In Touch / UMD Incentive Awards Program / Spring 2020

Official Newsletter of the INCENTIVE AWARDS PROGRAM SPRING 2020

SPEAKING THROUGH ART Student’s Program Helps Grade Schoolers Open Up About Mental Health

Erica Wright '23 working with Speak Art participants.

SPEAKING THROUGH ART Student’s Program Helps Grade Schoolers Open Up About Mental Health

By Maya Pottiger ’17, M.Jour. ’20

HOME WAS HARDLY A HAVEN FOR ERICA WRIGHT ’23, who shared a crowded, insect-infested New York City apartment with her sister, cousin and physically disabled grandmother.

Erica found refuge in her middle school’s after-school art program, held in a new building that students were encouraged to brighten up with graffiti displays and other artwork. As she created, Erica—who suffers from severe depression and anxiety— discovered how art benefited her mental health.

“Even if we didn’t talk about mental health within that program, it was really useful in helping me cope,” says Erica, who today is a Maryland freshman participating in the Incentive Awards Program.

Now in therapy, she’s sharing the method she used to open up to the world with elementary and middle school students in her transplanted hometown of Baltimore through her program, Speak Art. She started it as a junior at Baltimore City College High School and is continuing while pursuing majors in animal science and art at UMD. “I block out my emotions as a defense mechanism,” Erica says.

“Being able to see those emotions in a visual way and being able to process that they’re there is a part of being able to work through everything.”

Erica, who has African American and Dominican roots, begins each session of the 12-week curriculum by tackling a topic like stigmas about mental health issues in underserved communities.

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Then she provides art materials, so students can create works based on what they learned.

It’s a new message for younger children, who’ve mostly learned that health is about physical well-being.

Wright started the program when she joined the MERIT Health Leadership Academy, a Baltimore organization that pairs underserved high schoolers interested in medicine with college peers. She met her mentor, Rahul Yerrabelli, then an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University, and together the two created Speak Art. “Coming into it, she didn’t have any real problem keeping [children’s] attention or engaging them,” he says. “They got the overall message: ‘Hey, this is something we can do when we’re feeling down to help ourselves.’”

Working with the school’s counselor, Wright helped teacher Hannah Kennedy’s students at Henderson-Hopkins Elementary/ Middle School mix colors and paint how they saw themselves, sparking discussion of their experiences.

“Erica is so generous and genuine, and that definitely came out with how the kids reacted to her,” she says.

Walking the halls of Henderson-Hopkins Elementary/Middle School on Fridays last semester, Erica was greeted with cheers of “Miss Erica!” She worked with students as young as 6, who often shut down when Erica broached the topic of mental illness.

Erica sat beside one such boy while he drew a picture of his favorite Pokémon, leading him to open up about the trauma he had faced.

Though now studying in College Park, she plans to continue Speak Art through MERIT and the Brancati Fellowship Program.

She’ll serve as director and train peers to do the groundwork of engaging with students.

She’s proud to provide a space like her childhood art program, where “students felt happy to come to and they felt like they were safe enough to open up about the things they were going through.”

Crossing the Finish Line Early

Taylor-Omaree Smith ’19 graduated a semester early with a double major in criminology and criminal justice and in government and politics, along with a minor in innovation and entrepreneurship. She also flourished in on- and off-campus activities, from holding teaching assistant positions in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice to landing internships with the State’s Attorney’s Office in Baltimore City and the Public Defender’s Office in Washington, D.C. At the Winter 2019 Commencement, she served as one of the senior marshals for the campus-wide celebration, as well as the student speaker for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences ceremony. Taylor plans to pursue law school and practice law in her hometown of Baltimore City.

Sophomore's Research Published

Even in high school, Christopher Acha ’21 was interested in pharmaceutical research, so he secured an internship with the Gutierrez Research Group at the University of Maryland— and it paid off with a published article.

