Our Commitment to Terps
The Thrive Center for Essential Needs, part of the Dean of Students Office, provides both immediate assistance and long-term support through programs, resources and a strong campus network. We focus on helping students meet their most essential needs, including:
- Food security
- Housing security
- Financial wellness
- Mental and physical well-being
- Academic success
- Specialized support for first-generation students
Support Our Work
Help students meet essential needs like food, housing and emergency support so they can stay focused on learning.
Our Impact
We train campus coaches, collect food and household donations, host drives and connect students with the resources they need to thrive.
They celebrate every single thing. If you say, ‘I had a good day,’ they’re like, ‘Well, let’s have a party.’ That is something I’ve never had. The program really carried me through all my years of college with the support of my mentor, with the job they helped me find, with the consistency of them constantly checking in... It’s all thanks to them that I’m graduating.
Zohneseh Fopenawoh ’25
There’s nothing more isolating than seeing your friends’ parents carrying their suitcase into their car and knowing they have a home to go to... there are probably so many people who are going through something like this and don’t know what resources are out there. It’s not comfortable to talk about, but you can get a lot done by taking that step and putting your hand out and asking for help.
Katie Baron '25