After hearing about Cydney Simmons’ experience, you may want to take a few minutes to build yourself a vision board.

“I remember in eighth grade we had a project where we had to make a vision board of where we saw ourselves in the next five years, and I put the University of Maryland on there. I didn’t know what I wanted to major in or anything like that, just that I wanted to attend a state school,” Simmons, a Clinton, Md. native, recalled. “It was the first school that I applied to, and really the only one I was interested in. Thankfully, I got in; I feel like I was meant to be here.”

Simmons is especially grateful for the chance to attend UMD because today, she feels that she is “thriving.” She will soon complete her CCJS Undergraduate Honors Program thesis, “Beyond the Classroom: The Lasting Impact of Colorism on the Criminalization of Black Girls.” And, she will be graduating this May with a degree in criminology and criminal justice.

Thanks to internships she had with the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services and Wendy Stickle, the director of the CCJS undergraduate program at Shady Grove and an expert on human trafficking and juvenile delinquency, Simmons already has a good idea of what kind of work she’d like to do after graduation. She hopes to work as an advocate for adults or children who’ve experienced domestic and/or sexual violence.

In addition, Simmons is also the new chair of the Dean’s Student Advisory Council (DSAC), an undergraduate committee that advises the BSOS Dean and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education on undergraduate matters. DSAC also provides a forum for student leaders to propose and launch initiatives to support undergraduates in BSOS, and offers a forum for discussion and action on matters pertinent to the UMD undergraduate experience.

Simmons initially joined DSAC as a junior, after serving as a BSOS Ambassador, an opportunity to become involved with the college while earning two elective credits.

“My reason for joining BSOS Ambassadors was because I love BSOS, and I love talking about how much I love BSOS and my major,” she said. “So when Associate Dean [for Undergraduate Education] Katherine Russell came to speak to the ambassadors about DSAC, and the description she gave was that it was for students who wanted to make an impact on BSOS as a whole, and on their major, I thought I would be able to do what I was already doing on a much grander scale, and really see changes happen.”

One of the changes Simmons is bringing to DSAC this year is “The DSAC Digest,” a monthly, blog post on the DSAC website that focuses on timely topics and brings relevant information on that topic together in one place. The first digest, published in October, centered on how to prepare for the upcoming presidential election, and midterm exam tips.

In addition to pursuing her other initiatives as chair, Simmons enjoys assisting each of the DSAC committees—academics, outreach, programming, and student services—with their efforts. Her favorite part, though, is just getting to know her fellow council members.

“In our meetings, we frequently start with icebreakers, and each icebreaker we do we learn little, new pieces about each other every time. It’s really nice to see people not always have those professional hats on, and getting to see little glimpses of each other. I really like being able to do that,” said Simmons.