Maximo Reyes-Maldonado

What made you decide to enroll at the University of Maryland?
My decision to enroll at UMD was due to my mom being sick. I wanted to be close to home. Initially, when considering schools, I was held back by the knowledge that I could not afford tuition. That all changed, when I got the call that I was selected for the Maryland Promise Program. That is the real reason why Maryland was my best choice to enroll at and being blessed by this generosity is why I will be there this fall.

What major/career path do you plan on pursuing and how did you select that path?
I plan on pursuing aerospace engineering as my major. I really like to build stuff and get around problems. I love math and science and I felt like mechanical or electrical engineering wouldn't challenge me the way I wanted. I was always interested in the biomedical field as well, but ultimately my true passion was always aerospace. I want to create something big with this and show the world that we can create things to go deeper into the ocean or travel farther into the sky or even create a plane with more speed or that can hold more people.

Activities I do outside of class or community service/volunteer activities I'm involved with:
I am a 3 sport athlete who was named student-athlete of the year at my school and conference. I also partake in the Student Athletic Leadership Council. I am one of 2 students selected from the entire school and 1 of 50 that were selected in the entire county. I also am in the Key Club, BSU as an Afro Latino, Mathletes and Student Leadership. I love everything I do, but most of all I love the mission trips I have taken part in. For the last 3 summers I went on mission trips to Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I had great experiences helping kids in need, disabled people, and homeless people. I was blessed with these opportunities, and I would love to continue to do it.

Aside from academics, what else do you hope to take away from your time at Maryland?
I want to create everlasting friendships in college and have the adventures and experiences I couldn't have in high school.

What are your future goals after graduation?
I hope to begin work on my very own project or idea. I want to really change this world by helping us as humans explore further into the unknown so that we can continue to learn new things.