Over the next few weeks we’ll be introducing you to this year’s Alumni Award winners. The UMBC Alumni Association proudly honors distinguished alumni and faculty for their accomplishments and dedication to UMBC. Today we’re talking with Kaliope Parthemos ‘93, psychology, about her career as Chief of Staff to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. 

Name: Kaliope Parthemos ’93, psychology
Job Title: Chief of Staff, Office of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
Award Category: Social and Behavioral Sciences

Q: Why did you choose to attend UMBC?

In addition to UMBC’s proximity to home and its affordability, UMBC had a great academic reputation.

Q: Is there a particular class or professor at UMBC who really inspired you?

My externship program with the Choice Program inspired me to pursue a career in public service. It motivated me to pursue a career where real change can happen through my work. A career where I can use my skills, training and advocacy to help others.

Q: What has been the greatest success in your career? The greatest challenge?

I am very proud of being able to serve the citizens of Baltimore City throughout my career, often serving the most vulnerable citizens. Having served as Deputy Mayor for 4 years and now as Chief of Staff of a large U.S. city, I know the decisions made will impact future generations: from school construction plans to new recreation and aquatics centers, to pension reform, to implementing the city’s 10-year financial plan. My greatest challenge has been facing historic budget deficits and dwindling federal resources. I am proud of the fact that when we come into the mayor’s office in 2010, we faced a historic budget deficit of over $121 million without drastically cutting public safety and essential services or raising property taxes.

Q: What are your proudest personal achievements?

Two things: 1. As a first generation Greek American, I was the first person in my family to graduate from college, much less graduate from law school. I am proud of my professional and educational achievements and strive to always give back in my career. 2. A few months after I became Deputy Mayor at the age of 40, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am proud to say that I am a breast cancer survivor.

Check out the other Alumni Award winners.

Below are just a few of the new Internship positions posted to UMBCworks in the past week. Check them out today!

Fall 2014 - Collections Intern (9268714)
Fire Museum of Maryland - Lutherville, Maryland

As an educational institution, the Fire Museum provides a variety of special programs for children, fire fighters, and interested adults that introduces them to the history of firefighting, antique fire apparatus and how it was used, and related memorabilia.

Navy Athletics Sports Marketing Intern (9268770)
Naval Academy Athletic Association - Annapolis, Maryland
Positions available for both Winter 2015 and Spring 2015 semesters.

Assist in marketing, promotions and game day operations for Navy Athletic events (i.e. football, basketball, baseball, volleyball and lacrosse) and NCAA hosted tournaments. Assist staff in creation of sports marketing plans, the implementation of the plans.

Spring 2015 - Marketing/Community Outreach/Development (9268693)
Spotlighters Theatre - Baltimore, Maryland

Successful candidates will need strong Interpersonal skills, Strong Written and Verbal communication skills. The ability to meet with local businesses and schools to introduce programs and projects. Research grant opportunities and complete grant applications with supervision from Executive Director.

Junior Web Graphics Specialist (9268765)
Prometric - Baltimore, Maryland

-Assist in developing and maintaining websites/intranet sites
-Create graphics and code that adhere to Prometric’s style and brand identity
-Translate visual prototypes into launch-ready code
-Test and troubleshoot pages on multiple browsers and platforms

Spring 2015 - Visual Communications and New Media (9268688)
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore - Baltimore, Maryland

Responsibilities:
-Assist with recording, editing, and archiving video
-Create, upload, and update social media posts and web content 
-Learn and gain experience in marketing and promotion
-Assist with media event set-up and breakdown, including, but not limited to: Moving and setting up chairs, tables and   tents, and etc.

Business Development Internship - PAID (9263520)
Knowledge Drive - Baltimore , Maryland

Course Hero has partnered with Books for Africa, an international non-profit organization, to create the Knowledge Drive (CourseHero.com/KnowledgeDrive). The Knowledge Drive initiative, in partnership with Books for Africa, is working to build a powerful learning resource for college students while providing children in Africa with a gift.

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To access these positions, login to your UMBCworks account (via the link in the Jobs & Internships topic in myUMBC) and find details and application instructions as well as hundreds of other job postings! Please note you MUST have an approved resume and be released to apply to internships. To schedule an appointment, access our online system in UMBCworks or call 410-455-2216.

Name: Vanessa Barksdale

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: International Social Services - USA

Major(s)/Minor(s): Social Work with Certification in Intercultural Communication

Expected Graduation Year: May 2017

Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research, or service-learning opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

International Social Services is a very unique organization, and I'm very honored to be selected to work with them. Basically, we do two things: repatriation, and intercountry casework. In casework, we do things like help make international custody battles a little easier on the social workers by being the point of communication between, say, New Jersey and Germany. This definitely produces some interesting conversations and experiences; I definitely learn and do something new every time I come through the door. It is my responsibility to be of assistance in any way possible to the caseworkers on staff here. This can entail anything from asking Puerto Rico's Social Services to run a background check in Spanish (my language of study - very cool to put in practice!) to even copying a 50 year old case file. My job, specifically, is to handle the smaller cases, which usually entails looking for the family members of children in need. It’s very rewarding, and it’s always a good time.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

Networking! Networking! Networking! In the spring of 2014, I had an opportunity to volunteer with the organization CHOICE through the Shriver Center (also a great opportunity). One of the interns in charge of my volunteer site worked in ISS as well, and she recommended me for the position.

Which of the following resources did you use to find your current experience?

Student Organizations/Scholar Groups, Student Connections

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

I love every minute that I'm in the office, to be honest. I suppose that most of all I love the real world practice and application of the things that I've learned to help advance the mission of such a wonderful organization.

What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another opportunity?

I've definitely gained a sense of agency and self confidence. I've gotten a chance to do, learn, and be a lot of things here, for which I'm grateful.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Find something that pushes your envelope all the way open, that you have a passion for, that's a little unconventional, and then go do that. These are the places that you learn something new. Also, don't just look at working with the "Big Wig" corporations. Look at volunteer internships with the little nonprofits; they definitely need you, and there's plenty of work to go around.

Please provide a short quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / the internship placement process.

Find something that pushes your envelope all the way open, that you have a passion for, that's a little unconventional, and then go do that. You'll ALWAYS learn something new.

Dr. Freeman Hrabowski hosted the fourth annual 1966 Society dinner on September 15 in the University Center Ballroom Lounge at UMBC.  The 1966 Society celebrates those individual members who have identified the UMBC Foundation in their estate plans.

Before dinner, guests walked over to the Meyerhoff Building and toured the labs with Dr. William LaCourse, Dean of CNMS, and Zeev Rosenzweig, Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, where they learned about the exciting research being done by UMBC faculty.

Some of the faculty — Dr. Marie-Christine Onuta, Dr. Marcin Ptaszek, and Dr. Ryan White — then joined 1966 Society members for dinner.

Please contact Kim Robinson at kim.robinson@umbc.edu if you would like information about estate planning.