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The Global Asias Initiative was well-represented at this year's Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS) Conference in Honolulu, Hawai'i! While there, we were also hosted by colleagues at University of Hawai'i Manoa for our Global Asias Site Visit to learn about the incredible work they're cultivating in Ethnic Studies, Native Hawaiian Studies, Asian Studies & Student Services. Read about our presentations to colleagues across the country below!

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Dr. Tamara Bhalla, Associate Professor, American Studies, & Co-PI of the Global Asias Initiative organized and facilitated a roundtable discussion Power and Privilege in South Asian American Studies

Dr. Emily Yoon, Assistant Professor, English & Global Asias Advisory Board Member, was supported by a Global Asias faculty Conference Grant to present Little Plastic Intimacies: Offshore Solidarity Against Empire

Dr. Mika Thornburg, Global Asias Postdoctoral Fellow, was supported by a Global Asias faculty Conference Grant to present Oceanic Orbits: The Colonial Circuits of Transpacific Tourism

Priya Bhayana, Global Asias Project Manager, and Angelina Jenkins, Global Asias Advisory Board Member & Assistant Director of the Mosaic Center, were supported by the Dresher Center for Humanities (Priya) and the Division of Student Affairs (Angelina) to co-host a roundtable discussion Cultivating Connections: Asian American Studies & Student Affairs at AANAPISIs

We had so many rich conversations and look forward to next year's conference happening March 2027 right here in Baltimore!

Your graduate experience is more than a series of credits; it is a high-level training ground for the exact skills employers crave: critical thinking, project management, and specialized technical expertise. Now is the time to pivot from academic depth to career momentum. Here’s how.

Translate Your Academic Language

In the lab or the seminar room, you speak the language of academia. In the job market, you must speak the language of impact. Instead of listing "Dissertation Research" in a cover letter, for example, you can frame your experience as "Managing multi-year projects" or "Data-driven problem solving." By translating your academic tasks into industry-standard accomplishments, you make it easy for recruiters to see your value.

Own Your Professional Agency

For many graduate students, the transition to the workforce can feel like starting over. But you aren't starting from scratch — you are starting from really valuable experience. Whether you are aiming for a role in R&D, policy, or corporate leadership, you must view your time at UMBC as professional tenure.Yes — those grad school years do count as years of experience! When you treat your job search with the same rigor as your thesis or capstone project, you become an unstoppable candidate.

Diversify Your Career Narrative

Many graduate students feel pressured to follow a narrow, traditional path. However, the modern economy values the "versatile expert." Explore how your specialized skills can solve problems in unexpected sectors. Reframe uncertainty as a chance to explore the "hidden job market" where advanced degrees are highly sought after but rarely advertised in traditional ways. Read between the lines, and ask clarifying questions. You might be surprised by what you find.

Network Beyond the Department

While your faculty mentors are invaluable, building momentum also requires connecting with professionals who have already made the jump from the ivory tower to the industry. These connections provide the "insider intel" on company culture and hiring timelines that you won't find in a job description. Not sure where to start? Check out the Alumni tab for UMBC’s page on LinkedIn, or check out the community in Retrievers Connect. You might find that tapping into the UMBC connection is the gateway to a job opportunity.

Ready to Get Started?

Don't wait until your graduation day to start thinking about your next professional destination. Join the UMBC Career Center and the PROMISE program at Career Paths for Graduate Students on Thursday, April 9th from 5 to 8:30 PM. It’s a specialized series of sessions designed to help graduate students navigate the unique challenges of the advanced job search while acquiring helpful skills along the way.

HI FRIENDS!

TONIGHT at 7 PM in PAHB 456 the incredible & wonderful Dr. Joonho Lee will be leading a faculty/student discussion on progressive confucianism! This is a prelude to the lecture next week on Monday 4/13 in the recital hall on the same subject! Be there or me and Dr. Lee will cry

XOXO

CHLOE

Check Out Aissatou's Experience @ NSBE!   

