UMES Student Success

2025 Brag Book Student & Alumni Success Stories

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Only HBCU in Nation to Receive Prestigious Award Welcomes Third Cohort

UMES STEM STARS The University of Maryland Eastern Shore was selected as a recipient of the $2.5 million Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Driving Change Initiative Award in 2022. To date, UMES is the first and only HBCU to receive this award. As a result, the UMES STEM STARS Program was created.

STARS stands for Students Achieving Results in Science.

UMES welcomed its third cohort of STEM STARS for the fall of 2025.

The mission of the UMES STEM STARS program is to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups who pursue and earn PhDs and MD-PhDs in STEM disciplines by identifying and removing barriers to equity in the STEM learning environment.

‘This Is What a Scientist Looks Like’

Sarah Adewumi

University of Maryland Eastern Shore graduate Sarah Adewumi is challenging stereotypes in STEM. “I want you to close your eyes and imagine. What does a scientist look like to you,” Adewumi asks. “The next time you image what a scientist looks like, know it could be me.”

After four internships with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) while a student at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the 2020 graduate now works full time at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

She has also founded a non-profit, NextGen in STEM, to encourage young people to pursue their STEM interests.

“Our mission is really to impact and empower and inspire the next generation of young people that want to pursue careers or studies in STEM,” Adewumi said. “We are focused on leadership development, and I think that no matter what age you are that can be developed, and it will really instill confidence in young girls and boys that are interested in pursuing these careers.”

Jalen Gourrier White House Intern Heads to Grad School Jalen Gourrier graduated from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Spring 2025 with a resume filled with exceptional firsts.

While at UMES, Gourrier participated in a 10-day Johns Hopkins Summer Business Academy, where he and other attendees tackled real-life industry challenges. During the session, Gourrier and his team finished second in a team case analysis competition, earning a share of a $7,000 cash prize.

Gourrier also represented UMES for the White House HBCU Internship Program.

Gourrier was one of the 110 interns selected from 77 HBCUs chosen from a field of 350 applicants.

“I wanted to make connections and get into rooms I wouldn’t have thought I would get into,” Gourrier said. “I wanted to be a sponge and absorb as much information as I could.”

Gourrier earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from UMES and is now pursuing a master’s degree in strategic communications at Columbia University.

Student Athlete, First in Her Family to Attend College, Earns Two Degrees

Derionah ‘Deri’ Abner Raised in a single-parent household by her father and once uncertain whether college would even be financially possible, Florida native Derionah "Deri" Abner has earned both a bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Psychology and a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. She is graduating December 2025.

During her time at UMES, Abner has served as captain of the Women’s Volleyball Team, where she became one of the few athletes to surpass 500 career kills—an impressive milestone that solidified her place as a standout in the program’s history.

Her work ethic extended well beyond athletics. She earned Departmental Distinction in the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions and received the prestigious President’s Award from Dr. Heidi M. Anderson.

In her graduate program, Abner maintained a 3.7 GPA, completed a rigorous clinical internship, and emerged as a respected leader within the Rehabilitation Department.

She coached and mentored undergraduate students, hosted lectures, organized academic events, and contributed to impactful research projects.

“UMES and the town of Princess Anne have been a blessing to my life,” she shared. “It has provided a foundation for my career, lifelong friendships, and has become a place I now call home. I am eternally grateful for it all.”

Educators Tyler Love & Pam Klink University of Maryland Eastern Shore is proud to see two alumni educators making major differences for their students – and receiving some well-served accolades too.

Dr. Tyler Love, a faculty member in the Department of the Built Environment at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), has been named the 2026 Region I Teacher Educator of the Year by the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE).

The award recognizes outstanding middle school, secondary, and postsecondary educators for their classroom innovation and commitment to advancing Career and Technical Education (CTE).

Love, a UMES graduate, serves as the University’s director of CTE programs and coordinator of technology and engineering teacher preparation. As the only tenured professor of CTE in Maryland, he has led groundbreaking efforts to expand educator preparation pathways across the state.

He developed the state’s first Maryland Higher Education Commission-approved undergraduate and graduate certificate programs in CTE teaching licensure, work-based learning (WBL), and career counseling. These online programs have strengthened the state’s pipeline of qualified CTE teachers, WBL coordinators, and career coaches—ultimately supporting student career and college readiness.

To further develop the CTE workforce, Love has secured more than $1 million in grant funding for initiatives focused on STEM and CTE professional development and for recruiting students from underrepresented backgrounds into STEM teacher education programs.

UMES alum Pam Klink also received national recognition during 2025, being named National Teacher of the Year by Magnet Schools of America. Klink, a culinary arts instructor at the Center of Applied Technology South (CAT South) in Anne Arundel County, MD Public Schools, is affectionately known as “Chef” by her students.

She developed and implemented the Honors Culinary Arts Program at CAT South, which has earned Exemplary status from the American Culinary Federation. Her curriculum emphasizes real-world applications—integrating culinary mathematics, food science, restaurant management, and sustainability.

As chair of the school’s Green School Committee, Klink has spearheaded environmental initiatives such as recycling used cooking oil and installing rain barrels, reinforcing her commitment to sustainability.

“I want my students to leave with more than just technical skills,” Klink said.

“I want them to be selfmotivated, adaptable, and globally aware— ready to contribute to society in meaningful ways.”

Klink’s teaching philosophy centers on creating an inclusive, engaging classroom where students build hands-on experience and critical-thinking skills. Beyond the classroom, she mentors new educators, leads professional development workshops, and organizes community events such as Family Cooking Night, which invites English language learner students and their families to share a cross-cultural cooking experience.

Alumni Shout Outs Crystal Berger (Class of 2000, English), the founder and CEO of Baltimore-based EBO Corp, secured a $200,000 investment from TEDCO to help take automation, inclusivity, and AI innovation to the next level. Berger’s company is one of the only Black woman-owned AI startups in the U.S.

Ayesha Coker (Class of 1999, Human Ecology), vicepresident of Marketing for Porsche Cars North America, has been named among the 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry by Automotive News.

Coker began her career with Porsche in 2010 as an experiential brand event manager, and became vice president of Marketing in January 2022, making her the first African American and first woman of color to join the leadership team there.

Dr. Marvin Jones (Class of 1992, Special Education) was appointed Superintendent of Schools for Essex County Public Schools in Virginia in July. In addition to his undergraduate degree from UMES, Jones earned a master's degree in school administration from Bowie State University in 2007 and his doctorate in educational leadership from Delaware State in 2021.

Teonna L. Wallop (Class of 2000, Criminal Justice) was named National Alumni President of the Year by the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame during its 11th annual Legacy of Leaders Alumni Honors ceremony in September in Atlanta. Wallop graduated from UMES in 2000 with a B.S. in criminal justice and a minor in political science. She later earned an M.A. in mental health counseling from Bowie State University and is a licensed mental health therapist. Wallop is currently taking cyber security classes at UMES.