Retrievers of all ages (dogs included) know what it means when the sweltering summer heat and humidity begin to be replaced with the cool, crisp air of autumn. When the pumpkin spice lattes flow from the University Center and hoodies become the marquee clothing item on campus. Homecoming season is upon us.

“The energy of Homecoming and Family Weekend is what most excites me,” says Renique Kersh, vice president for student affairs. “Having an opportunity to see alumni come back and reconnect with this place that they loved so much and seeing the smiles on the faces of our parents, families, and current students is incredibly meaningful.”

Hyped for Homecoming

This year’s Homecoming promises a mix of cherished traditions and exciting new events, offering something for every member of the UMBC community. The festivities kick off on Sunday, October 5, with the student org kickball tournament and one of the university’s longest-standing Homecoming traditions, the Homecoming bonfire, which has been illuminating Erickson field since 2004. The next day, students can pick up their Homecoming 2025 shirts at Homecoming Hype from 12 – 1 p.m. in The Commons. 

The Homecoming excitement continues to build on Thursday, October 9, with two events that celebrate the heart of the UMBC experience: academic excellence and Retriever pride. Get ready to be inspired as we celebrate the passion and accomplishments of UMBC alumni, faculty, and staff in the areas of research and creative achievement at this year’s GRIT-X Talks and Reception. After the formal program, you’re invited to a special reception and showcase. Mix and mingle, learn something new, and enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres. 

“I am especially excited about opportunities to explore the intersection between the thought-provoking work of some of our faculty and the exciting impact of our alumni speakers,” says Karl Steiner, vice president for research and creative achievement. “I can’t wait to welcome them to present their work on stage.”

Following GRIT-X, head over to the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena for Retriever Madness, an old favorite making its Homecoming return to help kick off the 2025 – 2026 basketball season. Enjoy live entertainment, games and prizes, autograph sessions and meet-and-greets with student athletes, tasty snacks and beverages, and so much more. Wear your best black and gold as we celebrate what it means to be part of Retriever Nation.

“I love that our student-athletes get to play a part in the buzz and excitement of the week as we bring students, alumni, and families together in celebration of our university,” says Tiffany D. Tucker, director of athletics, physical education, and recreation. “Homecoming is a tremendous opportunity to pull the UMBC community together.”

Bring your pup!

Homecoming weekend has something for everyone, including your furry, four-legged friends (looking at you, Puppy Parade). On Friday night, October 10, students are invited to preview the carnival before the rest of the community joins the fun on Saturday, October 11. But, Homecoming is so much more than carnival rides and games. The day is packed with events from the Retriever 5K and Family Fun Run at 8:30 a.m., all the way to the men’s soccer game vs. New Hampshire at 7 p.m. 

There are plenty of Homecoming favorites returning, like the Greek Alumni and Friends Day Party, First Lego League Build, and Taste of Maryland Crab Feast. And there are a few new events sure to capture the hearts of Retrievers, like the re-imagined community breakfast.

Start your Homecoming Saturday off right with a warm and welcoming breakfast at True Grit’s, UMBC’s beloved dining hall. Also new this year, you can challenge a real chess champ outside the alumni and friends tent. Step right up and take on Gowtham Karaka, M.P.S. ’24, one of the UMBC Summer Enrichment Academy chess instructors, as he plays up to six games with six different players…at the same time! There are prizes if you win, but no shame if you lose! It’s all in the name of smart fun.

“This year, I’m excited to participate in the 5K run,” says Kersh, “and to join our families at the new wine and cheese reception!”

Homecoming 2025 comes to an end on Sunday, October 12, with the women’s soccer senior day game vs. Bryant, which includes a t-shirt giveaway for the first 300 fans. It’s the perfect way to cap off a whirlwind week of Homecoming excitement.

“I love all the Retriever energy and excitement that comes with Homecoming,” says Nate Dissmeyer ’07, information systems, president of the UMBC Alumni Association Board of Directors. “There are so many amazing events and activities.”

View the full lineup of Homecoming 2025 events at homecoming.umbc.edu.

Climate change is an ever growing concern, and at times it can be confusing to know how we can help make a difference. Sustainability practices are the key to accessible and effective progress in our planet’s health, and UMBC is dedicated to this effort by enhancing campus’s culture of sustainability, engaging and empowering UMBC’s community to get involved, and serving as a sustainability leader within the University System of Maryland and nationwide. 