How long have you been a member of NSBE?

I've been with the UMBC chapter since I transferred in the fall of 2023. They have provided me with guidance, a mentor, opportunities to volunteer, and to be a part of a community that wants to see me succeed.

What opportunities did the NSBE convention provide?

I had an amazing opportunity to represent: UMBC and the Region. This convention went better than I expected. I went from 1 interview last year to 4 this year, with 2 job offers. I also had the opportunity to connect/ network with companies and multiple people from different schools. I went to multiple events, including the Golden Torch Awards, where I got to see people win awards for their accomplishments, plus schools, (a dress to impress event). 

Any other comments about the conference you would like to share?

The event would forever leave a special place in my heart. In an environment with about 16,000 people, I stood out and walked proudly as an INDS major. I thank the INDS program for everything. It's a degree that got me through so many things and shows that it's ok to want something different in college. Passion will get you a long way. 

Click here to learn more about Aissatou's INDS Degree!

Professor  Amber Spry from Brandeis University and a UMBC Alumna (BA, Political Science, '10), will talk about "The Technological Future: Shifting the Focus from What We Build to Who We Build it For" in the UMBC AOK Library Gallery on 4-5:30 pm this Wednesday.

Dr. Spry is an Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies and Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Politics at Brandeis University. She is a thought leader bridging social scientific insights with application in the tech industry, most recently as Meta's Academic Collaborator for Social Impact Research, where she led the creation of measurement systems to understand social outcomes across Instagram, Facebook, AR, and VR applications, and artificial intelligence. She is a founding member of Meta's Co-Design Lab, a central organization that brings everyday people alongside engineers and designers to create new technologies with, not just for, the communities who use them. She also convened the recent  Responsible Innovation in AI Workshop in collaboration with the New York Academy of Science and Arizona State University, which gathered technologists, academics, and civil society to create actionable frameworks and guidelines for solving pressing technological challenges.

Read more here

Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD)

Come out and support our researchers at URCAD 2026!

Visit the RAC on Wednesday, April 22, to see our students and your peers in action. Be sure to stop by their poster sessions and presentations to engage with their work and show your support.

ANTHROPOLOGY

• Preston McMillian
  Tourism in Tiny Towns: An Ethnographic Study of Old Ellicott City
  Mentor: Nicholas Welcome
  RAC 106 | 3:15–3:30 PM
• Peerada Phoomsiri
  Rewarding Relationships: An Ethnographic Study of Volunteers with the Special Olympics
  Mentor: Bambi Chapin
  RAC 230 | 9:40–9:55 AM

PUBLIC HEALTH

• Jesslyn Annan
  "An Outsider in The Place That's Become Your Home": Stories of Navigating Identity as a 1.5 Generation Asian Immigrant
  Mentor: Chulwoo Park
  RAC Arena | 10:00–11:00 AM | Poster #11
• Nicholas Denton
  Quantifying Misinformation: Vaccine Hesitancy and its Reverberations
  Mentor: Kathryn Monzo
  RAC Arena | 2:00–3:00 PM | Poster #15
• Muskaan Hammad
  Centralizing Community Health Access & Resource Module with a Focus on Food Resources During the Federal Shutdown
  Mentor: Katie Birger
  RAC Arena | 10:00–11:00 AM | Poster #45
• Tiffany Nguyen
  Understanding Severe Psychological Distress Among Older Veterans: A Population-Level Analysis
  Mentor: Cristina Miller
  RAC 230 | 10:00–10:15 AM
• Deven Patel, Fathima Hafsa Abdul Gaffoor, Ephrata Mangesha
  Environment Control and Health Burdens: An International Comparative Study of Preventive Risks from Urban Pollution
  Mentor: Christine Mair
  RAC Arena | 10:00–11:00 AM | Poster #75
• Letu Reggasa
  Maryland College Basic Needs Community of Practice
  Mentor: Andrea Kalfoglou
  RAC 106 | 12:00–12:15 PM
• Anelsy Valencia
  Immigration Vulnerability and Self-Rated Oral Health Among Latin Adults: A Pilot Study*
  Mentor: Dina Garcia
  RAC Arena | 2:00–3:00 PM | Poster #70

