Linehan Scholars | 4th Year
Hassan is a junior Linehan Scholar pursuing an Acting BFA. A Baltimore School for the Arts graduate, Hassan has studied under esteemed faculty Becky Mossing, Susan Rome, and Denise Diggs. He has had personal vocal training with esteemed baritone Robert Cantrell. Hassan has had the pleasure of playing lead roles in various contemporary productions like Listen to My Heart, Peter and The Starcatcher , and Rent, as well as classical productions such as Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and Cymbeline. Hassan owes much to the Maryland State Boychoir, of which he has been a member since 2011. In the future, he plans on furthering his education in vocal arts, acting, and dance.
Ashley Baer is a dance major and Linehan Artist Scholar attending the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in pursuit of a career in dance performance, dance education, and choreography. She has been training in multiple dance styles for over 15 years and has an extensive background in visual arts and music. Ashley is currently employed at multiple dance studios in Maryland as a dance instructor, teaching classes ranging from beginner to advanced, and has a passion for working with children. Community and empathy in an artistic space are values that she finds very important because of the influence others have had on her during her artistic journey.
Jillian Casey is a junior majoring in graphic design and minoring in entrepreneurship. She began her artistic journey as a small child; her lifelong passion for visual arts led to her discovery of graphic design and digital arts during high school. Jillian has interned as a designer at a local marketing and branding agency. She creates freelance graphic design and content for businesses, community organizations, and clubs. Also, Jillian served as her high school’s National Art Honor Society vice president for two years and the school Mural Team captain for three years. Jillian hopes to secure a career in the northeast, working for a graphic design firm. She also plans to continue drawing and painting for fun in her spare time.
Cassidy Cipolla Milchak is a dance major and Linehan Artist Scholar at University of Maryland Baltimore County. Cassidy graduated from Hammond High School, where she was captain of the Senior Dance Company, a Junior Dance Company mentor, and was involved in many dance-related events in and outside the school. She is a current alumna of her longtime dance studio, Stars Studio where she has been a staff member since 2022. She is also going into her second year being one of the newest members of the Kinetics Dance Theater faculty. Cassidy has amazing opportunities in college for both performance and choreography. She performed in many showcases with UMBC Dance Department, and performed for principal ballerina, Misty Copeland. Her first college choreographed work, Avoidant, got accepted and performed in the Eastern Shore Arts Festival for the Carol Casio Fund. During Cassidy’s third year, her choreographed independent study performed at the 2026 American College Dance Association conference. Outside of classes, she spends her time seeking classes and workshops around the DMV area and New York City.
Sae Egoshi is a digital artist based in Maryland studying animation and photography at UMBC. They are an Adobe Certified Professional in multiple Adobe softwares including Photoshop, Illustrator, Animate, After Effects, and Premiere Pro. Egoshi has displayed their work in the Howard County Board of Education and the Mall in Columbia. In high school, they took courses in multiple mediums and fell in love with exploring and intertwining different art methods. They hope to combine different skills from other types of visual art to create something entirely new.
Makenna is studying Visual Arts at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. She is pursuing a B.F.A. in Visual Arts, with a concentration in Animation and Graphic Design, and an Art teaching certification. While in high school, Makenna was President of the National Art Honor Society. One of her most significant projects was teaching students how to make baby hats for the local NICU unit. Makenna is a certified professional in Autodesk Maya, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, and a certified Adobe Video Designer. In her free time, she loves to craft. Besides digital equipment, some of her favorite mediums to work with are alcohol markers, vinyl, yarn, and textiles.
Camila Hidalgo (she/they) is a third-year Acting BFA with a Minor in Entrepreneurship. Her long-term goal is to become a professional cartoon/video game voice actor, recording artist, and stage performer. They joined the world of performing arts fairly recently, during high school, though it always fascinated her. Previously, she wrote seasonal music reviews in her spare time and has continued to do so consistently. They also produce songs and edit videos, as well as being proficient in Ableton Live and Adobe Premiere. She will make the most of her time at UMBC by utilizing the resources available to her to further her goals.
Ethan Lam is a Linehan Scholar at University of Maryland, Baltimore County studying Music Technology. He has spent ten years playing classical piano, but took the opportunity during the pandemic to explore other arts such as jazz piano, singing, acting and composition. Over the course of his journey, he was also exposed to many different genres of music and communities which broadened his worldview and inspired him to create music that will enthrall and inspire listeners. Ethan aims to learn as much as he can, meet many new people, and use his experiences gained in order to perfectly encapsulate his thoughts and feelings within his music.
Amaya Levine is a fourth-year student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), majoring in Animation with a minor in Information Systems. She currently works with the Department of Information Technology at UMBC, where she and her team received a Gritty Award for their work converting more than 170 reports to Tableau. With experience in Tableau, SQL, and Python, Amaya enjoys transforming complex data into engaging, accessible, and easy-to-understand visualizations. She also brings a creative background to her technical work, with an Adobe Photoshop certification and experience using Adobe After Effects, Maya, and other digital media tools. Amaya hopes to combine her skills in technology, data, and visual storytelling to make information more engaging, accessible, and understandable. Her goal is to bridge the gap between data and creativity by using visualization to help people better understand and connect with information.