Check out how faculty, staff, and students—often under the leadership of the Office of Sustainability—are going green through grants, campus installations, research, and community service projects:

Powered by the sun

UMBC received a $1.2 million solar energy grant from the Maryland Energy Administration to support solar power installations and additional sustainability initiatives on campus. The clean, carbon-free energy generated by the solar installations will meet roughly 2.5 percent of the campus’s current annual electricity demand, reducing UMBC’s carbon footprint by roughly 500 tons per year in support of the university’s Campus Clean Energy Master Plan.

Butterflies welcomed

Recently, UMBC revealed a new pollinator garden at the Center for Well-Being. Planted in June 2025, the garden qualifies as a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat and a Monarch Watch Waystation. In fact, monarch butterflies have already moved in. The pollinator garden will further promote ecosystem health on campus and bring UMBC closer to achieving the next level in the Green Grounds certification program. 

Benefitting the community

PFAS, also called “forever chemicals,” are found throughout the country in water, soil, air, food, cleaning products, clothing, and even our bloodstreams. They are linked to a range of health problems, including decreased fertility, developmental effects in children, reduced immune function, and increased risk of cancer and obesity.

Like in most bodies of water now, PFAS were found close to home in the Baltimore Harbor. Under the leadership of Margaret Siao, M.S. ’25, chemical engineering, UMBC students used PFAS samplers installed around the harbor to measure how much of the chemicals were present and identify possible sources. 

Fruitful campus connections 

As an initiative of Retriever Essentials, a faculty, staff, and student partnership to tackle food insecurity within the UMBC community has been planted. Ariel Barbosa, program coordinator for Retriever Essentials at UMBC and a master’s student in community leadership, worked hard to ready seven garden plots for crop production in an effort to provide the UMBC community essential nutrition they are not receiving from canned food alone. Namely, The Garden remains a student organization that maintains the beds near the UMBC Police Station and works to address problems such as food waste and food insecurity through service opportunities.

The slow, steady work of removing invasive species

Over several weeks in fall 2022 and again in spring 2023, Isabel Dastvan ’22, geography and environmental systems, in collaboration with Facilities Management staff, completed on-the-ground surveys, created maps of invasive species, identified the most urgent invasive threats, and determined the best ways to combat their spread. Dastvan’s work revealed that there are at least 100 invasive plant species present in natural and managed spaces on campus, which can threaten native species, reduce ecosystem functions like pollination and water filtration, and increase the chance of fires by thickening vegetation. The end result of her work, completed as a Sustainability Fellow with Climate Corps, is a 187-page, comprehensive Invasive Species Management Plan for UMBC, which continues the school’s legacy of prioritizing sustainability and stewardship of the land the university occupies.

Let’s take a walk

In 2021, a $1 million grant from the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, combined with about $1.4 million of university investment, funded a major stream restoration on campus to address deterioration caused by decades of growth at UMBC and in the surrounding community. The restoration project raised the streambed and added natural features, slowing the stream’s flow and reconnecting it with the floodplain. The project not only created and enhanced wetland and stream habitats and functions, it also provides recreational enhancements such as walking trails with stream access and connection to other existing trails.

UMBC’s commitment to earth-friendly research

Across the world, energy consumption is associated with an increased standard of living—but burning fossil fuels to produce much of that energy increases the concentration of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. 

Getting more energy from the sun could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but since the sun doesn’t always shine, we also need ways to store that energy and share it on the power grid. Three recently-hired researchers in the College of Engineering and Information Technology will build on the college’s strength in environmental research and expand faculty expertise in important areas such as energy storage.

Learn more about UMBC’s commitment to sustainability and how you can be involved.

Climate change is an ever growing concern, and at times it can be confusing to know how we can help make a difference. Sustainability practices are the key to accessible and effective progress in our planet’s health, and UMBC is dedicated to this effort by enhancing campus’s culture of sustainability, engaging and empowering UMBC’s community to get involved, and serving as a sustainability leader within the University System of Maryland and nationwide. 

