Top Undergraduates Honored as Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars

University of Maryland senior James Miller remembers how his eighth-grade science teacher helped him come out of his shell, going so far as to encourage him to sing “Let It Go” from “Frozen” in front of 100 people.

Even now, his former teacher offers advice and encouragement—and occasionally lunch.  

“I have been incredibly lucky to have amazing mentors who have helped me academically, professionally, and personally,” said Miller, an accounting and management double major.

As one of 18 top UMD seniors being recognized Friday as Philip Merrill Presidential scholars, Miller will have the opportunity to honor both his middle school teacher and a UMD marketing professor who has coached him through projects and provided career advice.

The program, established through a generous gift from the late publisher Philip Merrill, recognizes the achievements of the students and the mentors who profoundly impacted their academic success. 

“The program started by Philip Merrill and continued by his family is an excellent reminder of how mentorship is at the center of everyone’s educational journey,” said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. “We are proud to celebrate the students who are striving to take on the grand challenges of our time as well as the teachers who have nurtured their abilities in pursuit of improving the public good.”

This year’s honorees conducted research on topics as varied as child brain development and asteroid detection. In addition to internships and challenging coursework, the students were involved in a range of activities, from raising service dogs to mentoring students with intellectual disabilities through the TerpsEXCEED program.

Several UMD professors have been recognized multiple times, including Professor Joseph Bailey, from the Department of Decision, Operations and Information Technologies, who has been honored by six Merrill Presidential Scholars.

“Professor Bailey encouraged me to explore unfamiliar ideas and helped me gain confidence in my academic and personal goals,” said Urszula Cieslak, who completed two capstone projects and served as a teaching assistant for two courses in the Interdisciplinary Business Honors Program. “These experiences significantly strengthened my critical thinking and leadership skills.”

The event at University House offers each student a chance to talk about how their mentors guided, tutored and challenged them in big and small ways: band teachers who inspired confidence, engineering professors who honed critical thinking skills, and language teachers who offered kindness. 

With Professor Christine Schaaf’s guidance, Miller and his classmates turned an assignment on food insecurity into a proposal strong enough to draw interest from the Maryland Food Bank. 

“At first it seemed like a daunting problem I never had the chance of solving as just a sophomore in college,” he said. “The support, resources and guidance that Professor Schaaf offered was a huge part of us realizing our potential and working on something that could help mitigate such a massive problem. 

Miller still gets a chuckle about his teacher, Michael Philip, tapping him on the shoulder at a middle school “lock in” and handing him a microphone as “Let it Go” played over the speakers. “It’s a great story that highlights how having a teacher who believes in you and pushes you out of your comfort zone, even if it’s in a silly and ridiculous way, can really help you grow.” 

“The Merrill Presidential Scholars Program is creating an essential legacy by emphasizing the mentorship that makes academic and personal triumphs possible,” said William A. Cohen, associate provost and dean for undergraduate studies. “We’re grateful that the Merrill family makes it possible to recognize our top students, their teachers, and their faculty mentors.”  

Before the reception, teachers will attend a workshop with Maryland faculty designed to strengthen collaboration between the university and K-12 schools.

The Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars for 2025-26 are:

Raven Herron (Animal Sciences)

• Teacher Mentor: Brian Bohlayer, Glenelg High School, Glenelg, Md.
• Faculty Mentor: Amy Burk, Department of Animal and Avian Sciences

Naomi Nicholas (English and History)

• Teacher Mentor: Kenneth Hammann, St. John’s College High School, Washington, D.C.
• Faculty Mentor: Dolapo Demuren, Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House

LeeAnn Wong Arbelo, (English and Philosophy, Politics, & Economics)

• Teacher Mentor: Elizabeth Stocklin, Hammond High School, Columbia, Md.
• Faculty Mentor: Sara Wilder, Department of English

Alexandra Atherton (Government & Politics and Criminology & Criminal Justice)

• Teacher Mentor: Kristin Chu, Gaithersburg Elementary School, Gaithersburg, Md.
• Faculty Mentor: Amy Pate, National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START)

Anna Karan (Psychology)

• Teacher Mentor: Philip Cohen, Cheltenham High School, Wyncote, Pa.
• Faculty Mentor: Tracy Riggins, Department of Psychology, who was named a faculty mentor by a Merrill Scholar in 2019-20.

Brynn Saffer (Psychology and Social Data Science)

• Teacher Mentor: Allison Sneller, Long Reach High School, Columbia, Md.
• Faculty Mentor: Jacob Coutts, Department of Psychology

Urszula Cieslak (Accounting and Finance)

• Teacher Mentor: Maria Cavallini, Walter Johnson High School, Bethesda, Md.
• Faculty Mentor: Joseph Bailey, Department of Decision, Operations and Information Technologies, who was also named a faculty mentor by a Merrill Scholar in 2011-12, 2019-20, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24.

James Miller (Accounting and Management)

• Teacher Mentor: Michael Philip, Severna Park Middle School, Severna Park, Md.
• Faculty Mentor: Christine Schaaf, Department of Management & Organization and Marketing

Victoria Rush (Marketing and Operations Management & Business Analytics)

• Teacher Mentor: Ola Gerald, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Greenbelt, Md.
• Faculty Mentor: Bo (“Bobby”) Zhou, Department of Marketing, who was also named a faculty mentor by a Merrill Scholar in 2015-16.

Erin Li (Chemistry and Neuroscience)

• Teacher Mentor: Janine Sharbaugh, River Hill High School, Clarksville, Md.
• Faculty Mentor: Amanda Chicoli, Department of Psychology, who was named a faculty mentor by a Merrill Scholar in 2023-24.

Gary Peng (Computer Science and Mathematics)

• Teacher Mentor: Cristy McCloskey, Sewickley Academy, Sewickley, Pa.
• Faculty Mentor: William Gasarch, Department of Computer Science, who was also named a faculty mentor by a Merrill Scholar in 2007-08.

Benjamin Raufman (Chemistry and Mathematics)

• Teacher Mentor: Susan Vincent, Towson High School, Towson, Maryland
• Faculty Mentor: Srinivasa Raghavan, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Trung Ngu (Mechanical Engineering)

• Teacher Mentor: Patricia Glinkowski, Watkins Mill High School, Gaithersburg, Md.
• Faculty Mentor: Catherine Hamel, Department of Fire Protection Engineering

Amelia Skeers, Aerospace Engineering

• Teacher Mentor: Roger Wallace, Pomona Catholic High School, Pomona, Calif.
• Faculty Mentor: Alison Flatau, Department of Aerospace Engineering

Roman Lakner (Information Science)

• Teacher Mentor: Glenn Stergar, North Point High School, Waldorf, Md., who also was named a teacher mentor by a Merrill Scholar in 2023-24.
• Faculty Mentor: Dennis Frezzo, College of Information

Apurva Mahajan (Journalism and Government & Politics)

• Teacher Mentor: Peter Huck, Sherwood High School, Sandy Spring, Md., who was named a teacher mentor by two Merrill Scholars in 2009-10.
• Faculty Mentor: Derek Willis, Philip Merrill College of Journalism

Faith Bissen (Public Health Practice)

• Teacher Mentor: Antonio Saltaformaggio, Gerstell Academy, Finksburg, Md.
• Faculty Mentor: Kirsten Stoebenau, Department of Behavioral and Community Health

Noa Blumenthal (Public Health Science)

• Teacher Mentor: Lizette Anders, Reidenbaugh Elementary School, Lititz, Pa.
• Faculty Mentor: Bonnie Dixon, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, who was named a faculty mentor by a Merrill Scholar in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2018-19.