Linehan Scholars | 1st Year
Hassan is a Freshman Linehan Scholar pursuing the Acting BFA. A graduate from Baltimore School for the Arts, Hassan has studied under esteemed faculty Becky Mossing, Susan Rome and Denise Diggs, and 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 freshman dance major and Linehan Artist Scholar attending the University of Maryland Baltimore County in pursuit of a career in dance education and choreography. She has been training in multiple styles of dance for over 15 years and also has an extensive background in visual arts and music. Ashley is currently employed at Project C Studios in Westminster MD as a dance instructor, teaching multiple 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 freshman 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 is a dance major going down the pre-physical therapy path. 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. As a competitive dancer from the age of nine, this led her to attend competitions around the East Coast and perform on three cruises from 2015-2023. Cassidy attended multiple auditions including the one that landed her a spot in the UMBC Dance Department with a Linehan Artist Scholarship.
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.
Eleanor Graveline is a Freshman Linehan Scholar at UMBC. She is currently following a passion for the art of storytelling through both visual and auditory mediums, and especially the combination of both. For this reason, she’s majoring in Visual Arts with a focus on Intermedia. Her passion began to blossom while she attended the Charles C. Baum Film and Visual Storytelling program at the Baltimore School for the Arts – she became proficient with various filmmaking techniques, both physical and digital, allowing her to really hone in on her drive to create emotionally impactful pieces of art. With a secondary passion in music, she has extensive practice in finger-style guitar, and has worked as an intern for Essential Tremors, a music podcast co-owned by Lee Gardner and Matt Byers.
Camila Hidalgo (she/they) is a first-year Acting BFA with a Minor in Entrepreneurship. Her long-term goal is to become a professional cartoon/video game voice actor, plus a recording artist and stage performer. They joined the world of performing arts fairly recently, during high school, though had it always fascinated her. Before, she wrote seasonal music reviews in her spare time and has remained consistent since. They also produce songs and edit videos, being proficient in Ableton Live and Adobe Premiere. She will make the most of her time at UMBC by exploring the resources at her disposal 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 first-year student majoring in visual arts, focusing on animation at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Amaya earned her Adobe Photoshop certification in her senior year of high school. The visual arts office in Baltimore County Public Schools selected her to participate in the 35th annual high school art exhibition, where she was given an honorable mention. Working as an intern for Baltimore County Arts Guild director, Monica Herber, Amaya gained networking experience and got to know all kinds of artists. Amaya is passionate about increasing the presence of African Americans in the field of animation.
Kayla Logue majors both in dance and visual art with a cinematography concentration, and she is currently the Underclassman Representative for the Dance Council Of Majors. 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, including dancing professionally and creating films.
Grace Marsh (She/Her) is a Linehan Artist Scholar in the Acting BFA. Though she has been on stage most of her life in shows like Alice in Wonderland (Queen of Hearts), she is also interested in directing, recently directing two productions for Catonsville High School. She was the director of costumes and makeup for two years. Grace has vocally trained for five years, recently under Jennifer Viets. She has a passion for Musical Theatre and was last seen in STAR LTD’s “The Prom” production as Emma Nolan. Grace is excited to learn more about the art of acting at UMBC.
Mike Mentley is a freshman 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 (PastPort).
Nyla Ratajczak-Dickson is a first-year Linehan Artist Scholar at UMBC pursuing a Chemistry Major and Dance Major. She has studied ballet and contemporary for the past fifteen years, and after graduating high school as valedictorian, Nyla looks to acquire both an academic and artistic career. Her dance training included being coached by UMBC alum Desiree Koontz-Nachtrieb and attending Peabody Preparatory and CityDance. Growing up, she often felt she was told to decide between the arts and academics, but she is working to prove that both are achievable.
Lucas Rose (he/him) is a first-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 freshman majoring in animation and graphic design and minoring in mathematics. 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. On her journey as an artist, she met many friends and mentors who helped bring her ideas to life. She has continued to meet inspirational peers at UMBC. She looks forward to exploring graphic design and animation as she continues her artistic journey. Sydney hopes to create art that influences people to stand up for what they believe in.
Rachael Tyler is a first-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 is a freshman dance major, with minors in theatre and entrepreneurship. She has been dancing since the age of four at Kinetics Dance Theatre. Many of their teachers have attended UMBC, which encouraged Gwyneth to attend as well. She has studied many Western styles of dance, including ballet, modern/contemporary, jazz, tap, improvisation and composition. Through the student ensemble at their studio, Gwyneth has performed with professional dancers and attended events such as the Maryland Dance Alliance and Howard County Dance Festival. Gwyneth is pursuing a career in the performing arts of dance, acting and theatre, and hopes to give inspiration back to the community that has inspired her.
