President's Scholarship Fund for the University of Maryland

Mary Claire Bates

Mary Claire is from Frederick, Md. She attended Towson University for her undergraduate studies in biology, where she was president of the Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Club. She has been interested in community service since she was young and started volunteering at her church. When she was old enough, she began to tutor children in need and volunteered alongside her dentist in the dental clinic at the Convoy of Hope. When she entered college, she developed an interest in helping those with special needs. She joined Towson’s Best Buddies Club and participated in many community service events over the next four years. Now at University of Maryland, she has recently been elected as a community service chair for the Special Care Dentistry Association. Upon graduation, she hopes to return to her hometown to help those in her community with special needs maintain their health care. She also hopes to remain close enough to the University of Maryland to come back, volunteer, and give back to future students all that the school has given her.

Alyssa Budros

Alyssa was born in Traverse City, Mich., and pursued her undergraduate studies in Charleston, S.C., while playing Division I women’s soccer. Upon completion of her bachelor's degree in art, she traveled the country coaching and recruiting for collegiate soccer and founded an all-girls Muslim soccer program in Chicago. She relocated to Baltimore for a position with Soccer Without Borders, a nonprofit organization that aims to break down barriers to success for refugees, asylees, and immigrants. As the director of operations, she created after school curriculums, coaching manuals, and Welcome to Baltimore guides for newcomers. Her work has led her to seek her master's degree in social work. After graduation, she plans to continue to pursue her passion for serving youth and refugees from around the world.

Michael Klausner

Michael is a fourth-year Doctor of Dental Surgery candidate at the School of Dentistry. Demonstrating a thorough commitment to dental outreach, he has been awarded multiple grants from the Center for Global Education Initiatives to volunteer in Rwanda. In addition, he co-founded the Global Dental Organization with the aim of providing global outreach opportunities for dental students. Klausner completed his undergraduate education at Binghamton University, where he graduated cum laude with dual degrees in business management and biology. Klausner plans to complete a one-year residency upon graduation and intends to establish a private practice to care for underserved patients.

Erin Lanzo

Erin is a second-year student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a 2010 graduate of the University of Virginia, where she majored in English literature. Since moving back to her hometown of Baltimore, she has worked to rediscover the city as an engaged adult. She has volunteered at the Shepherd's Clinic in East Baltimore, served as a teaching fellow for the Goucher program, and volunteered at the adolescent clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital. As a member of the Goucher Prison Education Partnership, she also has served as a weekly tutor at the Maryland Correctional Institution for Women. As part of the medical school curriculum, she spent time as a classroom aide at Vivian T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy in West Baltimore. It is one of her goals to incorporate her teaching experience into her career; she hopes to realize this goal by educating her future patients, working with medical students and residents, and ultimately, by engaging whole communities.

Katherine Mistretta

Katherine is a third-year student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She considers herself very lucky to have the privilege of spending her days learning to care for the Baltimore community. She has not yet decided on a specialty to pursue, but she is very passionate about teaching and tutoring others when she is able, and she plans on a career in the field of academic medicine.

Mindy Nguyen

Mindy grew up in San Diego and went to college at the University of California-Irvine. She will be graduating with her Doctor of Pharmacy degree in May 2017 from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. From there, she hopes to start a true career in pharmacy. She is active in her community and sphere of influence in terms of encouraging healthy pharmacist-patient interaction and regular medication adherence. She hopes to use the skills she has acquired as a student and as a pharmacist intern to assist patients in medication adherence and health literacy. Mindy has always been very dedicated and hardworking when trying to achieve her goals. She perseveres and keeps working toward her dreams. She hopes to integrate her passion for healthy living into her work life with the goal of improving the lives of others.

Kathryn Pawlak

Kathryn earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 2013. She is a second-year student at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and is the president/founder of Planet Smilez, an IRS-registered 501(c)3 pediatric dental charity. The goal of the organization is to educate children about the importance of oral health and to change their health practices through the use of a toothbrush. Her catalyst to start Planet Smilez began as a child, when she realized the difficulties associated with accessing progressive dental care globally through exposure to her immigrant family members suffering greatly from the lack of standard dental care until their naturalization to America. Upon moving to Baltimore, Kathryn set up a Planet Smilez chapter in the Baltimore community. She also designed the Planet Smilez Discovering Dentistry Camp, which will focus on oral cancer, preventive oral health care techniques, and the link between oral health and systemic health disorders, such as diabetes and obesity. Participants also will have the ability to perform hands-on restorative dental procedures, enabling them to experience a true sense of the dental field. Upon graduating from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry in 2019, Kathryn hopes to specialize in pediatric dentistry and continue to grow Planet Smilez domestically and internationally.

Daniel Schutrum-Boward

Daniel, a Baltimore native, is a second-year student at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Before attending law school, Daniel got a BA in Spanish and Latin American-Iberian studies from Bard College. When Daniel isn't studying, he maintains a position as the vice president of VISEDAL Partnership, which allows him to work with Nicaraguan youths.

Alexandra Simpson

Alex is a fourth-year student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Before entering medical school, Alex earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, as well as an MA in medical sciences from Boston University School of Medicine. She has been involved in numerous research, leadership, and service activities while in medical school and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society during her third year. Alex has always dreamed of pursuing a career in neurology and will be applying to neurology residency programs.

University of Maryland, Baltimore

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