Check out how faculty, staff, and students—often under the leadership of the Office of Sustainability—are going green through grants, campus installations, research, and community service projects:

Powered by the sun

UMBC received a $1.2 million solar energy grant from the Maryland Energy Administration to support solar power installations and additional sustainability initiatives on campus. The clean, carbon-free energy generated by the solar installations will meet roughly 2.5 percent of the campus’s current annual electricity demand, reducing UMBC’s carbon footprint by roughly 500 tons per year in support of the university’s Campus Clean Energy Master Plan.

Butterflies welcomed

Recently, UMBC revealed a new pollinator garden at the Center for Well-Being. Planted in June 2025, the garden qualifies as a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat and a Monarch Watch Waystation. In fact, monarch butterflies have already moved in. The pollinator garden will further promote ecosystem health on campus and bring UMBC closer to achieving the next level in the Green Grounds certification program. 

Benefiting the community

PFAS, also called “forever chemicals,” are found throughout the country in water, soil, air, food, cleaning products, clothing, and even our bloodstreams. They are linked to a range of health problems, including decreased fertility, developmental effects in children, reduced immune function, and increased risk of cancer and obesity.

Like in most bodies of water now, PFAS were found close to home in the Baltimore Harbor. Under the leadership of Margaret Siao, M.S. ’25, chemical engineering, UMBC students used PFAS samplers installed around the harbor to measure how much of the chemicals were present and identify possible sources. 

Fruitful campus connections 

As an initiative of Retriever Essentials, a faculty, staff, and student partnership to tackle food insecurity within the UMBC community has been planted. Ariel Barbosa, program coordinator for Retriever Essentials at UMBC and a master’s student in community leadership, worked hard to ready seven garden plots for crop production in an effort to provide the UMBC community essential nutrition they are not receiving from canned food alone. Namely, The Garden remains a student organization that maintains the beds near the UMBC Police Station and works to address problems such as food waste and food insecurity through service opportunities.

The slow, steady work of removing invasive species

Over several weeks in fall 2022 and again in spring 2023, Isabel Dastvan ’22, geography and environmental systems, in collaboration with Facilities Management staff, completed on-the-ground surveys, created maps of invasive species, identified the most urgent invasive threats, and determined the best ways to combat their spread. Dastvan’s work revealed that there are at least 100 invasive plant species present in natural and managed spaces on campus, which can threaten native species, reduce ecosystem functions like pollination and water filtration, and increase the chance of fires by thickening vegetation. The end result of her work, completed as a Sustainability Fellow with Climate Corps, is a 187-page, comprehensive Invasive Species Management Plan for UMBC, which continues the school’s legacy of prioritizing sustainability and stewardship of the land the university occupies.

Let’s take a walk

In 2021, a $1 million grant from the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, combined with about $1.4 million of university investment, funded a major stream restoration on campus to address deterioration caused by decades of growth at UMBC and in the surrounding community. The restoration project raised the streambed and added natural features, slowing the stream’s flow and reconnecting it with the floodplain. The project not only created and enhanced wetland and stream habitats and functions, it also provides recreational enhancements such as walking trails with stream access and connection to other existing trails.

UMBC’s commitment to earth-friendly research

Across the world, energy consumption is associated with an increased standard of living—but burning fossil fuels to produce much of that energy increases the concentration of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. 

Getting more energy from the sun could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but since the sun doesn’t always shine, we also need ways to store that energy and share it on the power grid. Three recently-hired researchers in the College of Engineering and Information Technology will build on the college’s strength in environmental research and expand faculty expertise in important areas such as energy storage.

Learn more about UMBC’s commitment to sustainability and how you can be involved.

Meet track and field student athlete Anjayooluwa “Jayo” Adegboyo ’25, biochemistry and molecular biology, who was named the 2025 Arthur Ashe Jr. Male Sports Scholar of the Year by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine. The publication sponsors the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Awards to honor students of color who have excelled in the classroom and on the athletic field, demonstrating a commitment to community service and student leadership. Jayo is a Meyerhoff Program Scholar and is excited to pursue a career in medicine after being trained in research at UMBC.

Q: What’s one essential thing you’d want another Retriever to know about you?

A: I am a student-athlete who graduated with a biochemistry major and a physics minor in the Honors College. I am interested in pursuing a career in medicine and research to solve problems associated with migraine and autism-related disorders.

Q: Tell us about someone in the community who has inspired you or supported you, and how they did it.

