Plans: M.Phil, Cambridge University as a Gates Cambridge scholar
B.A., Philosophy
Honors College, Summa Cum Laude
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Michael Young’s dual love of philosophy and science has led him on a unique path, and he hopes to one day earn a medical degree and work in medicine and bioethics. But first, Michael is headed to Cambridge University, where he will study philosophy as the recipient of a Gates Cambridge scholarship, one of the world’s most selective awards. In 2009, he was awarded an Honors College Summer scholarship to intern at Yale University’s Center for Bioethics, one of several internships and research projects he completed while at UMBC. He has presented at numerous conferences, including the National Undergraduate Bioethics Conference at Duke University in March. In addition to his academic pursuits, Michael is the founding director of Healing Harmonies, a student-run volunteer organization that organizes performances by student musicians for the elderly and sick, the president of STAND (Students Taking Action Now, Darfur), on the editorial board for Bartleby and a member of the UMBC fencing team. He volunteered as a patient and family advocate at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Emergency Department.
“UMBC offers a vast array of resources that affords each student the capacity to reach his or her potential. Here, I have been able to develop a strong foothold in the humanities while remaining steeped in the insights of science. Ultimately, this dialogue between disciplines can greatly enrich one’s perspectives, guide one to ask the right questions and prepare one to solve problems in creative ways.”