Never Giving Up, with Adith Thummalapalli ‘20

By Spencer Friedman '22

This class of 2020 alumnus does not see his disability as an obstacle. He spent his time at UMD advocating for others like him. 

Why UMD?

Adith Thummalapalli ‘20 is from New York City, but spent his whole life on the Eastern Shore in Salisbury, Md. An engineering student, he realized that there were few engineering-centered universities when he was applying to colleges. Upon visiting UMD, he attended a basketball game and became enamored with the student culture. Thummalapalli could easily envision himself spending four years in College Park. The in-state tuition and high caliber engineering school were ultimately too good to pass up.

What clubs and organizations were you involved in at UMD?

As a first year student, Thummalapalli worked as part of an anonymous peer counseling hotline for Terps. The hotline was a place where people could just talk about what was on their mind, and  Thummalapalli thought it was a great way to give back to the community. He formed a great group of friends there. 

Additionally, Thummalapalli helped start the student advisory committee affiliated with the President’s Commission on Disability Issues (PCDI for short). As someone who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Thummalapalli worked hard on disability advocacy and is still active on the president’s advisory board to make campus more inclusive for all types of people.

Have you picked up any new hobbies or interests since graduation?

Thummalapalli now spends his days doing something he never thought he would be able to do. Slowly but surely, he is writing a young adult spy novel. This is the genre he grew up reading, and it had always been a dream of his to become an author. 

Where do you currently work, and what’s your job title?

Currently, Thummalapalli is unemployed because the start date of his first job was pushed back to June. This summer, he will work as a technical solutions engineer at EPIC, which is a healthcare software company in Wisconsin. There, his main job will be to develop software that fits his clients’ healthcare needs. His father is a physician, so he spent his whole life surrounded by the medical field, and it’s nice to connect to his father’s line of work. 

What’s your advice for current and recently graduated terps?

“Your path is not set in stone,” Thummalapalli shares. “It’s never too late to figure out what it is you want from your life, career, relationship or whatever it is. A couple of months before graduation, I didn't think I would be getting a job at EPIC, I didn't think i would be writing a book. I had a completely different job lined up before the pandemic, in a completely different industry. It truly is never too late to find something that you love.”

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This 20-part series highlights successful University of Maryland alumni from the Class of 2020. Are you a Class of 2020 graduate? Reach out to Jessica Lee (jlee1021@umd.edu) to learn more about getting involved with your Alumni Association. The Alumni Blog connects you with the latest at UMD. Check out articles on advancing your personal and professional goals, elevating your UMD pride, and celebrating Terp traditions, legacies and accomplishments. For even more content, follow the Alumni Association on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.