Real People Profiles: Rebekah Porter

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 09:10:00 -0400
real-people-profiles

Name: Rebekah Porter

Hometown: Ellicott City, MD - childhood/Baltimore (Federal Hill) - present.

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus?

A: Recruit new students, read their applications, orient them to campus, repeat.

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most?

A: I love working with our Orientation Peer Advisors (OPAs) and seeing them grow as leaders and as individuals through this role. As an undergrad, my own OPA experience was transformational and first made me think about working at a college after graduation. It’s great seeing that happen in others. Also, they make me laugh.

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC?

A: My best experiences in college, and in life, are those that made me the most nervous/uncomfortable in the beginning. Trying out for a team, leaving for a semester abroad, introducing myself to a stranger, taking on a project that I wasn’t sure I could handle… If an idea both excites you and kind of makes you want to throw up a little, it’s probably worth doing.

Q: Complete this sentence: "I am a big fan of __________"

A: Living in Baltimore. I love being within walking distance of the stadiums, great restaurants, the Harbor, my running group, and, perhaps most importantly, Sam’s Bagels.

Q: Do you have any UMBC stories, little-known facts about UMBC, favorite spots on campus, or anything else you’d like to share?

A: My first season “on the road” as an Admissions Counselor will always be memorable. Admissions Counselors travel for about three months straight in the fall, visiting hundreds of high schools and standing behind tables at countless college fairs. While every day is an adventure, there’s some that you never forget. For example, on a late Friday afternoon during my rookie year, I drove to the State’s car pool at College Park for the purpose of switching out my malfunctioning Ford Taurus (and the numerous boxes of UMBC paraphernalia inside) to a new Ford Taurus. When I went to drive away, I discovered that the 8ft. fence to the outside world was locked! Apparently the car pool employees had forgotten about me and left for the weekend. Long story short, UMCP’s campus police were unsuccessful in their attempts to unlock the gate and I was forced to scale the fence in my suit and heels! The officers then put me in the back of their police cruiser and took me the station, where I had to call my mom to come pick me up. Not exactly my most glamorous moment at UMBC, but a good story for our new counselors every year.