Experience Spotlight: Gisselle Guevara-Melendez,Carina Duodu & Elizabeth Onafuwa

Name(s): Gisselle Guevara-Melendez, Carina Duodu, Elizabeth Onafuwa

 

Pronouns: 

Gisselle: She/Her

Carina: She/her

Elizabeth: She/Her

 

Semester of Work Experience: Fall 2026

 

UMBC Major or Program: 

Gisselle: Visual Arts - Animation

Carina: Financial Economics B.S. and Mathematics B.A.

Elizabeth: Information Systems

 

Current Class Level: 

Gisselle: Sophomore,

Carina: Junior

Elizabeth: Sophomore

 

I recently obtained experience in a(n)... Internship

 

Work Experience Site (Company/Organization Name): 

Gisselle & Carina: Grants Made at Scale  

Elizabeth: Office of Sponsored Programs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County

 

Location of the Organization (City, State): 

Gisselle & Carina: Catonsville, MD  

Elizabeth: Baltimore, Maryland

 

Title of position: 

Gisselle: Research Administration Intern

Carina: Office of Research Protections and Compliance Intern 

Elizabeth: Research Administration Intern

 

Tell us about your experience, including your day-to-day responsibilities:

Gisselle: My day usually starts at 8AM, when I  clock in, send good morning to the team group chat, and read up on my emails. My workload varies from day-to-day, and is dependent on what projects require immediate attention. This is typically some kind of documentation process be it grant transactions, payroll, or employment contracts. Outside of that, I'm usually in meetings discussing new projects, system updates, or participating with fellow interns on assignments. By noon, I'm usually free to head to class.

 

Carina: During the early Spring 2026 semester, my day-to-day responsibilities included completing a broad series of research compliance trainings, regarding the IACUC, IBC, IRB, and research security. From this, I developed core background knowledge on what research compliance is and the many intricate parts included within the field. Then, in late spring semester and going on into the summer, I researched, analyzed, and cross-referenced research compliance frameworks and manuals from other institutions. This was to determine what methods should and shouldn't be considered when communicating UMBC's research compliance policies and state and federal regulations to those who conduct research at UMBC. This fall, I am currently deriving the core, beneficial methods I found from my research and implementing them into the development of UMBC's research compliance manuals.

 

Elizabeth: I’m a Research Administration intern in UMBC’s Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), and I’ve been there since Spring 2026. I started by learning the foundations: CITI and PIRATE training, reading NSF solicitations and proposals, and practicing with budget justifications. Since then, I’ve built tools for the office, including a Proposal Routing Guide for PIs and an NIH Modular Budget workbook. This fall I’m reconciling a three-year NSF budget for a faculty PI. Day to day, I read sponsor guidelines, work in budget spreadsheets, and create resources that make the proposal process easier.

 

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

Gisselle: Funnily enough, I discovered this position while waiting for my class to start. There was a simple piece of paper on a table advertising the position. I emailed my resume and cv to the email listed on the flyer, and I was soon invited for a interview.  My initial interview went well, so I was invited to a second interview with the entire hiring team. A week or so later, I received an acceptance email with the required onboarding process. Onboarding took about a month to complete the required documentation, and by the start of the new spring semester, I was officially working for GM@S.

 

Carina: I obtained this position when I was searching for an on-campus, part-time job via Handshake during the Fall 2025 semester. I found the listing, and read over it carefully. I didn't know anything about research administration, but I was interested in research, so I thought this job listing was worth saving. I took a screenshot of the information and saved the job itself for later. When I went to go check on it a few days later, the listing was gone. Because I had a screenshot of the information and who to contact, I sent an email expressing my interest and asked if the application was still open. The response I received gave me a chance to apply, and I did so. After that, I got invited to two interviews, and now I currently work as an intern for the GRANTS MADE @SCALE Research Administration Program.

 

Elizabeth: I came across the Research Administration internship with UMBC’s Office of Sponsored Programs while browsing Handshake in November 2025. It caught my attention because it was a chance to learn how research gets funded behind the scenes, so I applied that same month. I was invited to interview in December 2025, got the offer, and started in Spring 2026.

 

What resources did you use to find your current experience?

Gisselle: Job Board Flyer

Carina: Handshake

Elizabeth: Handshake

 

What have you enjoyed the most about your position and organization?

Gisselle: I've enjoyed the level of flexibility that my position offers me. I'm allowed flexible hours which lets me to build my work schedule around my classes, keeping my work and school life balanced. I'm also able to jump into projects that peek my interest, which means I can have a say on what I'm able to work on.

 

Carina: The part I've enjoyed the most about the position is connecting with and learning from everyone who is involved in the program. Whether that is those who work in UMBC's compliance team, or those in the program who attend other institutions, I'm learning so much from everyone. There are many moving parts and grey areas within research compliance and research administration overall. Having the chance to hear everyone's perspectives within the research administration space they are involved in, and the different projects we're all working on is an rare opportunity that I greatly appreciate.

 

Elizabeth: I’ve loved seeing how much goes on behind the scenes of research. I also love that the OSP team trusts me with real projects that the office actually uses.

 

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

Gisselle: My work directly impacts funding for research projects across campus and beyond. Much of my documentation is required for tax purposes, especially because the grants used to fund these research projects could be up to several hundreds of thousands of dollars. Much of this money goes directly to the researchers via salaries and materials. With such large amounts of money, proper documentation is essential.

 

Carina: I believe I've made an impact by efficiently communicating mandatory compliance policies within the compliance manuals that UMBC's researchers will utilize when conducting their own studies. It's very important that we have a guide for the researchers to refer when they have any concerns or confusions regarding research compliance. If not, that leaves space for unnecessary risks, which those risks could lead to major consequences for the research and institution overall. So, by developing these manuals for our researchers, I believe I've been able to take part in protecting the funding for and the research itself at UMBC.

 

Elizabeth: OSP has struggled with late proposal routings for years. My routing guide and pre-submission checklist help PIs catch mistakes before their proposals reach our desk, which saves everyone time. My NSF Checklist is also a go-to reference for PIs who are new to the process.

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

Gisselle: Even if you think a job may be outside of your usual scope of knowledge, you should still take the plunge. You never know how it might work out.

 

Carina: Advice I would give to someone interested in a similar experience is to apply early and be genuinely interested in what the internship will expose you to. Apply early because from my own experience I nearly missed my chance to apply to the program I'm currently in. Bonus tip Although I knew nothing about research administration initially, I was honest about my lack of knowledge, but I was genuinely intrigued by what I could learn from this program. The interviewers saw that, and I believe that is why they gave me a chance to participate as an intern for this program.

 

Elizabeth: Don’t let a lack of background scare you off. I came in knowing almost nothing and learned by reading real documents and asking a lot of questions. If you see a problem in the office, offer to help fix it.