I’m asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty, staff and alumni, to answer a few questions about themselves and their experiences. These are their responses.
Name: Mollie M. Monahan-Kreishman
Hometown: Originally Bloomfield Hills, MI; Now Laurel, MD
Q: How long have you been at UMBC?
A: Six months
Q: What is your current title (job or student organization position)?
A: Women's Center Director
Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus?
A: Crisis support, programming, education, awareness, and advocacy around gender issues on campus.
Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most?
A: I love being part of a network of caring people who help faculty, staff and students achieve their goals, sometimes in the face of great adversity.
Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC?
A: I received a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, a master's degree at the University of Vermont, and am currently working on my PhD at the University of Maryland College Park. All of the degrees, and the experiences that have gone along with them, have taught me that I love university life and plan to be a part of it for a very long time.
Q: Complete this sentence: "I am a big fan of __________"
A: Challenging expectations. I'm a feminist and I'm an army wife. I'm the Women's Center Director, and I have a great respect for people of all gender identities (including men, of course!). I don't think these things need to be mutually exclusive. People's stories are always more complicated, and therefore interesting, than they may seem.
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: I have an unending number of stories that inspire me about the people of UMBC, their resilience, the way they rise to the challenge and go above and beyond for each other. Many of these stories have to do with people in crisis, and therefore are not my stories to tell. Suffice it to say that I'm inspired by this place and hope I'm able to stay here for a very long time.