Real People Profiles: Mollie M. Monahan-Kreishman
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.
]]> 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... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2011/02/real-people-profiles-mollie-m-monahan.html https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/4763/guest@my.umbc.edu/72bca987633f878bab3b62beed9f1d2d/api/pixel real-people-profiles Co-Create UMBC https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 21 3 true Wed, 02 Feb 2011 07:57:00 -0500 Super Human Moments: Guessing Game
Everyone has had them: moments when things have gone wrong partly because of our own lack of experience or perspective.  In this new series of posts, I'm asking members of the UMBC community to reflect on their own 'super human moments.'

Name: Richard Blissett

Q: What is your current title (job or student organization position)?

A: SGA Executive Vice President, Major Inspiration Director

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus?

A: I hope to improve ways for people to discover who they are.

Q: What title would you give your Super Human Moment?

A: The Guessing Game

Q: What happened?

A: One of my greater strengths, and one of my biggest weaknesses, is my ability and tendency to rationalize everything. On the positive side, I think it helps me think about difficult issues from both sides of the situation. On the negative side, and this is where it gets me in trouble, it sometimes makes it harder for me to truly empathize with people. It's hard to listen when all you're doing is trying to process every angle of a situation, and it's harder to get at the deeper meaning of things if you spend all your time looking at possibilities and never taking the time to understand what the truth is.

I had a friend in high school with whom I used to be relatively close. We met through a mutual friend and ended up talking a lot because of our shared experiences and common interests. He was one grade level younger than me (though we were only a few days apart in age), so in many ways, I often played the role of "slightly older" mentor who had at least gone through one more year of the jungle that is high school. One day, almost unprompted, he decided to share something with me. I won't go into details about what it was, but I will say that it was something where I was fairly certain that I was the first person he had told. However, given this, he didn't specify anything directly, and really left a lot up to imagination. My brain exploded. In about 30 seconds, I started spewing from the mouth any and all possible responses to any and all possible interpretations of what he had said. He nodded, not saying much, and then the conversation ended there. I even spent the next few days thinking about it, not really getting at the truth of what he, my friend, was feeling, but trying my best to label and organize every dimension of the situation.

I switched schools at the end of that year, and I never talked to him again, and we honestly didn't talk that much after that conversation. I created for myself a million and a half reasons why, but I didn't bother to really think about it. Now, six years later, what he was going through is very clear to me. One of my original speculations had even been right, but I had let it slide in favor of being "open" to many possibilities. If I had just thought for a second about him as a person, instead of him as an interesting subject, I would have easily been able to connect with him. Six years later, I realize that I never really listened to him, and that I just processed without understanding. Knowing him, I'm sure he did alright. Still, I wonder what would have happened if, instead of as a logician, I had been there for him as a friend.

Q: How have you applied what you learned?

A: People are, well, people, and I think that's the biggest thing I have come to understand from this. People have feelings, emotions, fears, joys, and everything else, all of which are not as easily fit into an algorithm as some might like to think. It's a constant goal of mine, getting better at this. I've come to terms with the fact that I may not ever understand what every person is like on the inside, but I do now appreciate and try to emulate those people that show that they at least try. I've come to admire people who are able to think about situations, but also able to interact with them in a personal way, showing that they too are people and can at least connect on that level. I'm still growing, and I still sometimes struggle with this. In my own reflection, however, I have come a long way in that I can recognize when it happens, and then I can work to fix it.

Q: Do you have any advice you can pass along to others?

A: Private variables don't only exist in computer science. People aren't just like open books, and sometimes the difference between listening and empathizing is the difference between being a robot and being a friend.
]]> Everyone has had them: moments when things have gone wrong partly because of our own lack of experience or perspective.  In this new series of posts, I'm asking members of the UMBC community to... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2011/02/super-human-moments-guessing-game.html https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/4748/guest@my.umbc.edu/d39a8816109971b77c034d6d289b0190/api/pixel super-human-moments Co-Create UMBC https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 16 5 true Tue, 01 Feb 2011 08:12:00 -0500 Real People Profiles: Savita Moses
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: Savita Moses

Hometown: Beltsville, MD

Q: How long have you been at UMBC?

A: 1.5 years

Q: What is your current title (job or student organization position)?

A: SGA: Assistant of Internal Affairs to the Vice-President // Information Systems Council of Majors (ISCOM): Vice-President

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus? 

A: To be educated and to help educate others in any way possible.

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most?

A: I enjoy being involved on campus. I really believe that being involved in your school plays an immense role in creating a positive and wonderful college experience for any given student. Within the organizations I am a part of, I enjoy helping others and planning things. I also enjoy just being a UMBC student in general.

