Talmesha Richards, a second-year
grad student in the Department of Cellular and Molecular
Medicine, is busier than usual this term. She’s
out in the field—as a Ravens cheerleader.
Richards’ experience on
the dance team at UMBC gave her the edge when competing
against some 250 hopefuls for a seat on the 54-member
cheerleader squad. At UMBC, Richards was a Meyerhoff
Scholar who majored in chemical engineering and math
and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 2004.
Now she works in a breast cancer
lab directed by oncologist Nancy Davidson, herself
a Ravens season-ticket holder. Richards practices
two nights a week, either at Ravens’ training
facility in Owings Mills or a gym in Millersville.
She’s part of the dance squad, not the stunt
squad. “I’m just a dancer. I like to stay
low to the ground.”
