https://forms.gle/AYC5NiG917QULX8NA

Before Xavier Mack ’16 dove into the world of professional dance, he prioritized finishing his college education, earning his degree—not in dance—but in modern language and linguistics. Mack transferred to UMBC in his sophomore year, and after a rocky start, he sought out a social group through his programs and housing community and he found his feet firmly under him. Now, Mack is pursuing his other passion, “the power of body language in conversation,” by dancing at the largest modern dance company in the U.S, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.   

Mack chats below with fellow dancer and UCM intern Kayla Logue ’27 about finding correlation between his linguistics and dance knowledge, his experience at Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, and how his time at UMBC has led to pursuing his passions.  

Q: What was it like being an MLL student who also danced?

A: I loved studying two disciplines that had no seeming relation! I found so much enjoyment in the balance of moving my body and spending hours learning language in the lecture halls. Dancing served as a release for me, even though it came with its challenges. As my understanding of linguistics and dance deepened, I was able to discover more of a correlation between the two. Both of these fields are rooted in elements of communication. This discovery helped enhance my dance artistry as well as revealing the power of body language in conversation. 

Q: Do you have a favorite performance memory while at UMBC?

A: My favorite performance memory at UMBC was dancing a duet called Floating Above by Carol Hess. This piece was acrobatic yet very slow and meditative.

Q: Is there someone from UMBC who inspired you and how?

A: I’ve always been able to find inspiration in my peers. Everyone had their own special gifting; things that came easy to them. Drawing from what I observed around me kept me reaching for my untapped potentials. However, my most influential person had to be Brandon P. Russell [assistant teaching professor of classical ballet and contemporary dance]. Brandon saw all of my capabilities and pushed me to be the professional dance artist I am today, even before I knew it was possible. 

Photo right: Mack at his UMBC graduation.

Q: What was the process of getting into Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater? 

A: My process for joining Ailey was a standard audition and callback in New York City. Since we were just coming out of COVID, they structured the preliminary audition to take place over several sessions within one day. Only 30 dancers could be in the room at one time and we had to wear masks. I had to return to NYC a few weeks later for the callback. Then, I waited about one week before I received the call offering me my job.

Q: What has been your favorite part about being in the company?

A: My favorite part of being in the company is the touring! I’ve always had a heart for travel; especially international travel. This job helps soothe my wanderlust. I’m afforded the opportunity to visit incredible parts of the world and meet the special people who inhabit these places.

Q: Did you do any traveling while at UMBC?

A: I actually constructed my own study abroad experience. With the approval of my advisor, I connected with a middle school, in a suburb of Paris, and asked their principal if I could assist with their English language classes. The principal was more than happy to have me during three weeks of my winter break.

Q: What’s a takeaway from UMBC that’s stayed with you?

A: Time management is the greatest skill I learned at UMBC and still use today. There are many things about my professional life that require timely/rapid responses. The discipline of managing my time gives me the ability to reply to alerts and submit important documents to my leadership teams, without falling behind or becoming stressed by long to-do lists. 

Q: Why was it important that you finish your college education before performing professionally? 

A: I had come way too close to graduation to turn away from obtaining my degree. In my opinion, my only option was walking across the stage. I poured an immense amount of time, hard work, and money into my education. I wanted to see that through to the end.

Learn more about extraordinary UMBC alumni, faculty, and staff who are chasing their dreams.

Our campus transition from Panopto to YuJa is now complete and all migrated video content is available in our new library.

If you continued to use Panopto (linking videos or creating content) in late FA2025 or early SP2026, we want to make sure you are aware that these videos were not included in the automated migration to YuJa. UMBC's access to Panopto will end on March 23, 2026. After this date, any videos that have not been moved to YuJa will no longer be accessible.

Key Actions to Take

To ensure a smooth transition for your video content, please review the following:

• Self-Migrate Your Recent Videos: Any content you uploaded to Panopto after November 10, 2025, must be manually moved to YuJa before the March 23 deadline to retain access. Log in to Panopto to download your recent videos, then re-upload them to YuJa at umbc.edu/go/yuja. Once uploaded, be sure to update any links or embed codes in your courses or sites with the new YuJa versions.
• Check for "Orphaned" Content: If you cannot find a specific video in your YuJa folders, it may have been "orphaned" during the move. Please open a support ticket with Instructional Technology so we can reassign the content to your account.