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC?

A: The most memorable thing I have learned at UMBC thus far is that students can have an impact and can truly can make a change on their campus if they so please.

Q: Complete this sentence: "I am a big fan of __________"

A: Sugar. I love sugar.

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:  During my junior and senior years of high school, I was a member of a Pre-College Program via the University of Maryland, College Park. Being a part of that program enabled me to take various college tours throughout many states. One fine morning, we came to UMBC, and the moment we stepped onto campus, I knew it was the college for me. I got very positive vibes from the campus and the people here. Now as a sophomore, I still love UMBC and know it is the perfect university for me. I could not be happier with the university I attend and I can honestly say that I am proud of being able to claim that I am a UMBC student.
]]> 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... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2011/01/real-people-profiles-savita-moses.html https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/4716/guest@my.umbc.edu/505a05047de7e3f73ab0cb1fd75ee923/api/pixel real-people-profiles Co-Create UMBC https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 38 13 true Mon, 31 Jan 2011 09:32:00 -0500 Puppy Love
The four tiny Chihuahua puppies were whirlwinds of frantic energy moving across the carpeted sunroom floor.  The two smallest and darkest, male and female littermates, wandered among the watching humans with evident irritation at the intrusion.  The male, which could have passed for an absurdly small Doberman, barked and snapped at onlookers’ extended fingers.  The copper-colored female sniffed with curiosity but growled at every sudden move, protective and untrusting. 

Across the room two males from a different litter were less eager to engage us.  One of them, his white fur attractively tinted with grey and brown blotches, confidently explored the room’s furniture, repeatedly crossing beneath and behind the sofa.  The other, white and tan, was clearly the shyest of the group.  He sought refuge in the farthest corner and watched the action with apparent anxiety.  When approached with an outstretched hand, he sniffed cautiously and offered a tentative lick.

Ten minutes later, Sharon and I sat on a bench outside, trying to decide what to do.  We had agreed that we would adopt two of the puppies.  I know now that in the ensuing years, the two we chose would become true members of our family, and our affection for them would shape our relationship and our lives.  I know now that their health and happiness is necessary to my own sense of stability and well-being, and that a large part of my perspective on life arises from loving these innocent little companions.  But sitting on that bench more than four years ago, we had to decide: Which two?

Sharon favored the two smallest.  She identified strongly with the female’s protectiveness, and worried that no other owner would be patient with their surliness.  She believed that in a loving home those two would blossom.  They needed us.  But I wanted the two slightly larger male pups.  I identified strongly with the anxious one’s shyness, and appreciated their gentleness.  I imagined that we had somehow inspired their friendliness; that their willingness to lick our hands meant we would bond with them easily.

As I sit here typing this today, it is impossible to envision our decision on the bench having gone a different way.  I wonder sometimes about the two dogs we left behind, and hope they found loving homes.  But I know my family was completed by our choice.

Penny, September 2006
Protective little Penny remains skittish around strangers, but she has grown to trust us, and treasures the comfort of Sharon’s lap.  She is ridiculously intelligent, always spotting the nuances in situations, anticipating both danger and opportunities to snack.  She can melt your heart with her imploring gaze; Sharon says she has me wrapped around her little paw.  Penny still snarls when she’s disturbed, especially while sleeping, but she takes care of us all, leaping to check on us when there is trouble; we half-jokingly call her “Nurse Puppy.”

Bucky, September 2006
Anxious Bucky grew from the pup that hid in the corner into a cheerful, eager playmate and explorer.  His shyness still comes out in the form of tail-wagging tentativeness around strangers (human or canine), but when he feels safe, he is an affection-seeking missile, leaping onto laps and thrusting his head forward for kisses.   His energy and charisma make him the one every visitor ends up wanting to take home.  Unlike me, Bucky rarely has any problem identifying and asking for exactly what he wants or expressing his every feeling, and I treasure him partly as a model of emotional health.

I love these dogs for being exactly themselves: so very different from me and Sharon (and each other), and so very much like us.  And I’m grateful that Sharon and I listened closely to each other and our hearts, on that bench perched on the edge of forever.

Penny and Bucky, January 2011


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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: Shivany N Trujillo

Hometown: I grew up on the island of Trinidad and moved to Saint Louis MO for college (I consider this my US Hometown)

Q: How long have you been at UMBC?

A: 3 weeks... I started in Jan 2011

Q: What is your current title (job or student organization position)?

A: Community Director of the West Hill and Terrace Apartments

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus? 

A: Develop positive living environments so students have a well rounded UMBC experience.

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most?

A: Working with my RAs to plan activities that can benefit our community, learning about UMBC students and experiencing the growth and development of stduents.

