Finding Fulfillment in Volunteerism on the Hill

Home / Forming Community and Career Connections / Finding Fulfillment in Volunteerism on the Hill

WHY ALUM OF THE YEAR NUPUR PAREKH FLYNN ’94 THINKS THE SKY IS THE LIMIT FOR McDANIEL STUDENTS

Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and 2025 Alum of the Year Nupur Parekh Flynn ’94 says that generosity is simply a part of her DNA. Whether that’s through her service on the McDaniel College Board of Trustees from 2007 until 2011, her work with United Way of Central Maryland, her tenure as a trustee of the Baltimore Museum of Art, her stints coming back to the Hill as a guest lecturer, or serving as a mentor for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge, Flynn says that giving back in whatever ways she can “is just the most fulfilling part of life.”

Flynn is the founding owner and CEO of Nupur LLC and the inventor of BAGCEIT®, a portable seat for purses and bags of all types designed to keep them off the floor and unsanitary surfaces. The recipient of the 2020 Alumni Community Service Award, Flynn remains committed to giving back — both to her community and to McDaniel students. She was named the college’s 2025 Alum of the Year for her commitment to supporting McDaniel’s life-changing educational mission and programming.

The most recent opportunity Flynn had to see this firsthand was at the 2025 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge, where she served as the alumni mentor for senior Sana Askari. Askari is a Political Science, Business Administration, and Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies major from Ghazni, Afghanistan. Her pitch was for Esheel, a social enterprise that supports women refugees by providing employment opportunities through their skill in creating hand-embroidered scarves and earrings, using embroidery techniques indigenous to and deeply rooted in Hazara culture.

Flynn recalls being “blown away” by Askari’s story, poise, and passion for her work, and was thrilled to see her take home the first-place prize and tie for the People’s Choice prize at the competition, “not because of my advice, that’s for sure,” she says.

Askari would disagree with that sentiment.

“My alumni mentor, Nupur, who brings an international perspective, was especially helpful in guiding me through the different aspects and importance of registering Esheel,” Askari says. “Her insights not only strengthened my presentation but also provided valuable direction for my work moving forward. She transferred a lot of her business knowledge to me that I will cherish forever.”

I’m so excited for those of us who are going to be the recipients of this generation’s innovation, ingenuity, and fearlessness that is being fostered at McDaniel. ”

NUPUR PAREKH FLYNN ’94
FORMER TRUSTEE & 2025 ALUM OF THE YEAR

Flynn and Askari’s mentoring meetings were conducted virtually, and while Flynn could not attend the competition in person, she watched the event via livestream. She recalls being impressed by all the students competing for the top prize, marveling that they were “light-years ahead of where I was at that age. I didn’t start my own company or invent anything until I was already retired from my career in finance and in my mid-40s. These students are doing it now as young adults.”

Flynn credits McDaniel with putting the effort into connecting current students with alumni mentors who can help them find their path, but she emphasizes that in many ways, the alumni stand to gain more than the students from these relationships.

“When I volunteer at McDaniel, I hope I’m engaging to the students, but I know that I am super engaged by them,” Flynn says. “I’m the true winner in these interactions, and I’m so excited for those of us who are going to be the recipients of this generation’s innovation, ingenuity, and fearlessness that is being fostered at McDaniel.”

She looks forward to more opportunities to connect with students on the Hill, and encourages her fellow alumni to think about the ways they can give back, whether that is with time, talent, or treasure.

“To help the Reaching New Heights campaign succeed — to help McDaniel succeed — you don’t have to know what the operating budget is or what capital projects cost,” Flynn says. “You just have to understand how you can connect with your alma mater and how you can touch another person’s life by supporting McDaniel.”