The University of Maryland’s senior marshals are the flag bearers for the graduating classes of August and December 2024 and May 2025, literally and figuratively.
The 70 students, including four College of Education students, who have demonstrated the highest levels of scholarship, service to the campus community, extracurricular involvement and personal growth, will lead the procession of graduates into the main commencement ceremony on May 22, holding special banners with their schools’ and colleges’ names.
The students will be joined by Marsha Guenzler-Stevens, director of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union, and Robert Infantino, associate dean of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, who oversee the marshals program.
“You are a reminder about the power of higher education, and it always fills me with great pride to see promise being fulfilled,” UMD President Darryll J. Pines told the group at a luncheon on Friday.
Emily Berman (major: hearing and speech sciences; minor: human development) of Port Washington, N.Y., worked as a program assistant in the Department of Resident Life for three years, served as a peer mentor in the Social Interaction Group Network for All; conducted undergraduate research in the Language and Cognition Lab, studied abroad, and was a member of Mortar Board and Order of Omega honor societies. Berman plans to pursue a master’s degree in speech-language pathology.
Bryant Rivera Cortez (major: middle school math and science education; minor: disability studies) was part of the Design, Cultures, and Creativity program in the Honors College and was a member of the Gymkana troupe and a TerpsEXCEED mentor, College Success Scholars team leader, university senator and undergraduate researcher for KidWind. He has been hired as a middle school science teacher in Prince George’s County.
Natali Palacios (major: human development; minor: Spanish heritage language and Latino/a culture) of Hyattsville, Md., served as a peer advisor for the College of Education, member of the college’s Undergraduate Student Assembly, intern at its Office of Student Services and president of the Human Development Student Association. She also sat on the Senate Programs, Curricula, and Courses Committee and was president of Kappa Lambda Xi Multicultural Sorority. She was an Indigenous studies digital collections virtual intern at the Library of Congress and a human resources intern in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Palacios will pursue a master’s degree in international education policy at UMD with the goal of becoming an international student advisor.
Bella Rosner (dual degrees: psychology, human development; minor: nonprofit management and leadership) was in the Human Development Honors Cohort and earned a citation through the College Park Scholars Public Leadership Program. She served as an undergraduate teaching assistant in psychology, a peer advisor for the College of Education, and a member of the Student Alumni Leadership Council. Rosner was also a founding member and treasurer of the Human Development Student Association. She interned with the UMD Alumni Association and later worked as the program assistant for the College of Education’s Office of Advancement. Rosner plans to work as a researcher in a developmental psychology lab before applying to Ph.D. programs.
Photo: Marsha Guenzler-Stevens (left) and Robert Infantino, who oversee the senior marshals program, Vice President for Student Affairs Patty Perillo, and UMD President Darryll J. Pines (right) flank the 2025 marshals after a lunch in their honor on Friday. Photo by John T. Consoli
For the full list of senior marshals, see the article that first appeared in Maryland Today.