Kayla Logue majors in dance with a minor in cinematography, and she is currently the President for the Dance Council of Majors. Kayla also works as a tour guide, and interned for University Communications and Marketing at UMBC. Her education in the arts began with various summer classes, dancing and competing with her home company, as well as attending the Academy for the Fine Arts, a pre-college program. What Kayla loves about art is how, as the artist creates their work, viewers can interpret the piece in their own way and gain what they personally need. Kayla aspires to work professionally in ways that enable her to combine her dance and art identities.
Grace Marsh (She/Her) is an interdisciplinary theatre artist from Baltimore, MD. As a Linehan Artist Scholar at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, she is pursuing a BFA in Acting alongside a minor in Arts Entrepreneurship. Grace has experience across theatrical disciplines, including performance, directing, stage management, costumes, and art administration. Most recently, she was the Company Management Apprentice at Theatre Aspen in Colorado. She is committed to a lifelong career encompassing every aspect of theatre, from hanging Source 4s to scheduling meetings to bowing onstage.
Mike Mentley is a junior at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), majoring in Visual Arts with a concentration in Cinematic Arts. His long-standing passion for film, especially science fiction and fantasy films, is his primary motivation for choosing this major. This love was triggered by his viewing of the original Star Wars trilogy (1977-83) and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03) when he was seven. Since 2022, he has been employed at Make Your Mark Media, Inc., a 501(c)(3) film studio in Downtown Annapolis that specializes in historical documentaries, operates the City of Annapolis’ TV Station (COA-TV), and runs the Annapolis History Wiki.
Nyla Ratajczak-Dickson (She/Her) is a third-year Linehan Artist Scholar at UMBC pursuing a Dance Major and a Philosophy Major. She has studied ballet and contemporary for the past seventeen years, and after graduating high school as valedictorian, Nyla looks to acquire both an academic and artistic career. During her time at UMBC, she has been awarded an Undergraduate Research Award and is the current secretary for the Dance Council of Majors. Nyla aims to utilize her studies to gain a position in a contemporary dance company after graduation.
Lucas Rose (he/him) is a third-year Linehan Artist Scholar at UMBC majoring in cello performance. He began studying with Professor Gita Ladd in his senior year of high school, kickstarting his musical journey at UMBC as a chamber player with the UMBC cello ensemble. Previously, Lucas fulfilled the role of principal cellist for Young Musicians of Baltimore from 2020-2022. He was also co-principal during the Chamber Week summer intensive for strings at the Peabody Institute. Recently, Lucas has participated in the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra. He is looking forward to solidifying his cello technique and personal style within a professional career.
Sydney Spradlin is a senior majoring in graphic design and double minoring in mathematics and photography. When Sydney was two, she would draw on a long roll of paper spread across the floor. She developed a love of expressing herself through drawings. Sydney served as secretary of Linganore High’s National Art Honor Society and was awarded a NAHS scholarship. Her sophomore year at UMBC, Sydney took on the role of mentor for the VPA LLC, where she inspired and guided freshmen as they navigated their first year of college. In addition, Sydney is a member of the hackUMBC design team and works as the office assistant and graphic designer for UMBC’s Chesapeake Hall. She recently joined the Student Events Board as a graphic designer as well, and is serving as the curator for the Linehan Gallery this year. Finally, Sydney is the graphic design intern at Music Reading Class, a small startup that aims to make music education more accessible to children. Sydney hopes to create art that influences people to stand up for what they believe in.
Rachael Tyler is a third-year cinematic arts major with a double minor in Korean and Entrepreneurship. She attended Baltimore School for the Arts in the visual storytelling department before starting at UMBC. Rachael has worked on various film sets as a camera and production assistant. In 2023, for her senior capstone project, she wrote, directed, and edited her own short film called Cold Water. Rachael’s passion is to make films that people can relate to and not feel ashamed of themselves.
Gwyneth Watson (They/Them) is a 4th-year Linehan Artist Scholar at UMBC studying theatre and dance, with a focus on movement directing. They have been involved in several productions in recent years: notably performing in Artistic Conversations with Misty Copeland (UMBC ‘24), In the Darkest Forest (UMBC ‘25), and Voyages Chapter 7: Submerged! (‘25) at the National Aquarium. They have also choreographed several works including Simultaneity (UMBC ‘24), Symbiosis (KDC ‘25), and Carsonize (‘26) for the inaugural IMPACT Lab at the Voxel. Gwyneth has directed, choreographed, and edited several dance films, including producing Sunflowers (‘26) as part of an Undergraduate Research Award. They are a disability advocate who aims to elevate themes of identity and activism in their work, and thrives in interdisciplinary/exploratory arts environments. Instagram: gwyneth_performingarts
