Nihira Mugamba

University of Maryland, Baltimore County(UMBC)

Nihira Mugamba is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) pursuing a B.A. with a dual major in Political Science and Africana Studies. A leader in the community, and one with a passion for helping others, she created a kindergarten reading program "Reading to Excel" for a school in Uganda. This program focuses on improving literacy levels for these children. Nihira’s interest in educational opportunities in underserved communities expanded when she conducted and presented an independent research study titled, "Do religion and GDP per capita have an effect on education in Sub-Saharan countries in Africa?" This study and her desire to improve education systems in African countries translated into an internship in Uganda to better understand the development and implementation of education policy. She also serves as a Sherman Center/Shriver Center Literacy Fellow through UMBC where she leads and coordinates a group of UMBC volunteers at a Baltimore Elementary/Middle school and assists students within a second-grade classroom with reading and writing skills twice a week. Nihira’s interest in improving educational opportunities in underserved communities is reflected in her volunteer work, both in Uganda and the United States.

Dr. Freeman Hrabowski
President
University of Maryland, Baltimore County(UMBC)

Personal Statement

“I am a leader and a global citizen who uses both my major interests in Political Science and Africana Studies to support communities with educational disparities in Baltimore, Maryland and Kampala, Uganda. I worked to develop “Reading to Excel” a reading program that focuses on enhancing reading literacy for kindergarten students in Uganda. As a Fellow of the Sherman Early Literacy Program at UMBC I lead a group of UMBC volunteers twice a week to an elementary-middle school in Baltimore city where we work with teachers and youth to promote reading and literacy in the classroom. In addition to leading the volunteers, I also volunteer with the program, assisting a second-grade classroom. Having worked and volunteered in both Baltimore and Kampala, these experiences and cultures have played an avid role in forming both the person I am today and my future career path. In the future, I aim to support both communities educational systems by working to eliminate educational inequalities in communities with limited financial resources, and expand the academic opportunities available to them.”

Nihira Mugamba
Political Science and Africana Studies: Class of 2021
written 2020

2020 Fellows Alphabetical by Institution

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Alexander Kaye, U. of Central Florida Miyako Iwata, UC Berkeley M. Chiamaka Okonkwo, UNC Charlotte Noelia Michelle Flores González, Universidad de Monterrey Ashlyn Woods, University of Baltimore Greta Hacker, University of Central Arkansas Christian Coleman, University of Central Oklahoma Hailey Ettinger, University of Colorado Boulder Michael Hernández, University of Connecticut Claire Sullivan, University of Dayton Maggie Nelson, University of Delaware Tarun Ramesh, University of Georgia Gregoria Uroza, University of Houston-Downtown Wasan Kumar, University of Illinois at Chicago Kaitlyn Meyr, University of Kentucky Ana Benitez, University of La Verne Amanda Gardner, University of Maine at Augusta Stephanie Turcios, University of Mary Washington Nihira Mugamba, University of Maryland, Baltimore County(UMBC) Maggie Sullivan, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Danelia Ramirez Aguilar, University of Massachusetts Lowell Jendayi London, University of Miami Meredith Days, University of Michigan Lucy Grimshaw, University of Missouri – St. Louis Kortney Sims, University of Montana Dinesh Karki, University of Nebraska Omaha Alexandra Vergara, University of New Hampshire Keyri Ambrocio, University of New Haven Aryelle Jacobsen, University of North Carolina Asheville Katherine Torres, University of North Georgia Yarik Molina, University of North Texas at Dallas Cole Passick, University of Northern Iowa Evan McKenna, University of Notre Dame Justin Norris, University of Oklahoma Nisha Sridhar, University of Oregon Oluwatomisin Oyedele, University of Pennsylvania Stephanie Rose, University of Pittsburgh TJ Tann, University of Richmond Ana Trejo Aguilar, University of San Diego Evelyn Pedraza Fernandez, University of San Francisco Imani Sherrills, University of South Carolina Beaufort Patrick Mack, University of South Carolina Upstate Reylan Cook, University of South Carolina-Columbia - Columbia, SC Tyus Edmond, University of St Thomas Amber Heidenreich, University of Wisconsin - Superior Shehrose Charania, University of Wisconsin-Madison Tavyonia Davis, University of Wisconsin-Parkside Trenton Ebel, UW Green Bay
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