For the full schedule see: urcad.umbc.edu

As part of Graduate Student Appreciation Week (GSAW), OGSL and Library Services invite you to take a well-deserved break and connect with your graduate community at our Grad Lounge Open House.

📍 Location: Graduate Student Study Lounge, AOK Library 765
📅 Date: Wednesday, April 8
⏰ Time: 1–3 PM (drop in anytime!)

Stop by to:

• Enjoy free snacks
• Pick up library swag
• Grab a mini “Grad School Survival Kit”
• Add a note to our gratitude wall
• Create a card for a peer who is defending or graduating

This pop-up is designed to create a moment of pause, appreciation, and connection during a busy point in the semester—centering care, community, and recognition for all that our graduate students contribute to UMBC.

Whether you stay for a few minutes or the full time, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating our rhythm, our way.

Get ready for the most exciting night of Graduate Student Appreciation Week! Join us for Grad Bingo Night on Wednesday, April 8 from 5–8 p.m. in the UC Ballroom. 

This is your chance to take a break from the books and compete for some MASSIVE prizes. If you win BINGO then go home with a coffee machine, a TV, and even BIGGER prizes!

Make sure you GRAB YOUR TICKET now for a chance to win big and enjoy a night of fun with your fellow graduate students. See you there!

Name: Gunner Sudol

Pronouns: Any/All

Title: Coordinator for Desk Services, Residential Life

Years in Student Affairs: 5

UMBC alum: I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees at UMBC in biological sciences with a focus in neuroscience. 

What is something you do as part of your position that people may not be aware of?
Most might be able to assume from my title that I do a lot with customer service and addressing concerns, but I am also responsible for co chairing our recruitment committee which markets, hires, and onboards a massive student staff team to support the department of Residential Life. One of my favorite new projects this year has been the amount of assessment I have been conducting throughout our process sourcing feedback and reviewing our processes' accessibility to make it as effective as possible in preparing and selecting excellent students to join our teams.  

What is one of the most important things you’ve learned during your time here?
An important thing I learned in my time at UMBC is that change is a constant. Every year I think ‘This will be the year that I will be able to copy and paste what I did last year!’ And every year I’m wrong! I’m not mad about it. New things happen and strange developments beyond my control keep me on my toes and drive me to improve every time and refine processes as much as I can. 

What do you like to do for fun and/or is something you are passionate about outside of work? 
One of the things I enjoy most is cosplay! For those that don’t know what it is, basically I never grew out of playing dress up. I love it because there are so many artistic skills needed for the hobby. I have learned how to sew, paint, do make up, hair style, 3D print and so much more all for one hobby. I get to flex my creativity and craftiness in a variety of ways and get to look cool at the end of it. 

1:30- 2:00pm, RAC Stage

Come rock with us, 90s style with the Down and Dirty Dawg Band!

Founded in 1998, DDDB is UMBC’s pep band. The name was given to the band by the members to reflect the music and attitude of the group. DDDB plays popular and jazz funk tunes and has grown into a core membership of highly motivated performers led by a student organization. They support the Retrievers Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams and perform at other spirit events. They will be playing a selection of 90s tunes to celebrate URCAD's 30th anniversary! Band members: Jamie Bates, Charlie Blocher, Rose Bodie, Aidan Cohen, Jean Diaz, Julieta Marin, Daniel Pellerano, Michael Riddle, Anastasia Sartain, Ben Yoder.

Director: Bentley Corbett-Wilson

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22 in the RAC:

URCAD.umbc.edu