Hi everyone, it’s me, Yoo-Jin!  This week I’d like to reflect on my TED Talk, Ray Rice, and abusers/ perpetrators of relationship violence. First of all, I couldn’t have done this talk without the help of our coordinator, Megan, who brought her incredible insight and wit to help structure my talk. As I was preparing for my TEDx Talk, which was about reframing the way we think and talk about relationship violence (and as a result acted or didn’t act when faced with it), I found that with the media outcry of Ray Rice’s video of him punching his then fiancee, Janay Palmer, my talk became relevant in a way that I hadn’t anticipated. As I went through my talk this past Saturday, I talked to the audience about three steps we can take to prevent and recognize relationship violence:

1. Think 
2. Speak
3. Act

I addressed the ways we often think of relationship violence in our society- in the most extreme cases, often involving celebrities and catastrophes (physical abuse, death, viral videos). This also affects the way we talk about relationship violence, zooming in, how we talk about both perpetrators (as people who are distant from us) and victims (as people we blame, to distance from us because we wouldn’t make the same choices they did). Through my discussion, I went through the hidden, pervasive, and invisible forms of violence that happen everyday, and I will tell you, I saw some uncomfortable audience members in the crowd. Yes, violence is a difficult and possibly uncomfortable conversation for anyone.

However, this issue was brought home to me in a different way. I found myself struggling with this issue specifically, now with a person on the other end: an abuser. How do I handle this? How do I talk to someone who does exhibit concerning behaviors? How do I talk to this person, who I’ve known and loved for years? As I searched through resources, I found an incredible lack of tools and realized how both sides of this issue are important. Of course, victims and survivors of abuse are important and deserve support and resources but how do we even begin to talk to abusers? Abusers who could be our friends, our classmates, our coworkers? Just like victims can be anyone…so can abusers. Abusers are not demons who are always entirely bad, psychotic people- their behaviors are unacceptable, but does that make them less valuable as a human being? This odd dissonance and guilt is associated with so many different factors- it’s interesting how this dynamic can flip: determining who gets the empathy and who gets the blame? It is clear to me, that the person who must take responsibility for their actions is the person who abuses other people, because at the end of the day, violence is never okay and is never acceptable. I did want to acknowledge this challenge that I faced and will continue to face in engaging in productive and appropriately empathetic dialogues with the abusers who might need help or seek change.

MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY major?

Well, you're in for a treat! The Office of Undergraduate Education here at UMBC helps students of ALL majors get involved in studying relevant topics that they are most passionate about or interested in.

This process provides tons of networking experience, meaningful relationships, opportunities to intern and travel places, and well as potential monetary benefits!

If you are wondering about ways to deepen your learning experience or ways to set yourself up for future success, give it a shot! You'd have your very own personalized research project, mentor, student profile, etc. AND more items to put on  your Resume'.

Come out to our HOW TO GET STARTED IN RESEARCH Workshop on Monday, September 22 at 12 noon in Lecture Hall 3 for more info!!

Clink the link provided to see what other students in your major have done! You've got nothing to lose but EVERYTHING to gain.

Name: Danny Rosser

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: GE Aviation

Major(s)/Minor(s): Financial Economics

Expected Graduation Year: May 2017

Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research, or service-learning opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

At GE Aviation's subsidiary, Middle River Aircraft Systems, I worked alongside other interns to complete task varying from safety, to quality. GE Aviation manufactures reverse engine thrusters for different planes. Their biggest program is building the reverse engine thrusters for Boeing's 747 super jet.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I was having my resume looked over at the career center and the lady who was helping me told me about this new internship that had just been placed on the myumbcworks site. I filled out the application online, submitted my resume, had an interview and was accepted to the ten week program!

Which of the following resources did you use to find your current experience?

Career Center, Career Fairs, UMBCworks, Faculty Connections

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

I really enjoyed being able to work as a team with other interns to accomplish projects and learn about the different aspects of working in a big company. GE sponsored a company trip to Hershey Park, provided tickets to a baseball game at Camden Yards, and many other social events in which the interns could network with managers and big names in the company.

