IN THE CLASSROOM ON THE FIELD MAKING MOVES AND

COURTNEY COPPERSMITH ’23 BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Breaking Records

Courtney Coppersmith consistently kills it on the softball field. The accolades began when the America East conference named her Rookie of the Year, and have continued to pile up with multiple Pitcher of the Year awards, UMBC records for lowest single-season ERA and career shutouts, and three consecutive America East Championships. It’s no wonder her teammates and fans can’t stop smiling.

From The Field To The Classroom

But Courtney’s also making big moves in the classroom-hence the additional title of 2021and 2022 America East Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemistry at UMBC and says she dreams of working in a hospital. She jumped right into classes, and although she says her biochem courses are tough, she loves digging into the subject matter. She also joined the Pre-Pharmacy Society and is involved in research.

Retrievers Giving Back

And, as if that weren’t enough, Courtney spends her free time volunteering with organizations like UMBC’s the S.T.A.R. Program, where she teaches chemistry to local elementary school students, and the Retriever Project, a mental health awareness organization for UMBC’s student-athletes.

The Right Choice

Courtney knows she made the right choice in coming to UMBC. “They say [college] is like a wedding dress—you know it when you see it, and then you cry,” she explains. “When I visited campus I knew it was the perfect fit.” (She’s quick to point out she didn’t cry, though.)

Shooting Stars

The S.T.A.R. Program is a student-run organization at UMBC dedicated to providing greater access to STEM for elementary school children in Baltimore City Public Schools.

S.T.A.R. mentors host bi-monthly school activities that offer hands-on learning about topics like chemistry, engineering, computer science, biology, and mathematics.