By: Sofia Brouse

Photo Credit: [Photo taken at UMBC Career Fair headshot booth, photographer unknown]

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing MCS graduate Marisa Haas about what her life looks like after graduating college this past Spring. During this interview, Marisa discusses how completing her MCS degree at UMBC has helped her with her career after college along with where she sees herself in the future. 

What is your name, major, and when did you graduate from UMBC? Do you have any interests or hobbies outside of work?

“My name is Marisa Haas, my major was in Media and Communication Studies and I graduated this past Spring of 2023. Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, scrap booking, running, growing plants and spending time with my family.”

What are you doing now that you are out of school? How are you enjoying it?

“Now that I am out of school I work a full time job with an HVAC Company named Daikin Applied as a Sales Coordinator. I am enjoying it! I have learned a lot about the mechanical side of HVAC as well as how to assert myself in professional settings, how to network as well as how to be a great team player.”

What does your day typically look like now that you have graduated from UMBC?

“My day starts at 5 am when I wake up and get ready for my day. I stretch every morning, sometimes I boil some oatmeal before work and drink a coffee, other days I'll stop by a local coffee shop on my way in. I will leave my house by 6:40am and get to work by 7am. Once I get to work I assess the jobs and projects that need the most attention and focus on getting them worked through. I will leave work around 3:30 and head home to which I normally try to take my son to the park/ play ball with him and start to make dinner. Once I make dinner I sit down to eat with my family and we watch a movie or just hang out together.”

Now that you have had some experience with life outside of college, how did your time in the MCS department at UMBC prepare you for your career?

“I feel that my major best prepared me for opposing thoughts and personalities that are in this world. Media and Communications has helped me see the bigger and symbolic meaning that is in my industry now as well as the people's lives that I work with.”

Tell me about a lesson that you learned during your time at UMBC that proved to be helpful in your time as a graduate.

“One lesson I learned while at UMBC was to not judge anyone you see, people are complex beings and there is more to a person than how they come off. Plus, all people are weird and we are not the judge of that.”

Where do you see yourself professionally in 5 years?

“In 5 years, I see myself taking every opportunity I get to grow either in my business or taking a new opportunity. I see myself satisfied with my growth and to keep reaching for the next endeavor.”

If you had to give one piece of advice to students who are about to graduate, what would it be?

“My piece of advice would be to keep your head up and to not give up on yourself. It can be tricky navigating life after graduation but keep your eyes open to opportunity even if it is not your ideal job, plan or goal, always remember you can build on skills and opportunities and to keep striving for the direction you want to head in.”

By: Sofia Brouse

Photo Credit: Sydney Ashton

Recently I had the honor of asking current UMBC student and MCS major Sydney Ashton some questions about her experiences in college so far, specifically as an Honors College student here at UMBC.

What is your name, your major, and when do you expect to graduate?

“My name is Sydney, I’m a MCS Major and a Sociology Minor from New York City. I’m in my senior year here at UMBC and will be graduating this Spring.”

After switching your major twice, why did you choose MCS as your major? Did anything stand out about MCS specifically?

“I chose MCS as a major because I found the curriculum really engaging and relevant considering we are living in the digital age. I also was really interested in media literacy, crisis communications, and public relations, so MCS seemed like the perfect major for me.”

How has your experience been in the Honors College as an MCS major? 

“My experience in the Honors College has been great! It’s nice being a part of a smaller community within a larger one especially since I came from a really small high school. One thing I love most about the honors college and taking honors classes is that I’m surrounded by people with different ideas and different majors. A lot of the topics we discuss in honors seminars intersect social sciences with STEM.”

Do you have any advice for future MCS majors looking to be a part of the Honors program?

“Being in the honors college has allowed me to take interesting electives that I normally wouldn’t have taken, and I’ve enjoyed all of them! I encourage people entering the honors college to take classes outside of their comfort zone/ classes that cover topics that you have no prior knowledge in, you never know what you’ll gain from it. I got my Capstone topic idea from a conversation I had in my understanding HIV/AIDS honors seminar!”

How would you describe your experience at UMBC as both a transfer student and an out-of-state student?

“It was definitely difficult to adjust to moving to a new state, especially since I had moved from New York to Virginia and then to Maryland within one year. It took a while, but I found my group of people on campus and I love living in Maryland! Joining club volleyball and being in the honors college definitely helped make the transition smoother.”

Tell me a bit about what you do outside of coursework. How do you balance your hobbies as an Honors college student?

“I love to cook and bake during my free time. Volleyball is also another one of my hobbies and I’m in the club volleyball team here at UMBC. Some weekends I take the train back to New York to spend time with my family. Oh! I also work at my boyfriend’s family’s seasonal farmers market on weekends. It’s called Jenny’s Market and it’s in west Friendship Md.

I’m a firm believer in having a good (school) work-life balance, being in the honors college means you take additional courses outside of your major and many of those classes are writing, reading, and research intensive. I recommend taking classes that sound interesting to you or taking something you genuinely want to learn more about so the extra reading and writing doesn’t feel too overwhelming.”

What would you like to do after graduation with your MCS degree?

“Post-graduation I’d like to pursue a career in Public Relations.”