About Us
2022 Individual Studies Graduates
Heather Bacon
B.S., Systems Design and Analysis
Faculty Mentor: Joseph Bailey, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Heather is graduating with a major in Systems Design and Analysis, which has concentrations in Systems Design, Operations Management, and Applied Mathematics. Her capstone project researched how the NIH could implement a chatbot tool to increase the accessibility of the information in their database PubMed.
Heather was a student in the QUEST Honors Program, where she was a teaching assistant and a leader of a student organization. Additionally, Heather served as the Vice President of Community Service and the President of Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional business fraternity. Heather also volunteered as a camp counselor for Kesem: a nonprofit that serves children who have been affected by a parent's cancer.
Through IVSP, she was able to pursue the intersections of her passions. After graduation, Heather will be working as a Data Engineering Analyst for the consulting firm Accenture Federal Services. She would like to thank the IVSP staff: Lori and Dr. Burton and her faculty mentor: Dr. Bailey for all of their support.
Laura Boyajian
B.A., Disability and Advocacy Studies (IVSP)
B.A., Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Carolyn Fink, College of Education
Laura is graduating with a dual degree in Psychology and Disability & Advocacy Studies and a minor in Nonprofit Leadership and Social Innovation.
Her IVSP major focuses on the intersection between disabilities and identities, especially in relation to policy and advocacy. Her curriculum included hands-on learning through the Rawlings Undergraduate Leadership Fellowship, Federal Fellows Program, and internships with local non-profit organizations such as Special Olympics and Main Street Connect.
Laura has always aspired to return to her homeland of Armenia upon graduating college and is thrilled to have received a Fulbright grant that will make this dream a reality. Starting in September, she will be teaching English to university students for one year while also volunteering with a local organization that provides mental health support to Armenians impacted by the recent 2020 Artsakh War. Laura is so grateful to her faculty mentors and the IVSP staff for making such a significant impact on her professional development.
Abe Brown
B.A., Global Innovation and Sustainability (IVSP) & Operations Management and Business
Faculty Mentor: Pamela Armstrong, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Abe is ecstatic to be graduating from the University of Maryland with a major in Global Innovation and Sustainability. This major encompasses the disciplines of business strategy, global perspective, and environmental sustainability. Although Abe enjoyed his business courses and is happy to have a complimentary double major in Business Analytics and Operations Management, his created major allows him to think more creatively and strategically about solutions that aim to tackle climate change from a global context. For his capstone project, Abe researched the most effective ways to implement and finance energy efficiency projects in developing countries.
During his time at UMD, Abe was involved in a wide array of extracurriculars, honors programs, and internships. He served on the board of the TAMID Group, One For The World, Alpha Epsilon Pi, and the business school’s Dean Student Advisory Council. Abe was a member of the University Honors, First-Year Innovation and Research Experience (FIRE), Global and Federal Fellows, and Quality Enhancement, Systems and Teams (QUEST) Honors programs. He also had the opportunity to intern for companies and groups such as Capital One, the World Resources Institute, and the Division of IT at UMD.
Abe would like to send his dearest thanks to everyone in the IVSP office, especially Lori, Dr. Burton, and Dylan Solden for helping him through the creation process. He is extremely grateful for all the help and support he has received from friends, faculty, and his family.
Bellal Fedil
B.A., Entrepreneurship in Multimedia Studies
Faculty Mentor: Cy Keener, Department of Art
Bellal is graduating with a major in Entrepreneurship in Multimedia Studies. The major explored media innovation through the interdisciplinary lens of communication, entrepreneurship, and digital media, with an emphasis on the importance of an entrepreneurial mindset when approaching communication through digital media platforms. For his capstone, Bellal utilized interviews in order to examine how creatives have navigated their career paths within the field of multimedia to find practical ways that creatives might use in order to continue to advance their careers.
Outside of academics, Bellal is a music producer working in genres of hip-hop and electronic music. His capstone is meant to be a resource for upcoming artistic entrepreneurs who hope to use digital media platforms to promote their work and receive opportunities to create a sustainable career. Bellal is extremely empathetic to the struggle of music entrepreneurs and hopes to provide knowledge and wisdom to those who seek it.
Kunal Harmalkar
B.S., Data Science and Global Development (IVSP)
B.A., Government and Politics & B.A., Operations Management and Business
Faculty Mentor: Stacy Kosko, Department of Government and Politics
Kunal is excited to be graduating from the Individual Studies Program with a major in Data Science and Global Development. Kunal is also earning a double degree in Operations Management and Business Analytics with a double major in Government and Politics. His IVSP major explores the application of new technologies to global issues, ranging from strategy, implementation, and execution. For his capstone, Kunal evaluated the application of blockchain-based technology to public sector service delivery and created a prototype property registry on the NEAR blockchain.
At UMD, Kunal was involved in Startup Shell, Omicron Delta Kappa, Global Communities, and Global Fellows. Outside of UMD, Kunal interned at the Tata Group, a mobility startup, an agri-tech startup, and within Capital One’s Corporate Strategy group.
After graduating, Kunal will be joining Culdesac Inc, a post-car real estate developer, as their first Chief of Staff to the CEO.
Kunal is grateful to have been a part of the Individual Studies program, and for all of the support and guidance from Dr. Kosko, Dr. Burton, and Lori.
Nikita Mutter
B.A., Healthcare Management and Communication (IVSP) & English Language and Literature
Faculty Mentor: Kang Kamkoong, Department of Communication
Nikita is excited to be graduating from the University of Maryland as a double degree in English Language & Literature and her IVSP major, Healthcare Management & Communication. Her capstone explored vaccine hesitancy of healthcare workers in long-term care facilities. This project was derived from her own experiences with the COVID-19 vaccine within healthcare settings.
