Everyone who steps foot on our campus hears about famous UMD alum like Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google; Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets; and Kevin Plank, founder of Under Armour. But here are a few people you might not realize you share the honor of being a Terp with.
1. Mark Schwahn, creator of One Tree Hill
Major: TV/Radio/Film
How UMD affected him: “I can’t tell you how many characters and how many lines of dialogues I used from those days, from people I was around that had such interesting points of view that I never would have known had I not gone to college.”
2. Giuliana Rancic, host of E! News
Major: Journalism
How UMD affected her: Rancic grew up in Bethesda, just a few minutes away from the University of Maryland. Before college, she didn’t care much for school, but “it was when [she] got to college that [she] said, ‘Oh! This is what it’s all about.’ And then [she] became an A student. [She] studied journalism in college and that’s what really kicked it into high gear for [her].”
3. Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
Major: Criminal Justice
How UMD affected him: Kinney drew a comic strip called "Igdoof" for The Diamondback while at Maryland. “[Igdoof was] a really awkward looking freshman with a huge nose and huge ears, but he had three strands of hair on top of his head… A lot of the DNA of my ‘Igdoof’ cartoons … have made their way into my Wimpy Kid books.”
4. Bob Basham, co-founder of Outback Steakhouse
Major: Business Administration
How UMD affected him: Basham became a member of Sigma Chi while at Maryland. After graduating, he began working at his brother’s restaurant in Washington, D.C. And the rest is history.
5. Torrey Smith, Baltimore Raven’s wide receiver
Major: Criminology and Criminal Justice
How UMD affected him: Smith has said he had a great college experience (it’s UMD, how could he not?!). He even still attends sports games when he can, and was a guest judge at a Delta Gamma philanthropy event last spring.
6. Al Carey, CEO of PepsiCo
Major: Government
How UMD affected him: “My experiences at this university definitely affected my career. This school prepared me as a leader I had the opportunity to get a great education. My advice for you is to take on many activities in addition to your studies – It was good training for me to learn to balance multiple things at once and it has definitely helped me in my career to be able to multitask well.”
So the next time you're doubting whether your time here at UMD matters, just remember: being a Terp means you're in good company.
