The Women's Center exists to assist all women in achieving their full potential in education, career, and personal life through academic and intellectual growth, professional development, and personal empowerment. One of the ways we work to achieve this mission is in our support services and programs for Returning Women (undergraduate students over the age of 25). The Women's Center supports these students through a peer mentoring program, targeted events and forums, and scholarship opportunities. If you’re interested in learning more about the Returning Women’s meetings or scholarships, contact us at womens.center@umbc.edu. 

Who are you? 

I am a transfer student studying Social Work with a Psychology minor. I am a mother to my 9 year old son and I work at the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Community College of Baltimore County Essex Campus.  I was a stay home mother before I decided to go back to college. I like to dance, read and watch documentaries -- PBS/WETA is my favorite TV station. I like to travel and I try and visit a new state/country every year with my son. 

What benefits have you experienced as part of the Women's Center's Returning Women Students programming?

It is not easy as a first year student at UMBC.  But being part of Women’s Center, I have been able to transition better than I had thought. Everyone has been helpful and this has reduced my stress level as a new transfer student. The scholarship awarded has helped me tremendously, financially and emotionally as I do not have to worry about my finances. Meeting other members who have the same struggles as me has made me realize that I am not alone and this has helped me fit in.

What do you wish traditional students knew about being a non-traditional student?

We may have used a different path but we are striving for the same goals—to succeed and have a better life, economically. I may come to class with untidy hair or mismatched shoes, but this could be because I was up all night with a sick child and at the same time trying to finish my school work. I am not always untidy.

What do you wish professors and the university knew about being a non-traditional student?

I would like them to know that when I miss a class or I am late for class it is not because I choose to. Sometimes I am late for class as I had to pick and drop my son home from school before running to class or when I miss a class my son is home sick and needs my attention. Another example could be a supervisor wants me to stay longer at work despite knowing I have another commitment: being in class. Being a single parent has its challenges but I have a passion to learn from you. 

What is one piece of advice you would offer to new non-traditional students at UMBC?

Get involved as much as you can with the organizations and clubs. Don’t be nervous to ask for help from your professors and students who have been at UMBC longer. Relax a bit and do not be nervous to participate in class just because 97% of students are traditional students, we learn better from participating in class. 

Need assistance with a resume, cover letter, or have quick questions? Stop by during our drop-in hours!

Seniors: Employers do their heaviest recruiting from October to May!  Start updating your resume today so you can be the top candidate!

Juniors and sophomores: Update your resume and cover letter with all of your accomplishments for internships, research, and part time positions.

Freshman: Welcome to UMBC! A college resume is quite different from a high school resume! Come drop in at the Career Center for some tips and advice.

Even if you don’t think that you have anything to include on your resume, come in anyway.  We can help you put together a resume based on your life experience and transferable skills.

Hours:

We offer 15-minute drop-in appointments Monday-Friday from 2-4 PM for quick resume critiques, on-the-spot job search advice, and an overview of services.

Please bring a hard copy of your resume or cover letter for review, upload the document to UMBCworks or have it accessible using the Internet so you can print the document in our reception area. Drop-in appointments are taken in our main office, Math/Psych 212, on a first-come, first-served basis with the last drop-in taken at 3:45PM.

We also offer assistance with resumes, cover letters, and quick questions in The Writing Center on the first floor of the Albin O. Kuhn Library on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6-8 PM.

If you are not available during these hours, you can schedule an appointment: online using UMBCworks, call our office (410-455-2216), or stop by our office (Math/Psyc 212).

The Resume: Your 15-Second Chance to an Interview

If you are applying for internships or jobs, you will need a well crafted resume. Carefully crafted resumes are your key to obtaining invitations to interviews. 

Resumes should be tailored to the positions for which you are applying. Employers use resumes to judge qualifications and skills as they relate to the available position. 

A resume can be considered a brief commercial. The goal of a resume is to convince the reader to invest in what you have to offer.

Parts of a Resume: Contact Information, Education, Course Projects, Work Experience, Special Skills and Training, Professional Memberships, Publications, Presentations, Activities, Military History, Honors/Awards, Travel/Study Abroad Interests

For samples and more information: View Pages 10-23 of the Career Development Guideand http://www.careers.umbc.edu/skills/resume/.  Additional samples can also be found on our Career Paths website                                

Cover Letter

A cover letter is required whenever you are not present to personally introduce your resume, unless the employer specifically states that they do not want cover letters.

Employers want to see how you are able to communicate through the written word and this is your first opportunity to show them your abilities and to make the best first impression possible.

The cover letter provides you with the opportunity to introduce yourself, express your interest in a position, offer extra details, and show your personality.

Parts of a Cover Letter: Why You’re Writing, Why Hire Me, Next Step.

For samples and more information: View pages 25-26  of the Career Development Guide

If you need help with getting ready for your job search, don’t hesitate. Stop by Career Services today. We’d love to see you there.

