Terps Welcome Terps to Their Thanksgiving Tables

“I’ve heard about students purchasing pot pies or ramen or pizza to eat that day because everything’s closed,” he said. “I’m going throw down in the kitchen for you.”

Sponsored by the Department of Resident Life, the dinner is one of many gatherings creating community among Terps during the start of the holiday season. 

The Fostering Terp Success program, which supports undergraduates experiencing homelessness or who come from the foster system, is piloting an initiative spearheaded by Thrive Center for Essential Needs Director and Assistant Dean of Students Brian Watkins pairing undergrads with FTS coaches (UMD faculty and staff who volunteer and are trained to mentor students one-on-one) for Thanksgiving meals.

“My predicament is that when holidays come around, my plans are very much up in the air, with a lot of uncertainty,” said Diego Diaz-Cooper ’26. “So many people in my program have similar stories as me. Nobody wants to be alone, so acts like this are very much huge, even though it may seem small.”

He’ll be heading to the home of coach Teniqua Coates-Singh, employer engagement coordinator at the University Career Center and The President’s Promise, where he’s most excited to eat mac and cheese and apple pie. 

“Our relationship has been very much one of the bright foundations of my academic journey here at UMD,” Diaz-Cooper said. “We text like every other day, and I visit her at her office in Hornbake. We laugh about life and catch up, and she definitely gives me good advice.” 

Three other coaches have volunteered, including Yanira Pacheco Ortiz, coordinator of first-generation student initiatives at the Thrive Center. She remembers the pain of not being able to fly home to Puerto Rico during grad school, when money was tight and she and her husband had a newborn. But when a staff member in her program extended an invitation, “We felt like we belonged, that their home could be our home too. They became our aunties and uncles—and they still feel like family today.” 

Informal arrangements are popular as well. Faculty couple Jóhanna Birnir, the Lionel Bauman Professor of Politics in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and her husband, David Waguespack, professor of management and organization in the Robert H. Smith School of Business, have long invited fellow Terps to their home, including undergrads, graduate students, post-docs and even colleagues. 

“I have always admired Americans for their hospitality and openness,” said Birnir, who grew up in Iceland and came to the U.S. for college. “Even before I met my husband, I never spent a holiday alone because some American friend always invited me home to celebrate with their family. For me, this tradition is a little bit my way of paying that forward.” 

Isaacs wasn’t so lucky; his college was an eight-hour drive from home in New York City, so he stayed back, eating whatever he could scrounge up with his roommate. 

Now, he wants to ensure others don’t have the same experience. As the oldest of four, he grew up cooking to help out his single mom and isn’t daunted by the prospect of feeding so many students. He’s previously led walking taco- and empanada-making events for Res Life, and this time, he’ll be preparing a mix of traditional dishes like mashed potatoes and stuffing along with his own favorites, like rotisserie chicken (“far more juicy than any turkey”) and rice and beans.

As a current law student, he often volunteers to cover breaks to avoid the craziness of holiday travel and to get a little more time to study; he’ll Facetime his family and see them later in the year. 

“My community is going to be my Terp family,” he said. “I wanted to make sure everybody has a chance to be in community, to build some new connections and to leave feeling warm.”