Jazz vocalist and DC-native Akua Allrich finds inspiration from a wide range of genres old and new, including soul, rhythm & blues, and pan-African music. She has produced and performed in many successful solo and group programs, including tribute programs to Nina Simone, Miriam Makeba, and other great African American women of jazz. Akua’s most recent project, an eclectic, Afro-futuristic jazz & blues album with Kris Funn, will be released in January.

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Students were divided into groups based on their interests and unique skills (software, microelectronics, coding, programming, etc.).  Each group’s goal was to identify a problem in their lives, environment, or society, and make a prototype to help resolve that problem.   In those five weeks, the students conceived projects, designs, and future solutions.  They received access to real-time training and technology in electronics, mechanical 3-D drawing and printing, C-programming, python, computer vision, machine learning, and MQTT protocols used throughout the internet of things.  As a result of this hands-on approach, students produced working prototypes within a short timeframe that with slight modification could be scaled commercially.

Twenty-four students were accepted into the Jumpstart Summer Program, and out of those twenty-four students, only three were young women. These women in STEM included Monica Escalante, Sushma Katta, and Abigail Zhang. At time of writing, Monica was a rising sophomore at Montgomery College. Her interests included studying complex math and science. Sushma, a rising junior from Richard Montgomery, got into STEM at a young age, learning how various gadgets worked and the many ways they could be assembled. Abigail, a rising senior from Winston Churchill High School, hopes to further her studies in the field of electrical engineering. Abigail also mentioned that growing up, she always valued STEM initiatives. As she gets older, she hopes to take more hands-on technology courses, like those offered through the UMD CPSE program.


Shulman Rogers Law Firm today reaffirms its commitment to the growth of minority-owned businesses with the launch of Year Two of its Black-Owned Business Program. The Program will provide free legal support for a year to a Black-Owned business in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia (DMV) region.

Co-chaired by two Shulman Rogers shareholders, Kimberly Mann and Michael Lichtenstein, the Program is open to any business in the DMV that is at least 51 percent Black-Owned and controlled. Applications, available HERE, must be submitted no later than November 15, 2023.


Arnold grew up in almost-rural western Massachusetts, listening to his father’s finger-style guitar and folk music. He described a love of popular music, jazz, rock, musical theatre, and Motown. Originally auditioning for The George Washington University on classical piano, he later studied the upright bass with Herman Burney Jr. In addition to his instructors, fellow students (many of whom are close friends to this day) helped him to learn to play jazz, taking him to jams and hotspots where he got his first gigs. Arnold soon became what CapitalBop described as “…one of the most versatile bassists and side musicians on the D.C. jazz scene.”

Arnold’s band Sea Change was formed in February 2018 in Washington, D.C., when he was asked to lead a band at the Göethe-Institut’s Jazz in the Basement series. His 2020 debut album as a composer, Sea Change, was a finalist for jazz album of the year at the WAMMIE Awards and was named the #4 jazz album of 2020 by local jazz blog CapitalBop. Of his bandmates (Sarah Marie Hughes/saxophone, Federico Gonzalez Pena/piano, Nelson Dougherty/electric guitar, and Keith Butler, Jr./drums), he says he’s drawn to collaborators with their own personality and style, and describes them as “really sensitive and open to feedback, none of them are in a box, you know… It’s like having a family of friends. I feel really lucky that I’ve been able to maintain those connections, so that we can say something really heartfelt.”


Wiseguy Pizza is holding a grand opening party on Tuesday, October 3rd from 3-6PM for its new location in Wheaton Mall. The event will feature free slices of pizza for the first 500 customers, games, and prizes. The restaurant is located in the space that was previously occupied by Angel’s Pizza in the food court (preview video available below).

“Wiseguy Pizza recently the opened its 5th location here at Wheaton Mall, Maryland. They’re best known for their pizza-by-the-slice and their standout 18-inch “Big Apple Sized” pies, which are 65% larger than the typical 14-inch pizzas. Their menu also boasts of offering a wide variety of flavors such as classics like Pepperoni and Cheese, alongside unique flavors like Korean Chicken, Mushroom Truffle, and more.


Café Sophie (7940 Airpark Road, Gaithersburg) is a European style café with a Scandinavian influence, located at the Montgomery County Airpark. Owners Sandy & Tom decided to name the cafe after their sweet dog Sophie, who can sometimes be found greeting customers. Sandy’s grandfather & father Bill & Jim Richardson built & operated the Airpark back in 1960. “I used to come to the airpark with my dad on weekends. It was always fun to be in the air with my father flying”. Sandy is also a pilot herself! Tom was born and raised in Bergen Norway. He became a professional pilot & flew private charter flights and private corporate jets all over the US and Europe. He would often fly into Montgomery County Airpark. This is where Sandy & Tom met. As Tom puts it, “I landed one day and never took off”.

Cafe Sophie’s, Chef Asael, offers a creatively prepared menu with locally sourced ingredients. Their meats come from Wagner’s Butcher, their milk, eggs, creamer and ice cream from South Mountain Creamery, German sausages from Binkert’s, and croissants, baguettes & Cro’Gels are delivered from Fresh Baguette. They also offer up fresh baked muffins, cinnamon rolls, cookies, and European goodies, along with specialty coffees, international & domestic beers, a selection of wine, champagne, and mimosas (try the Lingonberry Mimosa). Enjoy a delicious meal while watching the planes come and go, the kids absolutely love it!


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