Working closely with UMD chemistry Professor Osvaldo Gutierrez, Chris was the primary author for a research article published Nov. 14, 2018, in the Journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry. It provided insights on the effects of common reactions in pharmaceutical drugs. “My biggest takeaway was gaining an invaluable mentor,” Chris says. “(He) has inspired me to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry.”

Chris is now working on a biomedical research project to alter protein structures and possibly tag them as they move through the body.

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PROFILES & PURSUITS Ja-Neé Jackson Spencer ’06 and James Minah ’16 are two entrepreneurs who are hoping to improve their communities. While Spencer works in the social work sector in Brooklyn, Md., Minah is trying to rehabilitate the buildings of Baltimore. In Touch spoke to both recently about their careers.

Why Brooklyn?

My family is from Cherry Hill, and Brooklyn is the next town over, so I came here throughout my childhood.

Years later, as a human services provider, I saw the community and the people in it, and it looked like they’d been forgotten.

South Baltimore doesn’t have an influx of services like other areas of Baltimore.

For example, there are only two programs similar to mine, and the rest are methadone clinics. Even though they’re addressing substance abuse, they don’t address the mental health piece. I want to attend to the whole person.

JA-NEÉ JACKSON SPENCER ’06 Founder, Peaceful Minds Health Services Brooklyn, Md. After earning a master’s degree in social work from Morgan State University and spending time in the human services profession, Ja-Neé Jackson Spencer realized that she was more effective at implementing policies than creating them. So she created Peaceful Minds Health Services LLC, now a thriving behavioral health agency in Brooklyn, Md. Since July 2019, it has offered four programs serving children and adults: psychiatric rehabilitation; substance abuse treatment (intensive outpatient); substance abuse treatment (outpatient); and residential services.

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What’s the most gratifying part of your work?

I am in the best area to serve people who haven’t been touched in a long time. Once we opened up to the community, there was an influx of referrals. I thought I’d just start out with 27 clients, but within two months we surpassed that goal and kept going. We now have 98 clients and 12 staff members.

What are your biggest challenges?

It’s tough finding the right fit between the client and the counselor. After my initial assessment, I consider the client’s preferences and decide which staff member to assign. I am diligent because many clients have been receiving services for years, and they’re always starting over. I need to make sure there’s stability and consistency for the client.

Any surprises in becoming a business owner?

I worry about everything—benefits, taxes, payroll, leave, services rendered, etc.

I’ve asked people to work with me and provide services, and then I become responsible for them. Also, these programs are supported through federal and state medical assistance, so if the programs don’t receive adequate funding, we can’t provide these services.

What’s next?

I’m about to launch Peaceful Minds Residential Services. Clients enrolled in my substance abuse program will now be offered housing if that’s one of their barriers to treatment. We are aiming for two or three homes to accommodate everyone.

JAMES MINAH ’16 Co-founder, Re-Gen Consulting Group Baltimore, Md. Why did you decide to launch a business?

Through our work at various architectural firms, my co-founders and I were able to gain experience designing buildings, and building restaurants and retail centers.

However, we really wanted to use our skills and talents to ethically redevelop communities within Baltimore City. We felt drawn to address some of the issues with the existing infrastructure.

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Mentoring Matters

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We wanted to use our specialized training to help small businesses and individuals who don’t have the resources for market-rate services but deserve to have access to them.

What's your current project?

Re-Gen is providing architectural and structural design to the Druid Heights Community Development Corp. to restore the once-bustling, affluent African American neighborhood.

What’s your business approach?

Find a need, meet it, and set the right price according to its value. We want small clients, small projects and short timelines so we can get things built—which begets more work.

What’s next?

Our goal is to become an affordable luxury home developer.

We are working on prototypes of modular houses that can be built below market rate to allow for more homes to be built in lower-income communities.

What drives your work?

My co-founders and I were blessed with a University of Maryland education that was funded partly or entirely through the generosity of others. Our mission statement, “Everyone Deserves Opportunity,” relates to the chance we were given.

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When Anna Kalmykov ’08 was an exhausted undergraduate studying biochemistry, Assistant Dean Ann Smith provided course guidance, moral support and caffeine.

