Four Global Public Health Scholars and a Science, Discovery and the Universe Scholar were among the students honored last month during the annual College Park Scholars citation and awards ceremony.
Kelly Biglin - Meghan Price Scholarship for Leadership and Public Service
Global Public Health Scholar Kelly Biglin ’24, a senior public health science major, received the prestigious Meghan Price Scholarship for Leadership and Public Service, which honors the legacy and promise of College Park Scholars Public Leadership alumna Meghan Price.
Biglin is enrolled in the BS+MPH Accelerated Program and working toward a Master of Public Health degree in health policy, analysis and evaluation. She is also an intern with the Global Public Health Scholars Program, an ambassador for the public health science major and has completed internships with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, I Will Survive, Inc., and Westat. She said these experiences solidified her passion for chronic disease prevention and health equity.
“I was so honored to receive this award that honors the legacy of Meghan Price, an incredible campus and community leader,” Biglin said. “Throughout my time at UMD, my service and leadership have impressed upon me the importance of mentorship and peer support. I am so grateful for my experiences as a Public Health Science Ambassador, GPH peer mentor and intern, and teaching assistant for UNIV 100 and Health Policy Federal Fellows.”
Ella McCloskey and Nikki Tajaddini - Outstanding Achievement Award
The Outstanding Achievement Award is given to students who exhibit exceptional scholarly attitudes and excelling in academics, research and other scholarly activities.
Global Public Health Scholar Ella McCloskey ’25 is a junior cell biology and genetics major. Throughout her time in the scholar program, she has served as a peer mentor and a teaching assistant for the Global Public Health Colloquium. She also worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the School of Public Health’s Public Health Aerobiology Laboratory (PHAB Lab) studying how to minimize aerosol disease transmission through Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes. This past summer, McCloskey interned at Johnson & Johnson as a scientific communications intern. She is also an editor and reviewer for the Maryland Undergraduate Research Journal, a member of the American Medical Women’s Association and vice president of her sorority.
Global Public Health Scholar Nikki Tajaddini’ 25 is a junior public health science major who is pursuing a pre-physician assistant track. She works as a medical assistant and has a special interest in maternal and child health. Tajaddini volunteers at the Weinberg Women's Health Center, a College Park clinic that aims to provide culturally sensitive reproductive health care to low-income women and their newborns. She also works with organizations that address food insecurity in the College Park community, helping to collect food from dining halls and deliver it to distribution centers.
Jhennifer Celestino-Alva, Gwen Pobee, Caitlin Price - Outstanding Citizenship Award
The Outstanding Citizenship Award is given to students who support and improve College Park Scholars through their involvement, dedication and/or leadership.
Global Public Health Scholar Jhennifer Celestino-Alva ’25 is a junior public health science major, former teaching assistant for two courses taken by Global Public Health students and a current teaching assistant for the “Families and Global Health” class. She takes pride in being a first-generation and Latinx student at UMD. Celestino-Alva is president of the Latinx Student Union, community service chair in the Latinx Pre-Health Society and a member of the Cultural Centers Steering Committee. Through these roles, she hopes to empower and promote representation of the Latinx community on campus.
Science, Discovery and the Universe Scholar Gwen Pobee ’25 is a junior public health science major on the pre-medicine track. She aspires to become a pediatrician and give back to those who have helped her. She served as a peer mentor in her program and a resident assistant in Centreville Hall - the original College Park Scholars home she lived in freshman year.
Global Public Health Scholar Caitlin Price ’24 is a senior general biology major on a pre-physician’s assistant track. She completed the Global Public Health Scholars program in Spring 2023. Price served as a community assistant and peer mentor for the program, as well as a teaching assistant for Global Public Health Scholars Colloquium. She also works as a certified nursing aide and participates in the University of Maryland Pickleball club, the UMD Pre-Physician Assistant Club and the university MEDLIFE chapter.