Every year, the Dresher Center for the Humanities seeks nominations for students eligible to receive the Mary Akaras Scholarship Book Award for $500 toward the purchase of texts. The student should have a minimum GPA of 3.00, should be pursuing a major in a Humanities field, should not already be receiving significant scholarship funds, and should not be in his/her final semester at UMBC.
Faculty members are asked to nominate students with a short letter of recommendation sent electronically to Kate Drabinski, Director of the Humanities Scholars Program, at drabinsk@umbc.edu. A student may self-nominate but a faculty letter is needed in support of his or her application.
Letters should include any information, including academic and professional achievements, that make the candidate an extraordinary student who would benefit from this award.
The deadline for Spring 2026 nominations is Friday, March 13.
This award was established in November 2006 by Andreas N. Akaras, Esq. and was named in honor of his mother, Mary Akaras (1928-2019). Andreas is an alumni of UMBC, having majored in Economics and Political Science. He is currently an attorney at Bregman, Berbert, Schwartz & Gilday, LLC and the founder of the Saint Andrew’s Freedom Forum, a non-profit association that promotes awareness of matters affecting democratic liberties, human rights, and religious freedom in the United States and Europe.