Smith remained a resource and empathetic listener when Kalmykov graduated, got her first apartment and job, and then went to Boston University for a Master of Science degree in biomedical engineering.

Now, as Kalmykov completes her Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon in biomedical engineering, the relationship between student and mentor remains strong as they continue to exchange texts and emails covering academia, science and work-life balance.

“She wasn’t just my academic adviser. She became a friend, a life coach and someone whose opinion I could really trust,” says Kalmykov. “Whether it was meeting at her office or going for coffee (which was so important in those sleep-deprived days!) or for a walk around campus, we never ran out of things to talk about.”

It’s the sort of relationship that IAP hopes to create when matching each student with a faculty or staff mentor; professional interests and personalities are big considerations.

For Smith, now assistant dean in the Office of Undergraduate Studies and undergraduate student ombudsperson, mentoring Kalmykov was never a chore.

“She has a very strong work ethic. She really knew what it meant to work hard,” says Smith. “It’s just been a joy to work with her, to be a part of her life and to see her become the woman that she is today.”

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Riding the Airwaves Two Incentive Awards Program alumni who majored in journalism at Maryland are no longer just consuming news. They’re producing it while working at Washington, D.C., news stations.

Juan Herrera ’18 is a newsroom assistant and producer at broadcasting company Cumulus Media, where he focuses on radio stations WMAL News and ESPN 630. Juan says that “working in a newsroom is always busy, but an enjoyable experience …

You learn something new every day.”

Juan’s main role is to interview people such as government officials, police chiefs and sports analysts for news stories. He also attends and covers local events and writes stories about them for Cumulus’ website.

Juan’s favorite moment so far was covering Washington Nationals games during the 2019 World Serieswinning season. He already had experience with radio and sound production from his time at UMD, and IAP taught him “how to step out of my comfort zone.”

Ashley S. Clarke ’19 is a production assistant and weekend assignment editor at WRC-TV, Channel 4, the NBC affiliate in the nation’s capital. She was initially hired for a temporary position, but a week after she finished and wrote a thank you letter, the managing editor called her about a job.

There, Ashley usually prints scripts for anchors, answers phone calls and emails, and looks for interesting stories for the station to cover. As an assignment editor on the weekends, she gathers tips from callers, listens to police scanners and monitors the web for breaking news to share with producers.

Ashley works long hours in a fast-paced environment, sometimes arriving to work at 2 a.m. and leaving at 7 p.m.

One memorable moment was working with anchor Pat Lawson Muse, who has been at NBC4 since 1982, for a segment on the station’s annual food drive and talking to her about her journey in the industry.

Ashley says that IAP taught her to work hard and show up ready for anything. “I love working in local news,” she says. “Every day brings a new, exciting story. I’m not sure what life has in store for me next, but I am always preparing myself for bigger and better opportunities.”

Composing a Future in Music

Elian Contreras '22 (right) with Philip Lasser at the 2019 EAMA Summer Music Institute.

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Elian Contreras ’22 was awarded the SphinxConnect Fellowship in February 2020 and attended the fourth annual epicenter for artists and leaders in diversity held in Detroit.

The Sphinx Organization is a social justice organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts and addressing underrepresentation of people of color in classical music.

Elian will also attend the European American Musical Alliance (EAMA) Summer Music Institute in Paris this summer. For four weeks, EAMA brings together aspiring composers, performers and conductors to work alongside and study under composer Philip Lasser, a distinguished faculty member at the Julliard School in New York City.

Elian previously attended the institute as a composer and will return as a conductor.

“Attending the EAMA allowed me to improve my craft with amazing mentors in Paris. Probably one of the craziest dreams I’m living,” he says.

CLASS NOTES James Brockington ’06 and his wife, Rosheda, welcomed twin girls Jhovi Reese and Jhoni Royce on March 26, 2019.

Jennifer Covahey ’08 is the director of college success at the CollegeBound Foundation in Baltimore.

