University Recreation & Wellness Awards & Scholarships
We are excited to continue honoring the student leaders who demonstrate leadership in support of our RecWell mission through the Jay P. Gilchrist Student Employee Scholarships and our Kehoe-Kesler Award! Information about both awards and recent winners can be found below.
2025 Kehoe-Kesler Honoree
Kaylin Baumiller is the 2025 Kehoe-Kesler Award Winner! Kaylin is a Bioengineering major graduating this spring and is from Elkton, MD. She is a Banneker/Key Scholar in the Integrated Life Sciences Honors Program studying Bioengineering. She has worked for RecWell for several years with the Intramural Sports program, serves as the Student Chapter President of UMD's National Biomedical Engineering Society, volunteers with Johns Hopkins Hospital and UpChieve Virtual Tutoring, and is a student researcher with multiple publications. Congratulations Kaylin!
About the Kehoe-Kesler Award
The Kehoe-Kesler Award is the most prestigious award given by University Recreation & Wellness. This award is given annually to an individual who demonstrates leadership and commitment to inspiring university community members to be active and live well! Nominees should immediately come to mind as respected by their peers and dedicated to the RecWell mission. These are Active Terps who go out of their way to encourage wellness in others.
Candidates must:
- Be enrolled as a full-time (12 or more credits) UMD student in the Spring 2025 semester
- Be pursuing an undergraduate, or graduate, degree at UMD, College Park
- Complete and submit the self-nomination form (via Google Form) in full
- Receive endorsement (via Google Form) from at least one RecWell professional staff member
- Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75
What criteria will be considered for awarding the Kehoe Kesler Award?
- Full and accurate completion of this self-nomination form
- Any and all endorsements received from RecWell & UMD faculty/staff
- Demonstration of encouraging and inspiring the university community to be active and live well (including an upload with examples of work)
- Respected by peers for leadership qualities
Nomination/Endorsement Process
The self-nomination form for students and endorsement form for faculty/staff are the same Google Form. It is available here.
- All candidates MUST complete and submit the self-nomination in order to be considered for the award.
- Candidates are required to have an endorsement from at least one RecWell professional staff member and may have multiple. Endorsements should come from someone who knows the candidate well and can speak to the candidate's work to encourage the University community to be active and live well.
- Additional endorsements from non-RecWell UMD faculty or staff will be considered, but are not required.
- UMD faculty or staff may submit an endorsement for a student at any time, and we encourage you to endorse any student you believe would make a great candidate for this award!
- If the student has not yet submitted their self-nomination, we will email the student and encourage them to submit their self-nomination.
- If they have already submitted their self-nomination, we will include your endorsement with their application.
2025 Jay P. Gilchrist Scholarship Winners
The Jay P. Gilchrist Scholarship is awarded to Jai Bobal and Alexis Urbanz. Jai is a supervisor in the Bike Shop who is intentional about his work to not only fix and build bikes, but ensuring the Bike Shop is a place that encourages our community to be active and live well. Jai shared an impactful moment about being asked to repair a type of scooter he was not familiar with and working collaboratively with coworkers to fix the scooter and provide the patron (who had a broken leg) with comfort and support. This experience reinforced his connection to RecWell's collaboration, empowerment, and inclusion values. Alexis is a Group Fitness Instructor who prioritizes inclusion and holistic well-being in her classes. She has directly supported and encouraged patrons who were visibly nervous ahead of group fitness classes, represented RecWell at the Southeast Collegiate Fit Expo, and is more prepared for her career as a result of her RecWell employment by gaining experience creating community and establishing trust with patrons. Congratulations to Jai and Alexis!
About the Jay P. Gilchrist Student Employee Scholarship
The Jay P. Gilchrist Student Employee Scholarship Fund was established to provide financial assistance in the amount of $500 for tuition and books to two (2) undergraduate student employees who uphold the mission statement in their work with University Recreation & Wellness.
The scholarship fund is named after Jay P. Gilchrist, who served as the director of University Recreation & Wellness for over 30 years. During his tenure, Jay made an indelible mark on the University of Maryland campus community. Under Jay’s leadership, campus recreation became a cornerstone of student life, fostering a culture of wellness, inclusion, and student success. Jay’s dedication spearheaded the creation of innovative recreational facilities and spaces, expanded programming opportunities to cater to diverse student interests, and implemented several initiatives that enriched the educational experience and inspired the campus community to be active and live well. RecWell became, and is currently, the largest student employer on campus, which is largely attributed to the vision Jay had for student employee development where every student thrives. This scholarship honors Jay's legacy and his commitment to student success.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applicants must:
- Be enrolled as a full-time (12 or more credits) UMD student
- Be pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at UMD, College Park
- Be a current employee of RecWell
- Have been employed by RecWell for two or more semesters (began working for RecWell in September 2024 or earlier)
- Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 at the time of application
- Will be returning to the University as a full-time student in the Summer or Fall 2025 semester
What criteria will be considered for awarding the Jay P. Gilchrist Student Employee Scholarship?
- Accurate completion of this application with the applicant's own work
- Compelling, thoughtful, genuine, and thorough responses
- Endorsement from RecWell supervisor(s) [to confirm good standing on staff]