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When the Scholars Citation Class of 2020 arrived at the University of Maryland in fall 2018, they were wide-eyed freshmen who took part in the usual rites of passage in Scholars: Service Day, excursions related to the annual theme, a kickball tournament the spring of their freshman year. And, while the 984 students’ second year in Scholars fell during the program’s 25th anniversary, “that year turned out to be anything but ordinary,” observes Scholars Executive Director Marilee Lindemann. In March of their second year, the UMD campus shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and these students faced an abrupt pivot to remote learning.

College Park Scholars Executive Director Marilee Lindemann often jokes to new students that some of them may end up meeting the love of their life in Scholars. The line usually gets an incredulous, slightly nervous laugh from students, but it’s true: Some of our Scholars students eventually go on to fall in love and marry. In this special Valentine’s edition of our alumni profiles, we offer a Q&A with one such couple. Jeff Amoros and Corey Brewer          Alum of: BOTH: International Studies  Year graduated:          BOTH: 2009

In 2017, College Park Scholars welcomed more than 800 freshmen to what would become its 24th citation class, the Scholars Class of 2019. All who successfully completed the requirements of their Scholars program received their official Scholars citation. But there were some that went above and beyond the expectations, leaving a lasting impact on the community. On Oct. 18, 2019, Scholars honored these extraordinary students at its annual Citation Awards. Those recognized included 24 juniors—two from each program—chosen by their program directors for outstanding achievement and 24 for outstanding citizenship.

When Sophia Burton first entered college, she had little idea what major she wanted to declare, much less what career she wanted to pursue. “I never planned it out this way,” says Burton, who graduated from the University of Maryland (UMD) in 2007 and currently works on migration issues in Germany. “I’m not saying one shouldn’t have a plan, but for me it was never like, ‘I know I want to be an engineer or a lawyer.’” Her lack of a plan, however, was made up for by a passion that even those with clear-cut career aspirations sometimes lack. Family migration history For Burton, that passion was in multiculturalism—particularly the cultural dynamics surrounding migration and international relations.

It’s a perennial back-to-school query from teachers: What did you do on your summer vacation? When we asked some of our Scholars students and alumni, they had a lot to tell us… and not surprisingly, they made the most of their summer break. Now that students have settled in on campus and the semester is a few weeks in, we highlight some of our impressive Scholars accomplishments from over the summer. Amit and Erin Koppel Year: Sophomore (Amit), Senior (Erin)

When Valerie Redmond was studying government and politics at the University of Maryland, law school was always in the back of her mind. An alumna of the International Studies Scholars program, Redmond now works for Price Waterhouse Cooper in New York focusing on consumer compliance. Redmond knew she wanted to work as a lawyer after she took a class on the Supreme Court with Michael Spivey, a professor in the Department of Government and Politics. The class utilized real cases and required students to re-enact the arguments and determine how the case would go, Redmond explained.