CCBC names Kabish Shah 2021 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year
May 14, 2021 | by Lisa Harlow | 443.840.4668 (office) | 443.610.3246 (cell)
Community College of Baltimore County is pleased to announce that Kabish Shah has been named the 2021 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. Shah was honored May 12 at the CCBC Student Life Award Ceremony, which was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Shah is a 2011 and 2012 graduate of CCBC, earning Associate of Arts – Engineering and Associate of Science – Mathematics degrees respectively. He is a project manager at The Whiting Turner Contracting Company, where he spearheaded the construction and development of several notable multi-million dollar facilities in the Baltimore-Metropolitan area, including UMBC’s Performing Arts and Humanities building, the MGM Casino and Hotel at National Harbor, and Loyola Blakefield’s Innovative Learning Center, among others.
Prior to his work for Whiting Turner, Shah facilitated and instructed robotics workshops for NExT (NASA's Engineering Exploration Training) funded by NASA's BEST (Beginning, Engineering, Science and Technology), that provided educators with NASA’s unique experimental learning opportunities, in addition to providing STEM experiences to students and high school teachers. He continues to serve as a senior judge for VEX and FRC Robotics at local middle and high school level.
“Kabish is the epitome of a CCBC alumnus. His passion and commitment to service and engaging fellow alumni is commendable, and we are delighted to recognize him as our Distinguished Alumnus this year,” said Ann-Marie Thornton, director of Development and Alumni Relations. “His exemplary volunteer service as president of the CCBC Alumni Association, in addition to his commitment to supporting our students and alumni, makes him a true model of success.”
At 30 years old, Shah, a native of Nepal who moved to the United States to pursue his dream of getting an engineering degree from an American university, is the youngest person to receive this award. After graduating from CCBC, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts – Mathematics, Bachelor of Science – Mechanical Engineering, Honors College Certificate and Master of Science-Engineering Management from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is a life member of Tau Beta Pi, the Engineering Honor Society, Golden Key International Honour Society, Pi Mu Epsilon, the National Mathematics Honor Society and many other notable honor societies
Shah not only gives of his time and resources to CCBC, but he also volunteers for numerous community organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity and Civic Works.
Throughout his career, Shah has advocated for CCBC students and alumni. As President of the CCBC Alumni Association, he continues to raise funds for student scholarships and programs, while serving as a mentor to students in the college’s Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-Tech) Program.
About the Community College of Baltimore County (www.ccbcmd.edu)
Since 1957, CCBC has opened the doors to accessible, affordable, high-quality education empowering generations of area residents to transform their lives and the lives of others. Each year, more than 50,000 students enroll at the college’s main campuses, extension centers and online to make their starts, earn degrees, launch and build careers. CCBC offers the region’s most expansive selection of degree, certificate and workplace certification programs that prepare students for transfer, job entry and career advancement in such industries as business, education, health care, information technology, cybersecurity, construction and transportation. Designated as the “Best Community College” among the Maryland Daily Record’s 2020 Reader Rankings, CCBC is also nationally recognized as a leader in innovative learning strategies and among the nation’s top associate degree producers.
CCBC is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
