In May, architecture senior Yumeng “Mandy” Wang was honored by the Office of Undergraduate Studies as a 2015-16 Phillip Merrill Presidential Scholar. The Merrill Presidential Scholars Program honors the University of Maryland’s most successful seniors and their designated University faculty and K-12 teachers for their mentorship. The program aims to recognize and lead a strong collaboration between K-12 schools, university faculty and students through the importance of mentorship. Below, we talk to MAPP’s latest scholar about her undergraduate experience:
How did you feel when you found out about the scholarship? Surprised! I had no idea; it sort of landed in my lap. It’s an honor to be selected.
You were asked to select two influential teachers who helped guide you during your education—one from high school, one from college—one of those is Professor Madlen Simon. Why did you select her? Professor Simon was very influential in my first two years here. When you are a freshman or sophomore, you don’t get any exposure to studio at all. I didn’t really have a sense of what I was getting into. And then, I took Mady’s class, ARCH 270, and it was a really great experience into what architecture is, what design is. I reached out to her during the class and we developed this relationship; it was so helpful to have a connection to the department and she helped me understand what we would be doing over the next two years. She also helped me find a shadowing opportunity with a firm in D.C., which gave me a sense of what the whole profession was about.
What’s your primary interest in the design field? I’m really interested in the potential of computation in design. I feel like understanding how computers work and what they’re actually capable of lets you see potential implications that are underdeveloped right now. And, to start from the other side—to really understand architecture first—also lets you see what you can do. These are tools that you can take so much further.
What’s your favorite part about going to UMD? I think my favorite part is the diversity of people and what they’re doing. I was able to connect with a lot of other disciplines, students and faculty in my first two years here. I was able to experiment in makerspace, hackerspace, do a huge variety of things, which I really loved.
What did your parents say when you told them about your award? They said, “Good job! (Laughter)”