Josh Burdette Memorial Scholarship Fund

These are a few excerpts from an article honoring Josh’s memory written by the Washington Post's Adam Bernstein:

• Behind the imposing facade, Mr. Burdette was widely regarded as a gentleman and a gentle man in the role of gatekeeper. “I have a degree in psychology, so I watch people — it’s what I do,” the University of Maryland graduate once said. He sparingly resorted to toughness to resolve disputes. He prided himself on identifying troublemakers before they could act.

• Joshua Burdette weighed 10 pounds at his birth Sept. 4, 1976. Growing up in Kensington, he was urged by his father, a Methodist minister and family counselor, not to use his physical might to bully others.

  “He grew up in an environment that taught him the way the world gets along best,” Robert Burdette, his father, told the Diamondback newspaper at the University of Maryland. “At home, at school, at church...he was taught that [his size] was extra responsibility, not more privilege.”

  There were times, he said, when other boys tested him, tried to lure him into fights, even got in a few punches. He said he would grab hold of the offending boy until school security arrived.

  Mr. Burdette once said he “made a lot of choices that set me aside from general society.” They began with piercings, followed by tattoos at 21 while at the University of Maryland. He graduated in 1998 from the University of Maryland as part of the university honors program. He told the Diamondback that he earned extra cash by “basically just sitting out on the front porch of these frat parties in College Park” in case security was needed.

• Marc Roberge, lead singer of the rock band O.A.R, said Mr. Burdette “made bands like us feel welcome at a place we’d always dreamed of getting to. Sometimes when you get to a place you’ve always tried to play, they shut you down and you can really feel it. He represented the 9:30 Club with such a good vibe, they could not have chosen a better person to be a part of the history of that place.”

Josh touched so many lives through his time at Maryland and at the 9:30 Club. His friends and family hope to leave a lasting legacy through this scholarship among future generations of University of Maryland and SEE students.

Yuri Kim’s two overarching academic/professional interests are healthcare and language: she is a Hearing and Speech Sciences major and linguistics minor aspiring to attend graduate school for Audiology. She hopes to obtain her clinical doctorate and work in a hospital setting in the future! Yuri loves how her major and minor focus on how we use language, and how crucial and extraordinary our ability to communicate is. 

For the first two years of college, she participated in the Integrated Life Sciences Honors College, which gave her opportunities to connect with other students interested in life sciences and healthcare. Outside of her academic involvements, Yuri’s passion is in event programming. She has been involved in SEE since her freshman year, when she first joined as a general body member and joined the board as the Venue Director. Yuri is currently finishing out her position as Production Operations Director, and preparing to be President for the next academic school year. She is also very involved in the Korean Student Association, as she is very passionate about sharing her culture and putting on events for the APIDA community. Yuri was the Culture Chair this year, where she was in charge of planning the two biggest events for the year. She will be President for the next year in KSA as well.

Nolan Marks is an incoming senior graduating in December 2021 double-majoring in Marketing and Supply Chain Management. Nolan grew up in Severna Park, MD and, in addition to his studies, has operated his own video production business since 2015. He currently serves as Multimedia Director for Student Entertainment Events on campus and is directing the full-length documentary 50 Years: The SEE Story to commemorate the organization's 50-year anniversary. Nolan is honored to accept this award and continue his education strong.

Before I joined SEE, I was struggling to find my identity. Looking back on the first couple of months of freshman year, it amazes me to remember how disappointed I was that I could not find a community on campus to which I felt I belonged. When I remember calling my mom on the phone one night, telling her how I thought about leaving Maryland for good, I am so thankful that I stayed here to discover SEE and to let SEE help me discover my passion. I wish I could speak to that younger version of myself and tell her that the people in SEE and her experiences in the organization would push her to become a more creative, confident, and resilient person in a way that she could not have imagined at the time. Although I admit I was struggling, I was on a quest to develop something out of nothing, never resting on my laurels. Seeking a better college experience, I was itching to create, to be a part of something greater, to have an impact on my community. All of this makes me realize that without SEE, I would not have built my confidence, found my community, or most importantly, reinforced my ability to use my creativity to ignite positive change in the world.