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC?

A: I have learned that regardless of what situations I find myself in, I hold firm to my values.

Q: Complete this sentence: "I am a big fan of __________"

A: Glee, reading, scrapbooking & the Saint Louis Cardinals

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: There is a Trinidadian restaurant in Baltimore that I would encourage everyone to try.
]]> 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... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2011/01/real-people-profiles-shivany-n-trujillo.html https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/4656/guest@my.umbc.edu/403f4539d031f8d3548f6cb996bc0e31/api/pixel real-people-profiles Co-Create UMBC https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 10 1 true Thu, 27 Jan 2011 19:25:00 -0500 Challenger
In the final moments of the dream, I watched my 9th grade Spanish teacher throw a portable radio high into the air.  As it landed with a crash, I awoke to the sound of my UCLA roommate, Bobby, bursting through our door.  He had an early class on Tuesdays in that second semester of our sophomore year, but I generally got to sleep late.  I was still caught up in the memory of the dream, but Bobby started talking loud and fast.  “Hey, Dave!,” he said.  “Did you hear that the space shuttle exploded?”

Just as with September 11, 2001, people old enough to have experienced that morning—January 28, 1986 (25 years ago this week)—are almost certain to remember where they were when they heard the news.  Back then the space shuttle still inspired a lot of fascination, and missions got plenty of attention.  This launch, of the Challenger, was more closely watched than most.  Christa McAuliffe was on board: a high school teacher who was the first true civilian selected to fly into space (a couple of members of Congress had flown on previous missions).  There had been extensive TV news coverage of McAuliffe’s selection and training.  Millions of young students watched the launch on TVs in their classrooms that morning.

In my initial shock, some of my thoughts were deeply cynical.  It struck me as suspicious that this shuttle mission, the one that had received so much attention in advance, would be the one to result in a tragedy.   I speculated about the possibility that the launch had been sabotaged, perhaps by people in the government, for someone’s political or financial gain.  But within hours a new sentiment took hold.  As with the shootings in Tuscon a few weeks ago, this was a moment in which everyone was experiencing a sense of horror and loss.  Even as each news cycle brought new, morbid details and finger-pointing, there was a shared feeling of sobriety and common purpose, and there was comfort in the sharing.  When President Reagan spoke on the night of the disaster about the astronauts having "waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God," I felt both moved and connected with everyone within reach of his voice.  I felt like a citizen.

For those of you old enough to recall that day, what are your memories?
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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: Greg Simmons

Hometown: Born in Southington, CT, and have lived in Baltimore City for almost 20 years.

Q: How long have you been at UMBC?

A: Since 1993

Q: What is your current title (job or student organization position)?

A: Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus? 

A: Connect people and companies to the rich creative and intellectual resources of the university. 

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most?

A: I really love learning about the work of faculty, staff and students, and introducing people to UMBC through those stories.  The really exciting moments come when those stories help inspire people and organizations to invest in the work of UMBC.  

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC?

A: UMBC has helped me understand what it takes to be an active member of a vibrant community--to be involved, to build relationships across the organization, to pay attention to details, and to be passionate about the work and the people who do it.  

Q: Complete this sentence: "I am a big fan of __________"

A:  The SGA's Prove It! program.

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: Whenever possible, I take the walkway bridge to meetings at bwtech@UMBC.  The little bit of exercise is great, and walking through the woods and past the ponds is a great way to catch my breath and get ready for my next meeting.  
]]> 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... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2011/01/real-people-profiles-greg-simmons.html https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/4632/guest@my.umbc.edu/d3c0e3363970db84fd6cdc3b0bc4598e/api/pixel real-people-profiles Co-Create UMBC https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 12 0 true Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:48:00 -0500 Real People Profiles: Heather Kopf
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: Heather Kopf

Hometown: Mount Airy, Maryland

Q: How long have you been at UMBC?

A: This is my 10th and final semester at UMBC! I'm both scared and ridiculously excited.

Q: What is your current title (job or student organization position)?

A: The really cheesy and generally awesome Assistant to the President in the SGA, I'm the Vice President of Recruitment for our Panhellenic Association and member of my sorority (which shall remain nameless until the end of February... shhh, it's a secret!)

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus? 

A: Helpful, enthusiastic and thoroughly hectic energized recruiter (didya get where that came from?) My alternate: Helping UMBC students find their home and niche at UMBC.

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most?

