John Fritz
Ph.D., Language, Literacy, and Culture
Summa Cum Laude
Hometown: Elkridge, Maryland
Plans: Continuing as UMBC’s Assistant VP of Information Technology

UMBC has allowed me to reinvent myself multiple times… I couldn’t be more appreciative or thankful for the opportunities to study my work and wear so many hats in my 21 years at UMBC.

John Fritz has worn several hats at UMBC over the last 21 years, and he credits the university with enabling him to reinvent himself and to grow through multiple careers. After Fritz began working at UMBC in 1995, he transitioned from working in public relations to information technology. His curiosity and thirst for knowledge led him to pursue his Ph.D. to study if technology, particularly the Learning Management System he was overseeing, could inform students through data analytics that help improve their academic success.

Fritz’s daughter Zoe is currently a sophomore at UMBC, and his wife Dawn earned her master’s degree in teaching at UMBC in 2008. John shares that earning his Ph.D. has been one of the most rewarding things he has ever accomplished and is proud to begin UMBC’s 50th anniversary year as both a leader in UMBC’s administration and an alumnus.

Images: UMBC’s outdoor pool, where throughout his time as a student, employee, and even now as a parent, Fritz spends time swimming laps, which he says has been a great stress reliever and think tank to sort through issues and opportunities. Photos by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

DeeAnn Spicer
B.A., Philosophy
Magna Cum Laude
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Plans: Associate Program at the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT)

The professors at UMBC, specifically in the philosophy department, have been very encouraging and supportive of my goals. They have brought many opportunities to my attention and have provided the resources I needed along the way. Because of my professors, I was able to attend two summer institutes at UCSD and MIT for philosophy majors who plan on going to grad school. These institutes were invaluable.

As an exceptional philosophy student, DeeAnn Spicer has won several prizes in her field, including both recognition from UMBC and nationally competitive honors. Spicer received the Mary Akaras Book Scholarship Award in 2015 and the Evelyn Barker Book Prize from the philosophy department in 2015 and 2016. She won full admission and full funding to the UC San Diego Women in Philosophy Summer Program in 2014 and to the Philosophy in an Inclusive Key Summer Institute (PIKSI) at MIT in 2015. She has also served as a PIKSI Ambassador since 2015, speaking to philosophy majors, undeclared students interested in the major, and philosophy clubs about the summer institute experience.

Spicer has achieved all of these honors, and maintained an impressive academic record, all while working full-time throughout her undergraduate years. Spicer grew up in Trinidad with her family from 1993 through 2001, and moved to Maryland as a high school student. After graduation she will participate in the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT) Associate Program. IRT was designed to increase the number of minority students “pursuing advanced degrees for teaching, counseling and administrative careers so the pool of potential faculty members at both the K-12 and university levels will become more diverse.” Associates are selected through a rigorous application process and are offered extensive counseling and assistance in negotiating the graduate school application process. Spicer will apply for PhD programs in philosophy this fall.

Image: The Performing Arts and Humanities Building at night, where Spicer spent many late nights studying. Photos by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

Essence Fredericks
B.S., Financial Economics
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Plans: Audit position at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLC

[UMBC] has provided all the tools to help better equip me for my future and has also allowed me access to numerous internship and service opportunities to help me prepare for my future.

Essence Fredericks has taken full advantage of her time at UMBC by pairing her two passions: excelling in the classroom and on the track. Fredericks’ academic honors include Honors College membership, a Dean’s Scholarship, T. Rowe Price Scholarship, and multiple dean’s list honors.

As a member of the Women’s Track and Field Team, she competed in several America East Championships in the 500m, 800m, and the 400m hurdles. She was also a standout at other events including the ECAC Championships, George Mason Invitational, and Sykes & Sabock Challenge.

Through internship and service opportunities, Fredericks developed a strong skill set to become highly prepared for a career in financial economics. After graduation, she will begin a full-time audit position at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLC, a leading multinational professional services network.

Images: The track at UMBC, where Essence says she was able to pursue her dreams each day and develop memories and friendships that will last a lifetime; photo courtesy Essence Fredericks. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Cheyenne Smith
B.A., Psychology; B.S., Biological Sciences
Magna Cum Laude
Hometown: Ellerslie, Maryland
Plans: AmeriCorps Community Service Learning Fellow, The Choice Program at UMBC

I firmly believe that the experiences I have had as an undergraduate are unique to UMBC due to the commitment to diversity, involvement, and community engagement.

Cheyenne Smith is committed to addressing the education gap in urban communities, a passion she developed through UMBC leadership positions and internship experiences. Smith worked as a program assistant for the Baltimore RISE Fellowship Program and a service learning intern for The Shriver Center at UMBC. She credits the center for exposing her to a career path that she hadn’t considered before by helping her forge deep ties to Baltimore communities.

Smith also served as president of UMBC Mock Trial and led the team in two consecutive bids to the American Mock Trial Opening Round Championships and first prize in the inaugural Charm City Classic Mock Trial Invitational. She is active in numerous campus organizations and has been recognized through the Samuel I. Rosenberg Fund Award, President’s Fellow Award, and France-Merrick Service Scholarship.

Following her passion to serve the Baltimore community, Smith plans to join The Choice Program at UMBC as an AmeriCorps Community Service Learning Fellow.

Video: Cheyenne Smith describes her experience competing in Opening Round Championships with her UMBC Mock Trial teammates. 

Images: Cheyenne Smith with teammates after winning a bid to the Mock Trial Opening Round Championships for the first time in school history; photo courtesy of Cheyenne Smith. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Kevin Heffner
M.A., Management of Aging Services
Summa Cum Laude
Hometown: Reisterstown, Maryland
Plans: Continuing as Erickson School Director of External Relations

The Erickson School’s interdisciplinary approach to leadership in aging services is unique. The school has helped me to address challenges in an integrated fashion, examining them from a variety of viewpoints in order to determine the best solutions to complex problems.

Kevin Heffner joined the Erickson School at UMBC in 2006 and in the past decade has built numerous partnerships, created new scholarship opportunities, and led the undergraduate, graduate, and executive education recruitment team. Currently the school’s director of external relations, he is graduating in the newest cohort of the management of aging services master’s program.

Heffner is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society and earned a 4.0 GPA. The M.A. program in management of aging services has taught him to approach complex problems in an integrated and interdisciplinary fashion by studying them from a variety of viewpoints. With his graduate degree, Heffner would like to make the Erickson School at UMBC “the most significant agent for leadership development and change, anywhere in the word, in the growing field of aging services.”

Images: Kevin Heffner pictured with the most internationally diverse cohort in the Erickson School’s history, with students from India, Pakistan, Honduras, Ghana, Nigeria, and the U.S.; photo courtesy of Kevin Heffner. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.