On September 18, students from UMBC’s Graduate Cybersecurity Program joined others from Penn State, Penn State Harrisburg, and the Dickinson College of Law at the U.S. Army War College’s Center for Strategic Leadership and Development to participate in a scripted wargame considering the strategic aspects of cybersecurity during the 2014 Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence Symposium.

Students were provided the opportunity to be decision makers in one of six entitites ranging from DHS, DoD, and DoJ to state government and private sector organizations. The morning scenario required students to ascertain the roles and responsibilities of “their” agencies/organizations, their capabilities and liabilities, and decide who they should collaborate with to ensure that appropriate actions were taken and actionable information was conveyed appropriately. During the afternoon session, students considered whether acts of war were committed, decided what the appropriate steps were to counter those acts, and which agencies should be in the lead. The day concluded with a plenary session where each student group discussed their approach to the real-world scenario faced that day.

UMBC graduate cybersecurity students taking part in the event include Mark Lewis, Charles Swassing, Rina Chios, Chris Day, Sara Purdum, Michael Sterrett, Kristian Behel, and Joe Kirik (not pictured).

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UMBC’s involvement was coordinated by CYBR faculty member Bill Waddell, who is the Director, Mission Command and Cyberspace Division and General George S. Patton Chair of Operations Research and Analysis Center for Strategic Leadership and Development at the US Army War College.

SWE will be hosting it's second general body meeting, Wednesday September 24th at 12pm during free hour in UC room 115. This week we will be discussing women in STEM majors vs. men in STEM majors and the outreach projects we have in store!  Make sure to come to this meeting if you signed up to be a SWE big or little because we will be announcing the pairs. If you are still interested you can sign up via application on myumbc (please do so by Tuesday night). In addition , announcements about a tour at MedImmune will be given at the end of meeting, so make sure to stop by for more details.

When I was asked if I would be interested in joining the Women’s Center staff, my first reaction was, “HELL YES.” The Women’s Center had very quickly become my favorite place on campus, and I was excited to jump on the opportunity to be a part of something that had been such a positive addition to my life. Last spring was a great time for me. I got more involved. I joined the Queer Leadership Council and the LGBT Campus Climate Workgroup. I was elected Outreach Coordinator for Freedom Alliance and Director of Public Affairs for GWST COMM. Recommendations, internship opportunities, and leadership roles were flying at me and it was great to feel like my skills were desirable.

How might male privilege show up in women-focused spaces?

But the more I thought about it, the more suspicious I became. How much of this have I actually earned? Aren’t there other people who are much more qualified than me for these jobs? How must my classmates feel about a freshman showing up and taking over? Am I taking over? How does privilege play into this? Do I even belong in these spaces? I have been thinking about these questions for months and I want to take this opportunity to reflect on what it means to be a male-identified staff member at a women’s center and the complicated combination of male identity and queer identity.

I think a lot of trans guys and people of trans male identities forget that even though some of us may have once identified as women or are sometimes read as women, we still have male privilege. Despite our queerness and the bureaucratic level problems we face with documentation or health care, there is still a place for us on the glass escalator. Now, this is not true for all of us– trans men of color, gender nonconforming trans men, or those who do not easily or readily “pass” (when one fits the standards of what a man or woman looks like well enough to not have their gender questioned) have a much more difficult time with this. For the sake of this post, when I say “trans men” I specifically mean trans men like me: white, medically transitioning, “passing” men.

My biggest struggle has been figuring out a way to see how my privilege has given me advantages in my life while also remembering that I actually did earn some of it. It’s a balance between knowing when to be proud of myself because I’ve earned something and knowing when I’ve been given something. I’m still trying to figure out how to contribute and participate in feminist and women’s movements without riding the glass escalator to the forefront. I’m learning to listen more than I speak and to support the efforts of others to liberate themselves rather than leading their liberation.

As for the Women’s Center, I think I will always be questioning and changing how I fit into my role here, just as women’s centers have changed since their first appearances in the 1970s. Women’s centers are still women-focused spaces but have branched out to include women of color and LGBTQIA women and people. Many women’s centers (including ours) have even started looking at toxic forms of hegemonic masculinity and how it affects women and men alike.

I belong here for now. My roles and responsibilities will change as the needs of my communities and the communities I support change, and I am still learning. I welcome feedback and criticism from community members– after all, you are why I’m here.

October is Relationship Violence Awareness Month, and here at UMBC we take relationship violence prevention extremely serious. There is an entire month's worth of great events and programs happening during the month of October and we hope that you will support our campus by being present at some of them. 

If you have questions about any of the listed events or about relationship violence resources, please contact Jess Myers, Women's Center Director, at jess.myers@umbc.edu, 410-455-2714 or myself, Mickey Irizarry, Health Education Coordinator, at pirizarry@umbc.edu, 410-455-3752.