Darian Senn-Carter ’08 received the Promise Award from Edgewood College in Madison, Wis., where he received his doctorate in higher education and leadership studies. The award recognizes an alumnus, 40 or younger, who is an emerging leader and has achieved a high level of success through professional accomplishments and service to his or her alma mater or community.

Through her company Koriz Huddle, Korede Oladapo '09 encourages individual and group travel to Nigeria by providing multiday tours of historical sites, landmarks and cultural events.

Ashley Lawrence Brooks ’11 and her husband, Christopher, welcomed a son, Camden, into their family in September.

Djuan Short ’12 presented at two national conferences about “healing classrooms.”

She completed yoga teacher training and earned advanced licensure to become a clinical social worker last July.

Katherine Coleman ’13 is pursuing a Master of Business Administration at UMD’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Kori Hill ’13 is pursuing a Master of Business Administration from the SC Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.

VaRysa Williams ’13 earned a Master of Science in speech-language pathology from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

Davian Morgan ’14 is vice principal of the 3rd-5th grade academy at Ingenuity Prep Public Charter School. He is the youngest to serve in this role in the D.C. school's history.

Jasmine Thomas ’17 earned a Master of Science in urban planning from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

She is a planner for the City of Baton Rouge Planning Commission.

Mercy Eke ’15 is a first-grade teacher at Ridgecrest Elementary School in Prince George’s County.

Praise Carson ’18 is the student and young alumni giving and participation specialist at the Catholic University of America. She is enrolled there as a part-time graduate student in business management with a leadership and management track.

Jose Granados ’15 is a job readiness training/GED curriculum and instruction developer at the Latin American Youth Center in Riverdale, Md. Tarik Bayu ’16 is a research program coordinator at Johns Hopkins University.

Kalani Johnson ’16 is a research associate for the National Police Foundation. She earned a Master of Arts in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Maryland.

Ganiyat Lawal ’16 earned a Master of Business Administration degree in systems and business analytics from the University of Maryland.

As part of her graduate studies in speech-language pathology at George Washington University, Jessica Nolasco ’17 traveled to Mexico in January with her professors. Jessica says they “provided speech and language therapy to patients with cognitive disabilities and counseling to their families, conducted research on the impact of such trips on bilingual medical professionals, and developed resources for future bilingual speechlanguage pathologists.”

Sabrina Christian ’18 and her husband, Eli Winston, welcomed baby Isaiah last June. She is a clinical research assistant at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

David Egbufoama ’18 is a medical assistant at Braun Dermatology Skin Cancer & Associates in Washington, D.C. Kaila Williams ’18 is pursuing a doctorate in physical therapy at Temple University.

Celia Barrientos ’19 is a program coordinator at Capital Partners for Education.

Dorrian Gross ’19 is a technology engineer for Accenture. He joins Juan Peralta ’13, consultant, and Jordan Dantzler ’18, technology analyst, who are also employed there.

Katherine Medina ’19 is an auditor at the Office of Inspector General of the Board of Governors Federal Reserve Board and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

She is working toward a master’s degree in accounting at the University of Maryland.

Olatunji Onigbanjo ’19 is a financial product analyst at Bloomberg in New York City.

Malcolm Lewis ‘14 recently released his first EP, “The Garden,” which is available on all music streaming platforms and Mallewi.com/music.

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To learn more about or to support the Incentive Awards Program, please contact Jacqueline W. Lee, director, at jwl@umd.edu or 301.405.9024.

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ALUMNI COUNCIL LAUNCHES THIS SPRING IAP will soon have an alumni council to help connect, engage and celebrate its 170 alumni.

As chairpersons of the steering committee, Bridget Blount ’08 and Darian Senn-Carter ’08 led a group of eleven alumni to draft a comprehensive plan that elected officers will implement. The aim is to foster ongoing relationships, professional development and personal enrichment among all alumni. Plans are in the works for a kickoff event and other activities this spring. With core values of community, service, growth and fun, we look forward to seeing the new alumni council thrive!

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