All Involved

MAKING A DIFFERENCE
First and foremost, we (as in Cami, Kelsey, and Travis) cannot take all of the credit for the idea, nor for the originality, of this project.  It was entirely a team effort- we gained group members, lost group members, had study abroad trips, other projects, graduations... you name it, we went through it.  At times we did not think we would make it through to the end.  Winning the grant money was only the first step, which turned out to be the easiest part of the project.  Making action happen proved much more difficult than anticipated.  But, we did succeed and did our best to ensure that our project was fulfilled.  Today, three beautiful Retriever statues sit at various locations around campus.  For that, we are very thankful!


And, the Co-Creators are...

Camila Sotela

Cami Sotela is currently a graduate student in the applied sociology program at UMBC. She graduated in 2013 with a B.A. in Psychology and minors in creative writing and dance.  Cami is a France and Merrick Scholar as well as a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Society.  During her undergraduate career, she was involved with various service, volunteer, residential life, and campus art projects.  Her favorite aspect of TRP involved collaborating with people on campus in order to see an idea come to life!





Kelsey Krach

Kelsey Krach is a recent graduate in May 2014 with a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology with a minor in Spanish.  She was a Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar, extensively involved with several service-learning project in the UMBC community as well as many other organizations such as Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Model United Nations, and the STRiVE Leadership Retreat.  Additionally, Kelsey has done extensive research in Baltimore City about immigration and community development and served an internship with Amnesty International USA.  She currently works at Girl Scouts of Central Maryland.  Kelsey's favorite aspect of the project was project development and event planning to help bring everyone together!

Travis Bell

Travis Bell graduated in May 2014 with a B.A. in Psychology and Political Science.  He was a Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar who participated in many service and volunteer projects both on and off campus.  On campus, he was involved in a number of different organizations, including Mock Trial, Men's Club Soccer, and Musical Theatre Club.  He currently attends law school at UCLA.  For him, this project represents an important, artistic expression of the values of the UMBC community.  

The Retriever Project Committee Members:

We extend our many thanks for the help of our Committee Members.  Without all of you, our project would not have been such a success!

David Hoffman

Delana Gregg

Craig Burger

Sara Leidner 

Stanyelle Bruce

Vivian Armor

Lisa Akchin

Joseph Rexing

Yvette Mozie-Ross
Virginia Byrne 

Other thanks extended to:

Abby Fanara
Nancy Young

Chris Tkacik

Jen Dress

Greg Simmons

Phillip Cho

Meghan Carpenter

Mallorie Ortega

Kian Larinjani
Retriever Weekly Staff