During her time at the University of Maryland, Nikita has worked full-time in the long-term care industry. In addition to her work, she has also engaged on campus through her roles on the University Senate, the University Student Judiciary Student Honor Council, the executive board of Tau Sigma, Sigma Kappa, and executive board of Terp Thon. She has additionally served as a TA for UNIV100 and ENGL395.
Nikita would like to thank her mentor, Dr. Namkoong, for his guidance creating the Capstone Project; Dr. Burton and Lori for all of their support throughout her time in IVSP; and her family and friends for their unwavering support and love.
Laudan Nikoobakht
B.S., Computational Neurolinguistics
Faculty Mentor: Ellen Lau, Department of Linguistics
Laudan is graduating with a major in Computational Neurolinguistics. She was an undergraduate researcher at the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition, a program between UMD and FDA, investigating viruses isolated from food for outbreak response. Laudan was a part of Technica, the largest hackathon in the world for underrepresented genders as well as the Iranian Students’ Foundation. Laudan was also an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Dr. Melissa Caras at UMD, studying the role of the orbitofrontal cortex in auditory perceptual learning. Laudan’s Senior Capstone for her major examined de Novo Language Development and Aphasia in Biological Systems.
After graduation, Laudan will be moving to New York City to work in the lab of Dr. Rui Costa at Columbia University. Laudan would like to express her sincere gratitude to Dr. Burton, Lori and her faculty mentor Dr. Ellen Lau, for their unending support and guidance in general, but especially throughout the proposal and capstone process.
Carlos Richardson
B.A., Consumer-Centric Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Faculty Mentor: Mark Wellman & Roy Thomason, Robert H. Smith School of Business
Carlos is graduating with a major in Customer Centric Innovation and Entrepreneurship and a minor in Tech Entrepreneurship. His major studied the knowledge and skills necessary to develop and manage innovative opportunities and processes, with a focus on consumer preferences. For his senior capstone, Carlos utilized the knowledge gained from his concentrations of business strategy, consumer behavior, entrepreneurship, and innovation to conduct background research and create a business plan for Nomadic, a platform aimed at teleworkers.
During his time at the University of Maryland, Carlos was involved in a number of activities. A few accomplishments include working with over 85+ businesses transitioning into the United States market, originally based in New Zealand, completing research proposals for the United States Chamber of Commerce amd Market Intelligence Firm, Fronterview, and working with a small startup to hire and build out a sales division. Additionally, Carlos has created his own panini delivery service across campus, has worked with over 20+ students to create workout/nutrition plans, and has recently been spending time working on his next idea, Nomadic.
In his spare time, Carlos is a certified skydiver and scuba diver and enjoys traveling with those skills, along with the use of his drone.
Clara Ryan
B.A., Emerging Media and Digital Design
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ronald Yaros, Philip Merrill College of Journalism
Clara is graduating with a B.A. in Emerging Media and Digital Design. Her major consists of three concentrations: Digital Media Techniques and Creation, New Media Communications and Foundations, and Media Entrepreneurship and Ethics. For her capstone, she created the foundations to her augmented reality app that will allow artists to upload their artwork to be displayed on any wall in the world by either themselves or their clients. Using the app, users will be able to scan their room with a smartphone and superimpose an artist’s products on the wall with a description of each piece and information about the artist.
During her time at the University of Maryland, Clara was an intern at Voice of America for the African Division and Greta Van Susteren. She also served as a teaching assistant for Dr. Yaro’s course, Information 3.0: Exploring Technological Tools. Clara also served as the President of the IVSP Student Advisory Board.
Post-graduation Clara plans to integrate her background in broadcast journalism with her studies in Emerging Media and Digital Design by working in UX and UI design and development at Kayoule Rare Books.
Maya Willey
B.S., Computational Genomics (IVSP) & Anthropology
Faculty Mentor Stephen Mount,Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics
Maya is graduating with a double major in Computational Genomics and Anthropology. She began her college career following the bioengineering track, but quickly fell in love with global health and genetics after taking Anthropology of Global Health, She became interested I exploring gene mutations and rare diseases and spend countless hours on GWAS and OMIM.
After interning at the National Institutes of Health, she realized the importance of diversifying the data that researchers use to create medicine so medical care helps everyone. She went in to work for the Mechanical Engineering department at UMD helping to write the Engineering of Social Change textbook and share the disparities of health care innovation.
Jessica Wittenstein
B.S., Animal Science and Conservation Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cindy Driscoll, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
Jessica is so grateful for the opportunities and experiences she was able to pursue at the University of Maryland. After exploring the biology and animal science program her freshman year, she created her IVSP titled animal science and conservation biology.
Jessica’s capstone project was focused on reintroduction of Western Lowland Gorillas. This project combined her concentrations in animal management as well as conservation of species. The animal science and conservation biology major prepared her for this project by providing skills involving wildlife management, animal behavior, animal ethics, habitat management and more. Outside of the classroom, Jessica was able to work with exotic species at a marsupial sanctuary as well as a public zoo in Baraboo, Wisconsin. These outside experiences allowed further exploration of animal management and human’s role in species conservation. Jessica was also able to be a part of two research projects, one focusing on canine language perception and the other focusing on tick borne illnesses in wild populations.
Following her graduation from University of Maryland, Jessica will be attending The Veterinary Biomedical Sciences program at Colorado State, specializing in assisted reproductive technologies. Her professional goals include using reproductive technologies for species conservation and species revitalization.