A: An alum and fellow Meyerhoff Scholar from UMBC about 20 years ago, and a notable professor from Duke University, Dr. Kafui Dzirasa ’01, inspired and supported me by investing in my future as a research advisor, motivator for my passions, and connecting me with people who do work related to my career goals.

Q: Tell us about what you love about your academic program or an organization you’re involved in.

A: I am a part of the Meyerhoff Scholars program and U-RISE scholar. I really appreciated how much the programs reached out to us about research opportunities in STEM related to the interests of me and my peers.

Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone who hasn’t joined the UMBC community to know about the support you find here?

A: All of the support is there, just do not be afraid to ask around. You never know who may have the answer to your question; whether it is a roommate in a different major or a faculty member in one of your gen ed classes!

Q: Tell us about your primary WHY, and how it led you to UMBC

A: I came to UMBC because of the opportunity to pursue both of my passions in track and field competition and scholarship. It also introduced me to the prospect of pursuing a career in research through the Meyerhoff Scholars Program and its affiliations.

Q: Tell us about the people who are helping you grow at UMBC.

A: My support for my WHY came in the form of familial circumstances. My twin brother has autism and is relatively non-verbal, and my dad has migraines that get progressively worse as the days go by. These issues got me interested in medicine. UMBC helped guide me on a path to successfully apply to and get accepted to an M.D./Ph.D. program at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

Q: What clubs, teams, or organizations are you a part of? What do you love about them?

A: I was a part of the UMBC track and field team, the NOBCChE e-board, a member of NSBE, and a mentor in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program’s peer mentorship program. I also tutored in the physics and chemistry tutorial centers and the SI-PASS program.

Q: What do you enjoy about your scholar program?

A: I love the Meyerhoff Scholars Program because the community is filled with people with similar goals of pursuing research in STEM. It also felt like another family, from the peers who love interacting with one another outside of the classroom to the faculty who always have an intense desire to guide us scholars on the path to realizing and attaining our career goals.

Q: Tell us more about being a student-athlete and scholarship recipient. What would you tell others who are in your shoes about UMBC?

A: These dual parts of my life were difficult to get in tuned with during college because I felt some imposter-syndrome in trying to excel athletically and academically, while at the same time as I would see the accomplishments of my peers in each realm.

Eventually, I came to embrace my dual-roles and found harmony in the balance between the two, most especially during my roughest year (3rd year) where I had to balance training and competitions every week with studying for the MCAT (the medical school entrance exam), research, tutoring, and my ongoing classwork. I built so much resilience through these experiences that I would never trade it for anything in the world.

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.

UMBC’s values and mission are what unite this community of Retrievers together. When we work in service of our students and our academic mission of inclusive excellence, it’s hard not to feel connected to the work on another level. The ongoing success of those shared efforts has been recognized once again by ModernThink’s Great Colleges to Work For survey. 

This is UMBC’s 16th year of recognition, and 14th on the Honor Roll—a distinction that goes to the top 10 four-year colleges recognized the greatest number of times in each enrollment size category.

“It is no accident that UMBC has been recognized as a Great College to Work For for more than 15 years running,” says President Valerie Sheares Ashby. “UMBC staff and faculty are dedicated to one another, to our students, and to our mission. That dedication inspires us to continually improve, to support the growth of others, and to participate in setting the course for our future. I am grateful every single day for this extraordinary community.” 

ModernThink surveys current employees, and based on responses, UMBC fell into nine recognition categories, including Mission and Pride; Faculty and Staff Well-Being; Shared Governance; Inclusion, Belonging, and Community; and more.

“Our faculty and staff are the best of the best and work to provide an environment where our students can thrive,” says Lynne Adams, associate vice president and chief human resources officer. “I am so proud of the passion and compassion that our employees continue to show each day. We come together as one with one focus and that is demonstrated in big and small ways throughout campus. It is truly exciting that our university continues to be celebrated as one of the top places to work each year.”   

U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings mark UMBC as tied for #127 among national universities, up 17 places from 2025, and tied for #63 on the list of top public schools, up 11 places. The rankings are based on a large variety of factors such as graduation rates, faculty resources, and academic reputation. 

UMBC was also tied for #86 in top colleges for veterans, evidence that the university’s initiatives to support veteran students’ success are paying off. 

