Shannon Carney for The Retriever

Soft spoken and reserved, Bruce James, a junior mathematics major, does not look like a typical plumber, but indeed took up the trade after high school. Even though he had always aspired to be a mathematician, the prospect of college was not realistic for him at the time.

When James was growing up, his family was on welfare and he faced the financial insecurity that came with incurring debt at a university. Because of troubles he had at school, James also did not feel he had support from the public school system. Add to that a religious family that believed the world would end in their lifetime, it is safe to say James did not feel encouraged to follow his dream.

Instead, under the guidance of his uncle, James entered the plumbing and construction industry. Even though he was a shy kid growing up, James learned to be outgoing at work. 

“In the construction industry you can’t stay in your shell,” he said, sipping his coffee. “After plumbing I was bartending and that’s pretty much like you’re on a stage.”

James made a decent living as a plumber, but during the 2008 recession James faced layoffs. When he was unable to return to his career, he switched to cooking and bartending.

It was during his bartending job that he totaled his car. Rather than buying a new vehicle with the settlement money, he decided to spend it on a semester of college — his first semester ever at the age of 33. Still without a car, James commuted to his community college, CCBC Essex via an hour-long bus ride. When coming to UMBC, he moved within walking distance.

“I didn’t want to be waiting for a bus for two hours and have to sit on the bus for an hour when I could be doing work,” James said.

In spite of commuting difficulties, James felt that being without a car was a positive thing for him.

“These things that are good, responsible things, also tend to be the things that hold you back or weigh you down,” James said.

In the midst of a hectic college career, James married his wife, who was obtaining her master’s degree at the time. She was working several jobs while going to school. During the wedding planning, she found out she would have to take a summer class and pay for it out of pocket.  

“We’re still waiting for the honeymoon,” James said with a little laugh.

The couple had managed to find a few days for a getaway, but a bad Airbnb rental made the trip less than ideal.

“It was like one of those Chevy Chase movies. We literally had wasps and birds,” James said.

The couple hopes they can take a second shot at a honeymoon after James finishes his undergraduate degree. James looks forward to continuing his education in a master’s program and eventually earning his Ph.D.

The post From plumbing to a Ph.D. appeared first on The Retriever.

Practical Engineering of Plaintext Private Information Retrieval Systems

Dr. Russell Fink

Chief Engineer, Cyber Operations Branch
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

1-2pm Friday, 4 November 2016, ITE 229

A weekly round-up curated by Women’s Center staff member, Michael Jalloh Jamboria

In the spirit of my friend, who gave us the glorious name ‘Slaying on the Weekly’, every week I will be bringing you some interesting, funny or thought-provoking content from the internet! Be sure to join us next week for more and continue to slay!

Things you should know:

Believe it or not, voting happens in a few very short weeks. Early voting begins November 3rd. The presidential election is important, but so are the 469 Congressional seats up for re-election! That’s a lot! Stay informed and get there to vote!

As we continue to track the water protectors in North Dakota, there are other ways to support them in their endeavors to save our planet! Check out 5 Ways to Support Water Protectors in Standing Rock.

Article of the Week:

Even though Critical Social Justice is over, I’m still thinking about how we can make our activist spaces more accessible. This week I read 6 Ways Your Social Justice Activism Might Be Ableist on Everyday Feminism.

My good friend Dan, and Women’s Center student staff member wanted to share what he was reading this week. Check out ‘What They Really Mean When They Say They’re Not Voting‘.

UMBC Happenings:

The Fatness in Focus November Roundtable is coming up. Be sure to check out the event flyer and join us on November 30th in the Women’s Center.

Song of the Week:

I’ve been listening to really great music recently, and I want to share that with all of you! I know it’s Friday but I have to post a throwback. This week’s song is by Ingrid Michaelson. Check out ‘The Way I Am’! 

Until next week! Stay safe!

Philippians 1:6 - “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on tocompletion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

We humans are great starters but often bad finishers.  We leave unfinished symphonies, unfinished buildings, unfinished books, unfinished projects.  We may not always finish what we start but God always finishes what he starts. God doesn’t create a bird and give him half a wing.  He created an unfinished flower or an unfinished star.  He puts the finishing touches on everything he does and then he says, “It is good.”

The Bible says, when Jesus Christ starts working in your life, he will complete what he started, in spite of the hang-ups, faults, bad decisions, sins, and circumstances that we face. One day when we get to heaven we’re going to become just like Jesus because we will see Him as He is.  And that’s the goal.

In the meantime, if we want to enjoy the people in our lives, we need to be patient with their progress.  We must allow for their growth and development.  Paul could say, “I’m not the man I used to be, thank God.  But also, thank God, I’m not the man I’m going to be. I’m growing and changing.”

If you want to enjoy your marriage, you’ve got to learn to enjoy your husband or your wife right now while allowing for growth and development.  Otherwise, by the time they meet your conditions, you will have still another condition for them to meet. Parents, if you’re going to learn to enjoy your kids, you’ve got to learn to enjoy them in the process while they’re growing, because there is no such thing as a perfect kid. And there’s no such thing as a perfect adult.  If you demand perfection of the people in your life in order to enjoy them, you’re going to be miserable for the rest of your life.  Nobody’s perfect.
(From Rick Warren’s daily devotional.)

Let’s continue to pray for ourselves and others with the confidence of Philippians 1:6.

-AP