, a DC literacy program. Her internships included the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. House of Representatives, the Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace, and the Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy office on campus.
Madison received a Boren Scholarship and will return to Morocco in June to embark on a yearlong, intensive study adventure with the Arabic Flagship Program.
Helena Ottaviano
B.S., Themed Entertainment Design
Faculty Mentor: Dr. David Tomblin, A. James Clark School of Engineering
Helena Ottaviano is excited to be graduating from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s of Science in Themed Entertainment Design, a minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a certificate in Science, Technology and Society, and a citation in Science, Technology and Society from College Park Scholars. The Themed Entertainment Design major studies architecture, design, ideation, and science and technology studies to create immersive themed entertainment environments. It focuses on the environmental and social factors involved in constructing experiences for guests. For her capstone project, Helena created an immersive, co-constructive experience geared towards the reflective exploration of robotic, artificial intelligence in theme parks as well as in the future.
During her time at Maryland, Helena was involved in a variety of activities. She worked at Walt Disney World Resort through the Disney College Program. She also was on the Women’s Club Basketball team for all four years and served as the Secretary for two years. She was a member of Gamma Phi Beta where she served as the Vice President of Panhellenic Affairs. She was inducted into the Order of Omega, where she is representative of the top 3% of Greek Life in GPA, campus involvement and leadership positions. She served as an active member of Maryland Images, Campus Tour Guide Organization, where she served as the Coordinator of Operations where she coordinated the University’s Terp for a Day Program, staffed Enrollment Management events, ordered incentives for all tour guides, and so much more. Helena also was a teaching assistant for five different courses.
In the fall, Helena will be working at Walt Disney World and hopes to start her journey in theme park area concept generation.
Rebecca Saah
B.S., Construction Project Management & Historic Preservation
Faculty Mentor: Jeremy Wells, Historic Preservation Program
Becca is delighted to be graduating with a major in Construction Project Management & Historic Preservation through the Individual Studies Program. Her major studies organizing construction projects and managing communication among various stakeholders and laborers in order to restore and preserve historic sites by drawing from the areas of architecture, historic preservation, and construction project management. Becca’s capstone project was a simplified version of a historic structures report. In this kind of report, a historic property is identified, researched (for historical context e.g. residents, significant events, etc.), and assessed based on current physical conditions. The final step was to make recommendations based on National Park Services’s (NPS) guidelines for condition treatments
While at Maryland, Becca was a member of the club sport-equestrian team. In the future, she hopes to work for the NPS Historic Preservation Training Center in Frederick, MD.
Sana Shah
B.A., Information Design and Visualization
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tamara Clegg, College of Education & iSchool
Sana Shah is majoring in Information Design and Visualization. Her major consists of coursework in computer science, art, information science, psychology, journalism, statistics, and business. She is a designer who is passionate about using technology as a medium to bring people closer together. Sana’s capstone focuses on co-designing a music mood management tool with children through the KidsTeam in the Human Computer Interaction Lab. The end product is a wearable and digital prototype.
Her past experiences include being a Product Design Fellow for the Office of Inspector General under the Department of Health and Human Services through the Civic Digital Fellowship; Coding it Forward, an Information Systems Intern with the NFL Players Association; and a Software Engineering Intern for Leidos. On campus, she was Director of Events for the Sandbox Makerspace, Creative Director of Immersive Atoms, on the design team for both Bitcamp and Technica, a member of Terp Designers, and an active DJ for the WMUC Radio Station.
In addition to her professional and on-campus experiences, Sana ran many workshops within the campus community pertaining to design, design-thinking, and design tools. She was also given the opportunity to teach a computer science course with two other facilitators called Creative Approaches to Computing: Arts and Tech (CMSC388E) through the Student Initiated Courses (STICs) program.
Sana is grateful to Dr. Burton, Lori, her family, Dr. Clegg, and her wonderful community of friends for being encouraging, uplifting, and supportive.