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When Viktoriia Savchuk Kennet Ph.D. ‘25 crossed the stage at commencement this May, she carried not only a doctoral degree, but a mission—to return home and use her research on communication and resilience to help rebuild her country.“I love Ukraine. It is a beautiful country,” Viktoriia says. “I cherish every opportunity to be here with my family, friends, and my people, and to contribute in any way I can to positive change and good memories despite everything.”

Jody Olsen Ph.D. ’79 reflects on her six decade career in the Peace Corps. Olsen reflects on how the Peace Corps changed the way she views the world and herself, the commonalities she discovered across vastly different cultures, and how building relationships grounded in trust and respect can change communities and save lives.

It’s graduation day. When Paulina Leder ‘23 walks across the stage, four years of late nights studying history, conversations in German, and term papers in French come to a close in a singular handshake from the dean of the College of Arts and Humanities (ARHU) and the flash of a graduation photographer’s camera. Leder has joined the ranks of other fearless alumni of one of the top 50 global universities in the world. Her first order of business? One more international exchange with her alma mater.

Maryland Athletics—you know them, you love them, you go to their games. Sporting events are an undeniable part of what it means to be a Terp—alums and current students alike can share in the same core memories of walking to SECU stadium or Xfinity Center, cheering as loud as they can when we score, and donning jerseys with an easy pride that lasts a lifetime. 

The sound is unmistakable—a grumbling putter followed by screeching breaks and a reluctant idle: the mailman is here, and Tiara Darnell ‘11 is running to her mailbox. In the carrier’s hand is her gateway to the rest of the world, coming in the form of an international postcard from her father. Growing up in a military family is not without its challenges, but for Darnell, these childhood afternoons waiting for the postman were the origins of a global fascination that would take her all over the world.