A:  Oh my gosh, I love it all. Truly. And that sounds ridiculous, but I love these positions when it's fun and I love it when it's hard, because it provides a challenge for me, and I love challenges. I am such a people person, so I love getting to know so many people through these positions. I meet so many new girls who I think would be wonderful additions to our Greek community to expand our academics, community service, and leadership capabilities. Being our VP of Recruitment this year, I've been able to extend their invitations to them for Greek membership and seeing the looks on their faces when they receive these makes the hard work and stress worth it. It has been one thing I've found at UMBC that makes me totally and completely happy inside. I live to please, it's what I do. I also get to meet so many other students working with the SGA and love getting to hear how passionate they are about changing some injustices of our community. One of my favorite things is getting to see others grow in their roles. Being here for five years, I've gotten to see students come in as freshman, take on these opportunities and really flourish and grow into these amazing people, it's really exciting. And I love looking at things the SGA has done, that I've been blessed to be apart of and saying, "Wow, look, WE DID THAT! We made that happen!" All the positions I've had since my freshman year have really made me grow into the person I am today. I really enjoyed learning about myself, what I do well and what I don't, and finding new tools to use when I'm out in the real world. My friend Catie told me she has probably learned more from being a leader than in some of the classes she takes, and I have to say I wholeheartedly agree with her.

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC?

A: I've learned A LOT being in college and I want to break this down by year, bear with me:

Freshman Year: Don't be afraid to speak up. I started out as a First Year Ambassador to our SGA Senate as a freshman and was generally very quiet (for those who know me, you know this seems impossible, but I was). But starting out in this role taught me to trust my instincts and speak up, because if you don't then who will?

Sophomore Year: Get involved and don't be afraid to try new things! I rushed my sorority the fall of this year and I never even considered Greek Life as an option for my college career. It has definitely been a growing experience and something I will cherish for the rest of my life, it was one of my best decisions in college!

Junior Year: Know your limits, don't try and take on the world. If you know me, you know I try to do about 10,000 things at once, I love to take on EVERYTHING I can muster. I just really like to be busy! But during this year I came under some hardships and learned that I really needed to step back from everything and take care of myself and my academics for a while. It was hard to do, hard to withdrawal a bit from the world, but it was something I needed to do in order for me to move forward. Another big learning experience.

Senior Year: Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it, and you come first so take care of YOURSELF. I can be very stubborn and feel that I can conquer anything (Junior year ring a bell?). But this year was very hard for me personally, mentally, physically, and socially. I realized I can't do everything on my own, and that is OK. I thought by asking for help that would make me seem weak and incompetent, but what I learned was that it just made me human. This was definitely a year I took to really learn about myself and try and better myself.

SUPER SENIOR Year: Make the most out of every experience and never give up! My very last year (at least my mother hopes so!) and I want it to be the most memorable one! I've learned that most experiences are what you make of it, so if you make it the best that you can, it will be positive, and visa versa. While keeping all of the above in mind, I've gotten back into being super involved and have learned my limits, learned my strengths, and have vowed to make this last semester my very best. It's my last chance, I can't slack now, not when I've worked so hard to get here!

Q: Complete this sentence: "I am a big fan of __________."

A:  Coffee... lists... crafty things... old movies... friends and family: my support system... without it, I would NOT be standing right now.

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:  Honestly, I could probably write a book about my life at UMBC. Half the stuff that happened, you just could not make up, but that is what has made it interesting and I'll always remember my time here at UMBC. 

Memories, hmmm... One birthday, my roommate and sorority sister filled our ENTIRE room with balloons, it was SO funny to come back to, there were balloons EVERYWHERE in our building for days! When the tragedy at Virginia Tech occurred, the whole UMBC community gathered and brought this amazing support to each other and the VT community. That day, the power went out at UMBC and no one really knew what was going on except for hear-say. But hearing the stories from other students and friends was something I will never forget. And well, lets not get me started on the snow storm last February... while it SUCKED because I broke my ankle and didn't get a chance to get to urgent care for a week and a half, some of those in SGA and I built this snow castle in the courtyard of Walker Building 2... mail boxes we used to build the bricks of snow remained in my apartment for weeks!

A place not many people remember (or were at UMBC for) was the Hillcrest building. I thought it was the coolest building and had SO much history. Of course, it had many tall tales to go along with it and embellishing those stories just made the thought of the building more fun. I remember freshman year, my friends and I walked up and sat in front of it after midnight breakfast and I offered up my orange juice to whatever ghost may still be lurking in the building. Reports were that it was haunted but I never got to investigate before they tore it down! (Yeah, I'm one of THOSE nerds) I was extremely sad to see the building go, especially because it housed SO much of our UMBC history and thought it deserved to be preserved. But I feel lucky to have experienced the building while it was here and be able to be a part of its history, even for that short amount of time.

