- February 03, 2026
- By Maryland Today Staff
Three local high school students attending the University of Maryland’s men’s basketball matchup vs. Penn State thought they’d been selected to play a “find Testudo” game at midcourt.
What they found instead is their future for the next four years: Kingsley Nwogu, Laura Civillico and Joseph Southall were each handed letters welcoming them to UMD’s Class of 2030.
The three teens on Jan. 18 were the first applicants among a record 67,000 to be notified they’d been admitted—by UMD President Darryll J. Pines, Enrollment Management Assistant Vice President Shannon Gundy and Director of Undergraduate Admissions James B. Massey Jr. —in front of their beaming families, a bouncing Testudo and thousands of gameday fans.
“These students each had something very, very special to offer the University of Maryland,” said Massey.
Nwogu, of Bowie, co-founded a STEM academy for Black middle schoolers, interned for Prince George's County information technology department and was featured as a College Board keynote speaker, all while balancing varsity sports.
Civillico, of Damascus, is captain of her high school Forensics and Mock Trial teams, earned multiple National History Day first-place awards and was named a National Endowment for the Humanities fellow.
Southall, of Baltimore, has combined student government service with filmmaking and arts internships at Root Branch Media Group and Bloomberg Philanthropies. He brings a lifelong connection to UMD—his parents are alums who wed on campus—and a commitment to using journalism and film to uplift his community.
Watch their reactions at learning they’re #NowATerp.