“UMBC has been an incredible springboard for my interests, both academically and personally. It is a special community where students are able to take the initiative and bring about change. Wonderful faculty and staff strive to be accessible and engaging both inside the classroom and out.”
Plans: Research Trainee, Massachusetts General Hospital Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Harvard affiliate)
B.S., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Summa Cum Laude
Hometown: Germantown, Maryland
As a teenager, Michael wasn’t sure he would graduate high school. Now, he is graduating from UMBC as valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA – an accomplished researcher, community leader, and committed mentor to younger students. After working as a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital his goal is to earn an M.D./Ph.D. and pursue a career in emergency medicine. In his first semester at UMBC, Michael emailed Dr. Charles Bieberich to ask about research opportunities. Before long, he made notable contributions to the lab’s prostate cancer research, eventually co-authoring a journal article on his work. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and received a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship. He has served in a leadership role in UMBC’s strategic planning process, collaborating with faculty, staff, and students from across campus to articulate the university’s future priorities. Beyond the classroom, Michael has been assistant captain of UMBC’s club sailing team and worked as a trained ski patroller.