I’m asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty and staff, to answer a few questions about themselves and their experiences. These are their responses.
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Q: How long have you been at UMBC?
A: Since July 2009 . . . so about ten months
Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus?
A: I work a lot with Student Events Board. I’m also a graduate student in the Intercultural Communication M.A. program
Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most?
A: I love seeing how creative the SEB members are when they come up with event ideas. I am also really enjoying my classes and my classmates; half of my classmates are international students, so just sitting around a table and talking with them is an educational experience for me.
Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC?
A: I’m still in college – hence, still learning! I do have one bit of advice that comes to mind, however. When I was an undergrad, I had a lot of really studious friends. We were pretty much always stressed out about school, life, you name it. And somehow our stress levels would become an unspoken contest – Who is More Stressed than Who? If you said, “Oh my god, I have two tests this week”, someone would immediately respond by saying, “Yeah, well I have two tests this week AND two papers due”, and then someone else would tell you that they have the same amount of work PLUS they have grad school applications to fill out, and so on. It was almost as if being completely stressed out and busy gave someone status; it made you feel superior to other, less-stressed out people. That, of course, is completely ridiculous. The goal should be too NOT be overscheduled and stressed out. If one of your friends is feeling stressed, just listen to them; don’t act like you have to match them or outdo them. Learning how to just listen to people is such an important skill.
Q: Complete this sentence: “I am a big fan of __________”
A: Baltimore City. A lot of people think they know Baltimore because they’ve been to the Inner Harbor or because they watch The Wire, but these people should take some time to explore the city some more. I’m also a big fan of traveling to other countries, something I wish I did a lot more of! (Maybe after graduation…).
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: If you have ever attended an SEB event and filled out an audience survey, please know that someone did read it – me! I read all the audience surveys and I do take everyone’s ideas seriously. I’m really interested in what the students think of our events, and any suggestions / criticisms are definitely welcome.