Support & Resources

We have a variety of resources available to help you navigate the new platform:

• YuJa FAQ Collection - Answers to common questions about the move.
• YuJa Content Organization Tips - Best practices for placing YuJa content on your site or in Blackboard.
• Training & Webinars - Recordings of Sessions focused on mastering YuJa features.

Please reach out to the Instructional Technology team via RT with any questions or concerns.

Color Outside Coaching is hosting a virtual networking event designed specifically for the neurodivergent community.

• April 17, 2026
• 2 PM Pacific / 3 PM Eastern
• Registration Details

Color Outside Coaching, a coaching service founded by sisters Niki and Erin. Their mission is simple but powerful: help individuals—especially those who are neurodivergent—embrace their strengths, redefine success, and build lives and careers that truly work for them.

The inspiration behind Color Outside Coaching began with Niki's personal journey advocating for her son, who has dyslexia and aspects of ADHD. Through that experience, she saw firsthand how limited the available support and resources could be for neurodivergent individuals and their families. Determined to bridge that gap, she began offering trainings on dyslexia for educators and parents and eventually launched Color Outside Coaching to provide practical guidance, advocacy, and encouragement.

They are joined by Heidi Peveto, LPC, CCC, a licensed professional counselor and certified career counselor who has worked with neurodiverse adolescents and adults since 2011. As a proud dyslexic thinker herself, Heidi believes neurodiversity brings extraordinary strengths to the world. Through cognitive and career assessments and a strengths-based approach, she helps individuals understand their unique abilities and translate them into meaningful career paths.

This is networking reimagined, a welcoming space where you can show up exactly as you are. There's no pressure to mask or perform. Instead, participants will engage in small breakout conversations, guided prompts, and opportunities to build genuine connections with others in the neurodivergent community.

If you're looking for a supportive environment to connect, share experiences, and meet others who understand the neurodivergent journey, this is a wonderful opportunity.

Register using the link provided.

Angelina Jenkins, assistant director, The Mosaic Center, along with Priya Bhayana, project manager, UMBC Global Asias Initiative, will present at the Association for Asian American Studies Annual Conference in April. 

Jenkins and Bhayana's roundtable presentation, "Cultivating Connections: Asian American Studies & Student Affairs at AANAPISIs," will bring together perspectives from two different professional orientations at Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) from across the country: 1) Faculty and program staff in Asian/Pacific American Studies and 2) Student Affairs professionals supporting AAPI students and university communities. It will explore the challenges and potential for collaborations between these two professional spheres and approaches. Viewed from the lens of both cultivating critical consciousness as well as fostering student belonging and mattering, this roundtable will explore the natural synergies and points of tension between the academic and student affairs approaches to student growth and support. 

Presenters will represent a diversity of perspectives, including a range of academic disciplines, student affairs roles, institutional size and structure, and geographies. Participating institutions are UMBC, Brooklyn College, University of Hawaii Mānoa, Northeastern University, and San Diego State University.

Human+AI: Collaboration, Productivity, and the Future of Work

We're excited to announce that GEARS is partnering with the UMBC Career Center and the Office of Professional Programs to bring you - 

BYDB: Building Your Digital Brand, an interactive workshop designed to help you intentionally shape your online presence in today's competitive job market.

📅 April 28
🕔 5:00–7:00 p.m.
📍UMBC Commons, Room 329

Your digital presence plays a critical role in how employers, recruiters, and professional contacts perceive you, often before you ever submit an application or attend an interview. This event will help you take control of that narrative, starting with LinkedIn.

We'll explore the value of personal branding and why LinkedIn remains one of the most powerful tools for networking, career exploration, and professional visibility. Then we'll move beyond theory and into action through guided, hands-on activities where you will:

• Identify your brand core and craft a clear value proposition statement

• Translate your strengths, interests, and goals into a brand identity board

• Create a custom, branded LinkedIn cover photo

• Participate in a show-and-tell to share your work and gather inspiration from peers

Whether you're actively job searching, networking, or simply refining how you present yourself online, you'll leave with a clearer message, stronger visuals, and tangible updates ready to apply to your profile.

Snacks will be provided! Come with a device (laptop/iPad) to be able to work together! 

We hope to see you there; drop any questions in the comments below and share this with your fellow grad students!

Save your spot now through this Handshake link!