Resume writing can be intimidating. You sit in front of a half-filled word doc, and suddenly everything you’ve done and accomplished in your life leaves your memory. You feel like there is no way you could ever, ever fill up this page. But never fear! The UMBC campus offers tons of opportunities to help round out your resume and feel confident in your experience.
Volunteering: There are a bunch of charitable student organizations on campus (see the full list here). Whether you're fighting food waste with donations or designing sustainable engineering projects, you’re sure to find an organization that interests you and possibly relates to your major. Reach out to The Shriver Center for more information about volunteer opportunities!
Extracurriculars: Service organizations aren’t the only useful club you can join. Consider attending meetings for your major’s council, or join a club to pursue a hobby! The commitment and leadership experience will look great on your resume.
Research: UMBC is a research university. This means a lot of the professors on campus have their own research projects in addition to teaching classes. Read up on your professors’ projects, ask them questions, and see if you can assist them in their lab! It's a wonderful experience and you get to work on a cutting edge project in your field.
Projects: Speaking of projects, think about starting your own! Whether you want to recruit a few friends to help you or go it alone, take some time and apply what you’ve been learning to apersonal project. There are massive amounts of resources on campus free for you to use, so start brainstorming ideas and get to it!
On Campus Jobs: Finally, consider getting an on-campus job. Come in to the Career Center to get your resume reviewed and approved, then check out UMBCworks for various on-campus job postings. On-campus jobs are a great opportunity to get involved on campus, and you supervisors will understand your student schedule as well!
Between those five options, you should have plenty of material to work with. Be sure to look at our sample resumes by major to explore how other students had added their experience to their resumes, and as always, feel free to drop by the Career Center any weekday from 2 pm - 4 pm if you have resume questions. Have a relaxing spring break!
]]>Pay your Summer tuition and fees in 3 installments: 4/20, 5/20 and 6/20.
You do not have to be enrolled in classes to enroll in the Monthly Payment Plan!
Just estimate your costs and if need be you can make changes once you know your exact costs.
It’s no secret. We all have said things that we regret and we know were not okay in one way or another. As language changes, we tend to find new words and phrases, society makes them “trendy” and it becomes integrated into our vocabulary. Some antiquated terms that have been around for years though have problematic undertones. Most of this language does not contribute specifically to a better understanding, therefore it can be changed pretty easily. While this list is not exhaustive, here are five terms that you might use everyday and should think about changing.
Alright so I’m gonna start off with an easy one. The word “Retarded”, or abbreviated as “The R Word” is an antiquated term for Mental Retardation which is now called intellectual disabilities. When using the term to say that something is stupid, you are demeaning an entire group of people or making them seem less than. It is the same for saying that things are “gay”, find a new word. There are plenty of other ways to describe something that is annoying or frustrating. If you didn’t know before, you know now.
Let’s talking about a word commonly thrown out to mean “meeting” or “get together”. I’m talking about a “Pow Wow”. You might not think it’s offensive, but it is and it appropriates a part of indigenous culture that is sacred. You end up looking like this gif below:
Start using the word meeting, get together, or check-in. You and your coworker, Jim, meeting up for five minutes to talk about a deadline, is not a Pow Wow. Pow Wow's is an Indigenous ceremony that involves food, and traditions such as singing and dancing. Unless you are being invited to a native Pow Wow, then it's not. We should all stop using it, and encourage each other to change the language as well.
Using Mental Illnesses as a way to express your character or lifestyle is not okay, and should only be used to describe actual challenges that are faced by people affected. Organizing your desk to be productive is not you being OCD. You being upset does not necessarily mean that you are having a panic attack, again, unless you are and you know what a panic attack feels like. Do you catch my drift? They aren’t meant to be words that are dramatized ways to describe what you are feeling and it makes people that actually have challenges facing mental health, seem less legitimate. So let us reframe how we express ourselves and...
Break: Hopefully you are learning something but you also might feel overwhelmed about all these terms and feel guilt. This note is here to tell you that it is okay, and all you need to do is be better in the future and help encourage others to change their language too. You’re here to learn, and that means something. So with that, Let’s Continue!!!
Attention boys and girls, now let’s talk about Gendered Language! (Do you see what I did there?). Using gendered language can exclude a lot of people that do not identify within the binary, meaning man or woman. Using phrases such as “Hey all” can make people feel more at ease. If you have more questions about gender and identity, google the “Genderbread Person” and learn about that cookie. By using this type of language, you are reinforcing a binary culture and people may feel excluded.
This is one that is being spoken about more lately, but please use person of color (P.O.C), not “colored people” when talking about non-white folks. The term colored goes back to racist rhetoric that was used to demean and enforce segregation. Think back to old photos from the 60’s that showed segregated bathrooms, water fountains, waiting rooms and more. So by continuing to use this language, you are perpetuating the harm and othering that people of color have faced throughout their lives. History doesn't erase itself therefore...
Thank you for taking the time to read this article and learn more. If you feel as though any of this information is incorrect or phrased wrong please email mosaic@umbc.edu. This article was created by Lilly Keplinger, Mosaic Intern for Cultural Humility and Allyship Development. If you are interested in speaking further with her about topics relating to diversity and inclusion, whiteness and more, her email is np42375@umbc.edu.
Name:Kaya Knake
Internship, Co-op or Research Site:Robert Bosch LLC.
Position Title:Intern Software Developer
Major(s)/Minor(s):Computer Science
Work Term:Summer 2018
Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.
This summer, I was fortunate to intern for a second time with Robert Bosch LLC. I worked within the Information Coordination Organization department to create shared service software. I assisted in database maintenance and created a dashboard in Power BI for Bosch Latin America. On a day-to-day basis, I programmed with SQL, attended customer meetings, and worked independently on assigned projects.
Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?
I became aware of the internship position for a software developer from a Bosch employee in January 2018. I applied online and had an in-person interview in March. The application process was more streamlined as this was my second internship with Bosch. Therefore, eliminating many of the requirements for new interns, such as watching the online introduction videos, orientation, and some paperwork.
What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?
As a software development intern at Bosch, I enjoyed employing data visualization tactics to create the dashboards. Data visualization was enjoyable as it allowed me to creatively analyze and display customer data. This experience was enhanced by reading “Storytelling with Data” which explains how people process charts and visuals.
One of my most enjoyable experiences with Bosch was becoming involved with Women in STEM. I assisted in leading a Women in STEM event for Detroit middle schools girls visiting Bosch to learn about working at STEM companies. I lead four sets of girls through a Sphero programming challenge that I wrote. This activity was fulfilling and I was fortunate that Bosch provided me the opportunity to help out our community.
How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?
I believe I made an impact as a software developer at Bosch through my work on the Power BI dashboard. I created multiple dashboards tailored to customer specifications. I also was given the opportunity to create macros to better organize data, instructed my team on the use of these macros, and apply them to other company dashboards.
What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?
I would recommend to any other student seeking an internship to avoid limiting yourself during the application process. Internships are an opportunity to gain experience but also can open new doors. Remember to network with your coworkers and have fun!
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