What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another opportunity?

My experience working with GE was truly an eye-opener. This experience allowed me to work with people who were five to fifty years into their careers after having graduated with my major. This opportunity allowed me to envision myself becoming very successful and working for a great company.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

The biggest piece of advice I recommend is start looking on myumbcworks in the fall for a summer internship. The Career Center is the most helpful place to go to. They provided the assistance to edit my resume, talk to me about different internships and even prepare me for my interview by holding a mock interview! I could not have obtained this internship without their help.

Please provide a short quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / the internship placement process.

Having the opportunity to experience what a career upon graduation will feel like was honestly an amazing feeling. To know that after four years of taking notes, studying for long hours, and taking test after test will be worthwhile in the end, now that is the biggest relief that any college student can have.

Below are just a few of the new Internship positions posted to UMBCworks in the past week. Check them out today!

ESL Evening Site Coordinator - Paid Internship (9268366)
Esperanza Center - Baltimore, Maryland

Site Coordinator will manage the activities and functions of our ESL evening program. Duties include student placement with teachers, teacher mentoring, student assessment, and supervision of overall evening program operations.

Event Producer Intern (9268371)
Betamore - Baltimore, Maryland

Assist with event planning and organization, including scheduling, coordinating with sponsors/partners, and handling day-of logistics. Help with setup, tear down, and overall event execution.

Fall 2014 - Public Relations Internship (9268377)
Himmelrich PR - Baltimore, Maryland

Interns at Himmelrich PR produce real, practical and usable work that will enhance their portfolios. Projects are collaborative so interns are exposed to every facet of public relations. The Himmelrich PR office is fun, casual and professional.

INTERN (6777) (9268361)
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield - Washington, D.C., District of Columbia

This position provides support to the DC HR Operations team focusing on performing the following duties:
• Develops a working knowledge of HR information databases and searchable resources
• Creates HRIS reports and assists with analyzing HR data; provides recommendations accordingly

Spring Internships at Wolf Trap (9268343)
Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts - Vienna , Virginia

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts organization that presents a wide spectrum of the performing arts: music, dance, theatre, opera and related education programs. Wolf Trap presents over 200 performances year-round, attracting more than 500,000 audience members annually.

Web Design Intern (9268092)
Medifast, Inc. - Owings Mills, Maryland

Medifast is looking for web and graphic design intern for the summer. Must be a full time student enrolled in Fall classes to be eligible. Assist in various graphic design, web design, video projects and production support for digital marketing initiative projects such as: Web Design Social Media graphics Video shoot and editing.

Data & Research Intern (9268292)
MarylandCAN - Baltimore, Maryland

MarylandCAN is seeking a data and research intern to assist with the collection and analysis of student achievement data that will be the basis of an upcoming MarylandCAN report regarding high school inputs and outcomes for children from low-income Baltimore households and how to improve them.

Fall 2014 - Maryland State Government Internship (9268380)
Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development - Baltimore, Maryland
Division of Business & Enterprise Development
Office of Military & Federal Affairs
Open On-going Internship

The following opportunity is a non-paid student fall internship. This internship is an excellent opportunity for students who desire hands-on experience with professional-level public service work, and for State Government agencies.

Industrial/Organizational Psychology Fall Intern (7996) (9268324)
American Institutes for Research - Washington, District of Columbia

The American Institutes for Research’s (AIR) Workforce and Lifelong Learning (WLL) group has been at the forefront of applied research to enhance the performance of individuals and organizations. AIR, a not-for-profit research organization, has focused on this critical need for over 60 years.

To access these positions, login to your UMBCworks account (via the link in the Jobs & Internships topic in myUMBC) and find details and application instructions as well as hundreds of other job postings! Please note you MUST have an approved resume and be released to apply to internships. To schedule an appointment, access our online system in UMBCworks or call 410-455-2216.