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Winter 2024

Testudo turtle mascot with open arms. Vintage mascot photos in background

Features

January 12, 2024
From Turtlenappings to TikTok Shenanigans, How an Unassuming Reptile Evolved to Represent Terp Spirit
rainbow turtle, turtle with pink and light blue pattern, "Support #TransTerps" pin. "Debilitating Queerness", "they" pin

Features

January 16, 2024
Twenty-five years ago, the LGBTQ+ Equity Center opened to support queer Terps who felt invisible, isolated and harassed. Some of the founders recount its humble start and hard-won victories.
View of low, tan buildings against a large sky. Dessert terrain.

Features

January 12, 2024
American Indians have long been denied fair access to homes, health care, schooling and jobs. For Joseph Kunkel M.Arch. ’09, the mission to change that is personal.
Gold star on red backgroud

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024
The Alumni Excellence Awards
McKeldin Mall at sunrise

Parting Shot

January 12, 2024
Testudo Watches Over McKeldin Mall From Perch of Nearly 60 Years
"Testudo II" wheels near stands at football game

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024
An ‘Underexposed’ Photo of UMD History
Alex Kin ’08 and Sarah Tostanoski ’09 on wedding day

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024
Alums Celebrate Wedding at Homecoming Tailgate
Cheese board with M in middle; Kara McGrath inset portrait

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024
5 Tips for Making a Board Bursting With Flavor and Color
Zebrafish stamp

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024
Image Chosen by Postal Service Opened New Avenues to Treat Brain Diseases
Bonnie Bernstein portrait and "She Got Game: Inspiring Women, Inspired by Sports" illustration

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024
Sports Journalist’s Podcast Links Women’s Success in Careers to Experiences on the Field and Court
John Kelly at desk

Post-Grad

January 12, 2024
Departing Washington Post Columnist Shares 20 Years of Family Tales, Reader Favorites
three people sit on stage at PROGRESS launch

Explorations

January 12, 2024
Initiative to Offer Research, Solutions to National Crisis
group installs Mesonet tower

Explorations

January 12, 2024
Maryland Mesonet to Provide Early Weather Warning in a Changing Climate
adult and baby bald eagles in nest

Explorations

January 12, 2024
Bald Eagle Expert Joins Legendary Explorers Club Honorees
Arlington House perched atop Arlington National Cemetery

Explorations

January 12, 2024
At Robert E. Lee’s Former Residence, Researcher Opens Door to Overlooked Legacies

Class Notes

News on Friends and Classmates

See all Class Notes from this issue

10s

Monica McNutt M.Jour. ’13

Monica McNutt M.Jour. ’13 became the primary New York Knicks radio analyst, calling most of the team’s games on 98.7FM ESPN New York. She continues her duties as a pre- and postgame analyst for select MSG Networks’ Knicks telecasts.

90s

Joshua Janow ’99

Joshua Janow ’99 was promoted to CEO of SMI Aware. He brings over two decades of experience as an attorney in big law and corporate general counsel, and executive business leadership to the role. He earned his law degree at Georgetown University.
Ihuoma Emenuga headshot

20s

Dr. Ihuoma Emenuga MBA ’21

Dr. Ihuoma Emenuga MBA ’21 was nominated by Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott as the new health commissioner for the city's health department. Emenuga earned her medical degree from the University of Nigeria and a master’s degree in public health from the…

00s

Kristen Kirkwood ’07

Kristen Kirkwood ’07, executive director of the Harford Land Trust, a land-conservation organization in Harford County, was named to the Baltimore Business Journal's 40 Under 40. She earned a master’s degree in sustainability and environmental management…
Raylena Church Fields headshot

Passings

Raylena Church Fields ’75

Raylena Church Fields ’75 died on Dec. 10, 2023, at home in Salisbury, Md. She was 70. She was born in Allen, Md., and after earning a journalism degree at UMD, she built a 30-year career in newsrooms in Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York. Her coverage…
Joan E. Petrosky headshot

Passings

Joan E. Petrosky M.A. ’83

Joan E. Petrosky M.A. ’83 died on Sept. 11, 2023, at the Shepherd of the Valley Nursing Home in Liberty, Ohio, at age 72. She was born in Warren, Ohio, on May 15, 1951, and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School. She received her B.S. in education…
Lorraine Antoinette Alt headshot

Passings

Lorraine Antoinette Alt ’74

Lorraine Antoinette Alt ’74 died on Sept. 6, 2023, in Palm Coast, Fla., at age 87. She was born in Nanticoke, Pa., and met her husband at a high school dance in Philadelphia. A few years after their marriage, the couple relocated to Kensington, Md.,…
“Just Kill the Hostages“ book cover

80s

Joe Niland ’86

Joe Niland ’86 wrote the recent novel “Just Kill the Hostages.” It was inspired by his 27-year career in the federal government, including the FBI’s counterterrorism division. He spent time embedded with the Green Berets looking for Americans held hostage…