Another place I love is the hill that overlooks the athletic field. My friend William showed it to me one day and it has remained one of my favorite places to go and just sit and think... and of course do silly photo-shoots with my friends. I also love the SGA office. I've had SO many fun experiences and moments in there that make me laugh every time I think of them!

All in all, my experience at UMBC has been an adventure! And as cliche as it sounds, it has definitely been a roller coaster ride with many ups and downs. But like I said, they have given me life lessons that I will take with me for the rest of my life, and for that I am very grateful.

(Apologies for "War and Peace")
]]> 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... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2011/01/real-people-profiles-heather-kopf.html https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/4602/guest@my.umbc.edu/5b09c172a988f1359a8a87df78fc0c91/api/pixel real-people-profiles Co-Create UMBC https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 42 8 true Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:00:00 -0500 While You Were Away
Here's a brief update on a few UMBC-related happenings since mid-December:

]]> Here's a brief update on a few UMBC-related happenings since mid-December: UMBC’s chess team placed second among 28 teams competing in the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship in... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2011/01/while-you-were-away.html https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/4588/guest@my.umbc.edu/5382721d79851c551f12815477c0117c/api/pixel Co-Create UMBC https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 18 5 true Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:06:00 -0500 Inauguration Day
The little town in southern North Carolina featured a small collection of chain hotels, the usual fast food joints and an industrial plant that had contaminated the groundwater with its waste.  I woke up in an anonymous room in one of those hotels.  I put on a suit and tie, and had to fight the sense that they were just a costume meant to create the illusion that I was a grown-up.  Then I headed out to the plant.

This was my first solo out-of-town trip as an attorney.  The plant’s corporate owner—a major defense contractor—was suing its insurance companies for coverage of costs relating to the poisoned water.  And I was now one of the defense contractor’s hired guns.  The more senior attorneys back at the firm in Los Angeles had tasked me with finding documents that might be relevant to the lawsuit.

Months earlier, in a more optimistic phase of my life between the California Bar Exam and my first day of work at the firm, I had volunteered with the Clinton-Gore campaign in Washington, DC.  My little piece of the action had involved gathering information about local issues to prepare the candidates and their representatives in advance of campaign trips.  It was a trivial contribution in the context of a national election, but I had felt like I was at the center of everything that mattered.  On election night, when Bill Clinton had stepped onto a stage in Little Rock to speak to his supporters, I had been completely swept up in the moment and felt truly alive.

Now, on a cold day in January, I walked from office to office and across the shop floor, asking what was in the filing cabinets and taking notes.  I felt uncomfortable and ambivalent, trapped in someone else’s life while the world passed me by.  And because this was Presidential inauguration day, I wanted nothing more than to be standing on the Mall in DC or watching television in the company of friends.  But I had my responsibilities, and at the moment they involved interviewing middle managers and their assistants, and trying to block out the gentle country tunes being piped into every room at the plant.

Suddenly, in the middle of an interview, the soft sounds in the background changed.  Familiar words were forming, almost inaudible over the hum of fluorescent lights and machines: “ . . . do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute . . .”  I realized suddenly that those country tunes must have been coming over the radio, and the station had cut to the inauguration ceremony!  It was almost exactly noon, 18 years ago today.

I interrupted the person who was telling me about the contents of her filing cabinets.  “Hey,” I said, “I think that’s the inauguration!”  She stared at me blankly.  “Oh, you mean the political thing?,” she said.  “I heard that was today.” 

I paused a few seconds before responding, wanting to hear more of those powerful words from the new President, the President I had helped to elect.  Maybe I could even catch his inaugural address.  Maybe my interviewee would want to pause for a few moments to listen with me . . . but no.  She looked at me impatiently, expectantly.  I sighed and returned to my questions.  Eventually the radio switched back to its regular programming, and the background was filled once again with soft, rhythmic noise.

(Note: For more on my experience as a lawyer, go here).
]]> The little town in southern North Carolina featured a small collection of chain hotels, the usual fast food joints and an industrial plant that had contaminated the groundwater with its waste.  I... http://cocreateumbc.blogspot.com/2011/01/inauguration-day.html https://my3.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/4501/guest@my.umbc.edu/6fbd4f87c63f8905e60ad7c981dbdeb2/api/pixel personal-stories Co-Create UMBC https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/co-create https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/original.jpg?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xlarge.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/large.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/medium.png?1499890363 https://assets2-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/small.png?1499890363 https://assets4-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xsmall.png?1499890363 https://assets1-my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/002/5b8f025dafb56cb8d3088b7259aadcfb/xxsmall.png?1499890363 Co-Create UMBC 11 5 true Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:17:00 -0500