ALUMNI PROFILES 
Accolades:
The undergraduate career of Todd Michael Brooks ('03) is what every parent wishes for their child: academic excellence combined with prowess on the athletic field. During his time at St. Mary's, the Catonsville, Maryland, native majored in political science and public policy, was a Nitze Scholar and a St. Mary's Scholar, and held membership in three prestigious national honor societies: Phi Beta Kappa (liberal arts and sciences); Omicron Delta Epsilon (economics); and Pi Sigma Alpha (political science). Not allowing himself to be completely submerged in academic studies, Todd joined the lacrosse team, eventually becoming its captain. Here he excelled as well, being named to the Capital Athletic Conference's (CAC) All-Academic Team and All-Conference Second Team. His dedication and determination won him the Hampton Davey Award, which recognizes a scholar athlete, at Awards Convocation. "The memory that sticks out most to me about Todd was when I told him that he was named a two-time Second Team All-CAC," said Jayme Block, head lacrosse coach at St. Mary's. "He was so surprised that he didn't believe me at first. Todd was one of those players that really got everything that he could out of his athletic ability and he culminated his career being a two-time Second Team All-CAC conference player." When asked how he was able to handle the demands of both academics and athletics, Todd credits his ability to the education he received at St. Paul's School in Baltimore County, which he attended for 13 years. "At St. Paul's, students are expected to participate in athletics and balance that participation with a demanding academic schedule at a young age, beginning in middle school," said Todd. "Arriving home from school at 6:30 p.m., where my friends from the neighborhood would be playing basketball on my court, and having to stay inside to get work done, was typical. After dealing with a schedule like that through middle school and high school, it was easy to follow suit in college." Choosing to major in both political science and public policy seemed to be the logical path for Todd. "For the longest time, I wanted to be a Baltimore City police officer," he said. "My father was a Baltimore City Volunteer Firefighter and we used to have scanners in every room of the house. We would wake up at odd hours of the night and rush downtown to ‘catch a fire.' Being around that type of environment, a career as a police officer was something that developed at a young age. "In college, I was encouraged by various people to consider a legal career because I was in good academic standing and because I had a proven ability to write," he continued. "I applied to several schools, eventually choosing University of Baltimore School of Law." Todd is now concentrating on Employment and Labor Law in school and will be a summer associate with Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, a prominent area law firm. He hopes to clerk for a judge for a year upon his graduation from law school and perhaps then to join the firm of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston. Before graduating from St. Mary's magna cum laude, Todd also used his interest in political science for his St. Mary's Project (SMP), an intensive independent study, considered similar to an undergraduate thesis, and presented to the College in April and May. Under the guidance of his mentor, Gregory O. Hall, associate professor of political science, Todd took on a hot topic for his SMP, "The United States and the War on Terrorism." "During the summer going into my senior year (summer 2002), the topic of a potential Iraqi invasion was gaining public attention," said Todd. "[The United States] had already invaded Afghanistan and the Bush Administration had expressed its distaste for the Axis of Evil: Iraq being its number one target. My SMP took the position that no other war was justified, besides the retaliation in Afghanistan. Two weeks before I turned in my SMP, we declared war on Iraq." Todd credits several members of the faculty for their help and guidance while at St. Mary's. "I am very fond of: Bob Paul, Linda Hall, Greg Hall, Nancy Smith, and Walter Hill. Additionally, I want to thank Susan Grogan for guiding my through my 4 years at St. Mary's as my adviser and Andy Kozak for acting as my ‘second adviser,' helping me whenever I needed his support." "St. Mary's was ideal because of its location, its academic reputation, and because I enjoyed the persons involved with its lacrosse program," he said. "I enjoyed myself on visits and at the end of the day, it was a gut reaction that sent me there. I'll always be grateful that I attended!"
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