“We are excited to see UMBC’s upward trajectory recognized in these rankings,” says Yvette Mozie-Ross ’88, vice provost for enrollment management and planning. “These gains reflect our strong commitment to student success, access, and innovation—hallmarks of a UMBC education that continue to set us apart nationally.”

Veteran services an example of strong student support 

Two years ago, Dennis Walker, Jr., was hired as the assistant director for adult learners and veteran student success.

UMBC being recognized by U.S. News for its efforts in serving veteran and military-affiliated students is more than just an institutional achievement, he says, but a celebration of the positive impact that new veteran-focused initiatives are having on campus. 

“With the support of UMBC leadership, I take great pride in knowing that our collective commitment is helping to ensure that these students feel supported, valued, and equipped to succeed during such a pivotal stage of their personal, academic, and professional journeys,”  says Walker.

UMBC strives to provide holistic support to veteran and military-affiliated students, Walker says. This includes help navigating their educational benefits, access to mental health resources, professional development such as resume workshops and connections to on-campus job opportunities, and dedicated events, spaces, and student organizations that offer a sense of community. 

As part of these efforts, UMBC opened a Veterans Lounge in fall 2024, where veteran students can relax and connect with each other. Each year, UMBC also hosts Veterans Week, a tradition that honors the service and contributions of veteran students and staff with a variety of fun and educational events. 

“Supporting our veteran population is not only a responsibility, but also a privilege,” Walker says. “Our veteran and military-affiliated student population bring unique perspectives, experiences, and strengths to our campus community. Their dedication, resilience, and leadership not only enrich the university as a whole, but also inspire us to continually enhance the ways in which we support them.”

Read more about UMBC’s national rankings recognition. 

Moments after the final notes of a Mozart flute concerto resounded from the walls of UMBC’s Linehan Concert Hall, the sold-out audience rose to their feet to applaud Martha Long, principal flutist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Beside her, conductor Jonathon Heyward beamed in admiration, letting the applause linger before signaling the start of the next piece. 

The BSO’s concert on September 17 served as a fitting kick off for Arts+ at UMBC, a new initiative created to uplift the visual and performing arts at UMBC and to bring the surrounding community to campus to enjoy a vibrant celebration of creativity. 

“As the inaugural performing arts event of our 2025 – 26 season, the BSO’s performance perfectly exemplified the power of the arts to bring together a diverse community—students, alumni, faculty, staff, donors, and the general public—for a marvelous shared experience,” says Tom Moore, co-chair of the Arts+ initiative and director of arts and culture. “As we build on the momentum of the BSO, it’s our intention that Arts+ events across the disciplines create similar opportunities to build a more vibrant campus community, to raise awareness of the excellence in our arts programs, and to establish UMBC as a renowned destination point for exhibitions, performances, lectures, and more.”

Impact of the arts

Throughout the year, Arts+ will explore a number of thematic areas, including Trailblazers; The Harlem Renaissance; Space, Place, and Justice; Connecting the Arts; and Artful Stories. Programming will celebrate not only work produced by faculty, departments, and centers, but also highlight student-produced pieces. Through a partnership with the Division of Student Affairs, more than 40 student events ranging from film festivals to exhibitions to music theater will celebrate the impact of the arts on the lives of our students, regardless of major.

With the support of the Arts+ initiative, alumni and student organizations are adding their artistic endeavors and passion for creativity to the campus landscape. For Jayden Rhodes ’25, design leader of the Cheeky Magpie Collective, that means helping transform the Fine Arts Building with window art on all five levels with playful shapes and colors. “We wanted to create a vibrant and energetic composition that called attention to the creativity contained within the university’s walls while also encouraging the emerging artists at UMBC,” says Rhodes, a Linehan Artist Scholar. The Cheeky Magpie Collective is made up of fellow class of 2025 design majors Gwen Knott, Jalen Boyd, Thomas Hammond, and Ni Truong.

On December 5, there will be a campus celebration of the Arts+ programming, says Linda Dusman, co-chair of the Arts+. “This is our pilot year—we’ve never done anything this big,” says Dusman, music professor, who looks forward to seeing the interdisciplinary success of the initiative, threading all of UMBC’s arts programming together more seamlessly. The end-of-fall celebration will feature collaborative performances and exhibits from each art department and center on campus. In one night, the festival atmosphere will highlight all the possibilities the arts possess. “Especially in dark times, art can bring things into focus that allow for reflecting, enjoyment, and processing,” says Dusman. She adds: “Everyone is going to be shining that night.”  

