Hey everybody! My name is Nyla Howell, and I am from Prince George’s County,
Maryland. I am a senior, double majoring in Geography and Environmental Studies and
Sociology. I am honored to serve as the Shriver Living Learning Community’s
Residential Assistant (RA) for another year. I have lived on the Shriver Floor as a
member, Peer Mentor, and RA for the past three years, and I am excited to return to the
Floor for my final year at UMBC. I’m passionate about creating change within the local
community! One way I have been able to do that is by leading the Retriever Essentials
Food Pantry on UMBC’s campus.
My general academic and career interests include understanding how historically
disadvantaged communities experience and prepare for natural hazards and disasters.
In the future, I hope to attend graduate school to do research focused on the social
impact of natural hazards on historically disadvantaged communities.
Being part of the Shriver LLC’s supportive and caring community has been crucial to my
college experience and my growth as a leader. I have become more confident in my
skills, encouraging me to seek other opportunities related to my career interests, and I
look forward to working with the Peer Mentors to help the 2023-24 Shriver Floor cohort
do the same. I’m here to support you all through this year, and really excited to meet
you all! #2

Hi everyone! My name is Vunnathi Ankem, and I’m from Germantown, MD in Montgomery County.  I am a sophomore majoring in Psychology as a Bachelor of Science. Last year, I spent my Saturdays at an organization called UMB CURE through the Shriver Center where I worked with scholars from the Baltimore City School system in pursuit of understanding STEM and careers related to STEM.

On the floor, I had the wonderful opportunity to study, have fun and connect with everyone in the Shriver LLC while also planning and participating in fun events like Cultural Night and Movie Nights.  I’m fairly active on campus as well. I’m a part of the Honors College Council, ADAA Bollywood Fusion Team’s Board and Sondheim Scholars Steering Committee. This coming year, I’ll also be employed with the Psychology Department as a Writing Fellow, Psychology Peer Mentor and a Research Assistant. Speaking of which, this summer I worked as a Research Assistant on a research team with the department as a transcriber. I’ve also been able to travel this summer, learning more about ancient Egypt and visiting the beautiful land of India.

When I’m not doing anything, I usually can be found reading, watching movies, crocheting, making Maggi noodles, taking long walks with dramatic musical backgrounds, dancing, having a philosophical conversation about the world or simply enjoying nature.

I’m very excited to meet you all and get to know you. I know together we can all build a floor with great camaraderie. Please feel free to reach out literally anytime and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Hello, upcoming Shriver cohort! My name is Farrell Kimble and I am a rising sophomore. I am a computer science major with a focus on AI/ML and a psychology minor. My hometown is Prince George’s County, Maryland, and my birthplace is Freetown, Sierra Leone. It’s with great pleasure that am able to say that I’ll be serving as a Shriver Living Learning Community Peer Mentor for the 2023 – 2024 school year. I look towards fulfilling my mission of creating a comforting and welcoming environment for all of whom I work with. This mission came to form from the service sites I worked for during my first year as a Shriver LLC mentee. Both Hope Pybeterian Church and much later the Aafiyah Project were both religious service sites that welcomed me with open arms into their uniquely vibrant and wholesome communities. Outside of the Shriver Community, I adamantly work closely with a multitude of organizations such as the Black Men Society and the National Society for Black Engineers. There’s a feeling of empowerment one can find from being a part of these organizations and being able to help fellow STEM students find opportunities within their major. I am also invested in the AI4ALL community and am very interested in exploring ways I can work towards understanding AI through the AI4ALL College Pathways program. Outside of academics, I like to work on my hobby as a photographer and cinematographer with the goal of creating art that correlates to the world I would want to live in. With the help of the Shriver Community, I envision being able to learn how to develop myself as a more effective leader and find ways to better myself through my career and personal interests. Once again, it’s a pleasure to be able to work with you all and I hope that I can help enrich the 2023 – 2024 school year for all of you✨

Hey everybody!! My name is Julie Granruth, and I am a sophomore majoring in Financial Economics. I look forward to this school year, and can’t wait to meet you all in person!!

Here at Shriver, I volunteer at Catonsville Elementary School as an elementor! Last year, I mentored students with their social emotional health, and I even had the opportunity to work in a classroom of lovely first graders in order to promote their education!

To give you a little more background information about who I am, my favorite activities outside of school include ballet and swimming. In addition, I am the treasurer of the Economics Council, so feel free to reach out if you have any interest in learning about economics. I am also a programmer for the students event board (seb)! If you have free time and would like to go to a movie, a bingo, or a craft night, let me know!

I look forward to building a strong relationship with you all, and I hope to be there for any struggles or successes that you may have during this year to be able to support you. I look forward to meeting you all soon Shriver family!!

Hi everyone! My name is Maya Maglocci (she/her), and I was born in China but now live in Howard County, Maryland. This year I am a rising sophomore majoring in environmental science with a certificate in GIScience. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience as a Shriver Living Learning Community mentee, so I am thrilled to return as a peer mentor! At the Shriver Center, I am a site coordinator for the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), where I have the opportunity to work with animals and prepare them for adoption, support staff, and help fulfill the basic needs of the animals.

This year, I am an Eco-Ambassador and a marketer for the Student Events Board (seb), so I hope to see you all around campus! In my free time, I like to try new restaurants, baking, and listening to music. I can’t wait to meet all of you, and please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Hi!! My name is Krishna Madhiwala, I’m from Annapolis, MD, and I am a sophomore majoring in Biology and minoring in Law and Justice currently on the pre-med track! Last year, I had the opportunity to volunteer at M.S. Aquatics at the Y in Catonsville through Shriver, and am excited to go back! During my time there, I was able to work with patients in a hands-on environment and learn about the distinct impact that aquatic therapy has on those with M.S. I also had the chance to meet everyone on the floor and make so many fun memories through the Shriver LLC! On campus, I am involved with the Hindu Students Council (HSC), the Biology Council of Majors, and the Phi Delta Epsilon Pre-Medical Fraternity. This summer, I worked as a Research Assistant in the Pediatric Psychology Lab on campus and was able to get hands-on experience in a lab setting, running experiments and learning about data analysis/entry and what our work meant on a larger scale.

During my downtime, I enjoy going to the gym, reading, traveling, and listening to good Bollywood music. I am beyond excited to meet you all in person and get to know every one of you!!!!! If you need anything at all or have any questions, please feel free to reach out:))))

Hello everyone! My name is Emmanuella Osei (She/her) and I’m so excited to be one of your peer mentors this year! I was born and raised in Ghana and I currently live in Howard County, MD. At UMBC, I am majoring in Public Health on the health policy track due to my passion for health equity. On campus, I am a member of the Honors College, the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars program, and the McNair Scholars program. This year, I will also be an Academic Peer Advocate and the vice president of the Public Health Council of Majors. Last year, I served at Great Kids Farm as a field trip assistant for my weekly service experience. There, I assisted GKF teachers with leading various stations, engaging students (Kindergarten to 5th grade), and completing tasks needed around the farm. As a member of the Shriver LLC, I enjoyed getting to know my peers and being a part of a supportive community. Thus, I chose to remain in the Shriver LLC to continue serving the Baltimore community and giving back through mentoring first-year students. In my free time, I like to attend cultural and fun events hosted on campus such as those organized by the African Student Association (ASA) and Student Events Board (SEB). Other things I like to do include spending time with family and friends, listening to gospel music and afrobeats, and watching tv shows. I look forward to meeting each of you and being a resource as you transition into your first year at UMBC. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions 🙂