It’s not fair and I get it.
Four plus years of hard work, perseverance, and navigation of one of the most expensive and treacherous systems in the US will seemingly go unrecognised. For better or worse, we represent the incredible investment our parents made into the American Dream. Our graduation from UMBC is one step towards that elusive goal. Yes, our graduation should be celebrated! We should be expecting Facebook ovations, WhatsApp congratulations, gifts from proud relatives and random admiring phone calls from people we haven’t seen (or remember) since childhood. Rather, the grand finale to our four plus years of grueling college coursework and circumnavigating the financial aid process comes, not with a bang, but with a stay-at-home order.
Anticlimactic really.
I remember completing my very first FAFSA application with my mum. Really it was just me compiling paperwork and tax information that neither of us really understood, in the hopes that I would get into college and she would not get convicted for tax fraud. This is a reality for many first-generation immigrants: lack of training, experience, and basic knowledge of the never-ending college application process (i.e. tax information, citizenship verification, home income information, family/marital status information). By my first year of college, I’d become a self-appointed tax expert and a perpetual prisoner of the financial aid office. But still I get no accolades! Now, this is not an essay meant to bash the Financial Aid office, rather, it is a little spotlight on the fact that the federal financial aid system was not built for 1st gen immigrants to navigate easily. Sandy Baum and Stella Flores (2011) explain this succinctly in their article: “applying for college and financial aid - a complex task even for students with English speaking parents...is far more difficult for the children of non-English speaking immigrants, even those who are themselves fluent”.
Even with weekends lost poring over paperwork, random emails from the bursar during class, and out-of-pocket tuition costs, WE STILL DID IT! We at least deserve some recognition for our work! I personally feel that, if not for me, a Commencement is needed for my distant relatives that held high hopes for their child lost to the land of opportunity. The grass may not be greener here, but I still managed to grow up and thrive regardless. They should be as proud of this as I am. Participating in a Commencement ceremony would have been the closure we all dreamed of. A celebration of the end of this chapter and the exciting beginning of the next.
So what now? With the stay-home order and COVID-19 limiting our movements and meetings, how can we celebrate? I spent the last two weeks compiling a list of alternatives to the commencement ceremony:
(1) Call a group of friends over video and have my own little commencement.
(2) Call relatives back home to catch up and remind (brag to) them of my achievements.
(3) Photoshop my face onto one of the past graduates’ (very unlikely).
(4) Thank my mum for working hard to put me in a position to succeed (it’s her ceremony too).
(5) Ordering a cap & gown on Amazon and playing loud music all day (anything to feel special).
(6) Invite all of my closest friends to compile a Top Ten UMBC Experiences We Will Never Forget list.
(7)....
Luckily, with the amount of time we will be spending indoors, this list can be inexhaustible, which gives us more time to commend ourselves for graduating college. My fellow 2020 1st gen graduates, this is our victory and we need to celebrate it in any way we can. Congratulations!
This post is written by Tiwa, a Diversity & Inclusion Peer at the Mosaic Center. Tiwa is a senior majoring in Biology. In his spare time, he likes to watch a lot of anime.
This is Ms. Flora P. Hanebrink of the Suburban Shopping Arena Town Complex 26 (rear). She predicts that she will quite easily win the URCAD selfie contest.
"I have a very steady hand, very good camera control," averred Hanebrink, who was interviewed while standing on industrial carpeting featuring a rather vague design. "I'm able to get my camera out of my pocket quite speedily so that I never miss a good shot. Yep, the selfie is right in my wheelhouse."
Think you can beat Ms. Flora P. Hanebrink?
Upload your original photos to FaceBook and/or Twitter using #umbcURCAD for a chance to win one of four gift cards to the UMBC Bookstore!
Post your photos by 12pm on Monday, May 4, 2020 for a chance to win a gift card to the UMBC Bookstore!