Find other Arts+ events and keep up with UMBC’s arts and culture on campus. 

Kayla Logue ’27 is a 2025 UCM intern and Linehan Scholar who is majoring in dance.

Meet Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman ’19, mathematics with a minor in economics. Anna is an award-winning Ghanaian American researcher and writer and a doctoral student studying public policy and economics at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Anna is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Boston honoree and the youngest recipient of a CEDAW Women’s Rights Award by the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women—previously awarded to Vice President Kamala Harris and former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Anna’s newest book, “The Double Tax: How Women of Color are Overcharged and Underpaid,” explores why it’s so expensive to be a woman in America and why it doesn’t have to be this way. Take it away, Anna!

Q: What initially brought you to UMBC?

A: I came to UMBC from the University of Maryland, College Park. On a large campus, I felt too much like a number and not like an actual person. I also felt, in my gut, that College Park wasn’t the right campus for the kind of growth I knew needed to happen to transition into adulthood. UMBC, at first, seemed like the right fit, but I struggled a lot to find my place and to find my voice. I didn’t immediately know what I wanted to do right away. It actually took me until my junior year to figure out the path I am on now, and even then, I wasn’t too sure! That said, the communities on this campus really became the match for the fire I feel today in the work I do. The educators, the students, and the organizations have fueled me throughout, even now as an alum.

Q: Were you involved in any student organizations at UMBC?

A: One of my favorite organizations to lead and be a part of was the UMBC chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). There’s something about being part of a Black-led organization alongside Black students that was so empowering. I was educated at predominantly white schools up until college, so between participating in NSBE, where we started new traditions like the annual NSBE pageant and launched the first U.S. conference for Black women economists, and being part of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, I felt more seen than I had in the years prior.

Q: Who in the UMBC community has inspired you or supported you?

A: There are a couple of people across the UMBC community who have made a big impact on me, but I want to focus on two people specifically: Bonny Tighe and Jacqueline King, Ph.D. ’09, human services psychology. Ms. Tighe taught my Calculus II class, which at the time was one of the most difficult courses offered for STEM majors. She and Dr. Kalman Nanes really believed that I could do hard things, and her class became a turning point for me—math was really something I could pursue in college. She’s also hilarious.

Dr. King is my soul sister, truly a kindred spirit. She is part of what I like to call my Mount Rushmore of educators. Dr. King led the MARC/URISE program, which funded my final years of college. She saw me stumble in with no plan, no purpose, and no direction, and coached me into the life I am living and thriving in today. She and I touched base weekly, sometimes just to catch up, and her guidance fundamentally changed my college experience. I owe her so much.

Q: Can you tell us more about your work as an author?

A: The work I do as a writer cuts across race, gender, and the economy, with an eye toward making the workplace a fairer place. In 2022, I published a critically acclaimed collection, The Black Agenda, which was the first trade publication to exclusively feature Black scholars and experts across economics, education, health, climate, criminal justice, and technology. In September 2025, I published The Double Tax, which explores why it’s so expensive to be a woman in America and how the individual costs women of color face become societal costs later on. You’ve probably heard of the pink tax—that additional price women pay to exist in the same world as men. Now meet the double tax, the compounded cost of racism and sexism, or the pink tax and then some. 

I am currently hosting events across the country and hope you’ll join me! If interested, RSVP by visiting my website: annagifty.com!

Q: What’s the one thing you’d want someone who hasn’t joined the UMBC community to know about us?

A: UMBC is a small school, but finding community is still the best way to make your time on campus count. I talk a little bit about my time at UMBC in my new book, The Double Tax, namely, how when I first arrived, I was so lost in the sea of ambition and among the students who seemed to have it all together. I think finding community on campus via clubs, organizations, and academic affiliations made this school feel more like home and ultimately became the driver of the success I am experiencing today.

* * * * *

UMBC’s greatest strength is its people. When people meet Retrievers and hear about the passion they bring, the relationships they create, the ways they support each other, and the commitment they have to inclusive excellence, they truly get a sense of our community. That’s what “Meet a Retriever” is all about.

Learn more about how UMBC can help you achieve your goals.