AACC’s partnership with the University of Maryland, College Park, brought Spencer Martin to campus after high school. “AACC transfers perfectly into their engineering program,” he said. “It was a no brainer from every category.”
He knew to expect the seamless pathway to an engineering degree, but one thing Martin found surprising was the personal development he achieved in his three years at the school.
“AACC was very much the right step for me before going on to a four-year,” said the Severna Park High School graduate. “What allowed me to grow was having the environment that gave me the space to do it. … It was a fantastic stepping stone to allow me to branch out without feeling any little mistake I made would cause big consequences.”
The financial benefit of attending AACC, paired with having support from both his existing and new communities, unlocked his ability to learn within new situations.
One thing he’s always been confident about is engineering. Martin said from a young age he’s had an interest in designing and making things, as a child often taking items out of the recycling bin and building.
Through high school he learned how his natural inclination towards Legos, cars and design could play into a career through Project Lead the Way, a national nonprofit organization providing career-focused learning, where he received more exposure to engineering.
Martin graduated from AACC with an engineering transfer degree in spring 2026 and plans to start with the A. James Clark School of Engineering at UMD for mechanical engineering this fall. He’s interested in aerodynamics and hopes to work in the auto industry.