The Social Security Administration (Woodlawn, MD campus) is seeking candidates to fill full-time entry-level and Summer 2020 intern opportunities. PLEASE NOTE the details for each position provided below, in particular that the application process will close once 250 applications have been received.
Looking for candidates with the following skillsets/knowledge: Cybersecurity, Java/Angular, PEGA/ServiceNow, Automated Software Testing, Dev Ops, Cloud Systems Administration, Data Center Operations, Systems Analyst/Data Analyst, API, Database
1. Social Security-- Office of Systems Pathways Internship, IT Management Student Trainee position, GS-2299-4, PD 3E0860, vacancy is posted NOW!
· Look for Social Security IT Management Student Trainee position, GS-2299-4, Pathways position USAJOBS under the vacancy ID SH10800343
· This is a year-round Internship Opportunity with the potential to be extended until graduation. On graduation, if successful, you may qualify for non-competitive conversion to a permanent job at SSA!
· All training provided!
· Vacancy open from Monday, April 27, 2020 for one week through May 1, 2020.
CLICK THIS LINK TO SEE THE POSTING: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/566191400
2. Social Security-- IT Specialist GS-2210-7 Recent Grad (Pathways) position is on USAJOBS under vacancy ID SH10800806 starting today, Monday, April 27, 2020 for one week through May 1, 2020.
Note -- this is a Grade 7 position with a Career Ladder Grade 12! All training provided!
Here is the link to the Grade 7 announcement : https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/566305500
3. Social Security-- IT Specialist GS-2210-9 Recent Grad (Pathways) position has been released in USAJOBS under vacancy ID SH10801946 starting today, Monday, April 27, 2020 for one week, through May 1, 2020.
Note -- this is a Grade 9 position with a Career Ladder Grade 12! This position requires some IT specialized experience. Read the posting carefully. Training for promotions provided!
Here is the link to the Grade 9 announcement: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/566369700
]]>DEADLINE APRIL 24, 2020
For those with degrees in science or math, teaching might be a next step. Through the WW Teaching Fellowship, they can receive a $32,000 stipend, discounted tuition, and mentoring.
A few spots are still open at West Chester University, one of our partner universities, where WW Teaching Fellows complete a clinically based preparation program for STEM teachers that leads to a master’s degree. The program focuses on preparing teachers for success in high-need middle or high schools in the School District of Philadelphia.
All interested candidates should complete their applications by April 24. For questions about the application process or eligibility, candidates can reach out to Neema Ndiba at ndiba@woodrow.org. A digital brochure can be accessed here, for students or staff who would like to learn more about the WW Teaching Fellowship program.
]]>This is Ms. Ruby Powell of the Semi-Suburban Housing Plant (Area 67). She predicts that she will easily win the URCAD selfie contest.
"A lot of my friends are kind of jealous of me," Ms. Powell admitted. "They think I'm really too good to be taking selfies. That I should move up to another level, you know? Like maybe get a bigger phone and take pictures of mountains and galloping horses and that kind of thing."
Think you can beat Ms. Ruby Powell?
Upload your original photos to FaceBook, Instagram and/or Twitter using #umbcURCAD for a chance to win one of four gift cards to the UMBC Bookstore!
Post your photos by 12pm on Monday, May 4, 2020 for a chance to win a gift card to the UMBC Bookstore!
This is Ms. Constance (Connie) Throneberry of the Deep Suburban Western Area. She predicts that she will quite easily win the URCAD selfie contest.
"I have hundreds of nearly-perfect selfies," averred Throneberry, who was interviewed while riding her bike on a treacherous mountain path. "I know that people like pictures of cats and pandas and all that, but my selfies are much more interesting."
Think you can beat Ms. Connie Throneberry?
Upload your original photos to FaceBook, Instagram and/or Twitter using #umbcURCAD for a chance to win one of four gift cards to the UMBC Bookstore!
Categories:
Post your photos by 12pm on Monday, May 4, 2020 for a chance to win a gift card to the UMBC Bookstore!
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N-Type Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 And P-Type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 Thermoelement Characterization
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