---
title: Alumni Association News
date: 2026-09-04T11:00:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://terp.umd.edu/alumni-association-news-27"
section: Articles
---
# Alumni Association News

*September 4, 2026* — by [Alumni Association Staff](/authors/alumni-association-staff)


- *Illustration by Valerie Morgan*


## Letter From the Senior Executive Director


*Jessica Roberts headshot*


**Jessica K. Roberts**

Jessica K. Roberts ’02  
Senior Executive Director  
University of Maryland Alumni Association




**Sidebar note:**

The Alumni Association fosters Terrapin Pride by rallying alums through programs that merge passion and purpose. [Make a gift now](https://forward.umd.edu/) through the *Forward* campaign.




### 3 Terp Stories, 1 Forever Home


Every Terp’s path to and through the University of Maryland is different. But all of us can commemorate that connection with a personalized brick or paver on Legacy Plaza or Testudo Row, just steps away from SECU Stadium at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center. Here’s why three alums did just that.


## FAMILY IN DIFFERENT FORMS


Kirk Bell’s favorite memories of his days on campus with his fraternity, Phi Sigma Kappa (PSK), aren’t about big events like Greek Week. They’re the shared moments spent on the porch of 7 Fraternity Row, looking out toward Memorial Chapel, reading The Washington Post or cheering for their hometown teams.

“We all came from different walks of life, different backgrounds, different areas and formed a very close-knit bond,” says Bell ’88. “It was a true brotherhood.”


*Kirk Bell and his wife with his son in UMD graduation regalia*


## A FULL-CIRCLE MEMENTO


*Blessing Enekwe laying on a brick walkway and pointing to one*


Blessing Enekwe ’04, M.A. ’09, Ph.D. ’16 moved from Massachusetts to attend UMD as an undergraduate, but never expected to be here 25 years later. First she fell in love with the campus—suburban, but close to Washington, D.C. Then she got involved with student groups, from the Black Student Union to The Eclipse.

Now the triple Terp serves as program director for postdoctoral affairs at the Graduate School, where she supports these scholars and helps them decide what’s next.

“One of the things about Maryland is that there are a lot of opportunities, but it can be pretty overwhelming at times,” she says. “Having been here for this many years in various capacities, I’m able to draw on my own experiences.”

That quarter-century on campus is something she chose to celebrate with a commemorative brick.

“I’ve walked these sidewalks, I’ve walked this whole terrain, for 20-plus years,” she says. “My hope is that my children will attend the university and as they walk by the Alumni Association, they can always look out for my brick.”


## ACROSS MILES AND MILESTONES


The study abroad trips that Rudy de Leon Dinglas ’07 took to Germany and Italy as an undergraduate weren’t just the defining experiences of his time at Maryland. They sparked a lifelong love of travel.


*Rudy de Leon Dinglas in a Maryland hoodie posing with bronze Testudo*


**Sidebar note:**

## WHAT’S YOUR STORY?


Leave a permanent mark on campus at [alumni.umd.edu/bricks](https://alumni.umd.edu/about/bricks).





**Issue:** [Fall 2026](https://terp.umd.edu/editions/fall-2026)


**Types:** [Post-Grad](https://terp.umd.edu/category/post-grad)