1. Foldable coffee table: $7
2. Office chair: $25 (available only from May 25)
3. Small computer table: $15 (available only from May 25)
4. Ikea desk: $85.
5. Clothes drying rack: $6 (available only from May 25)
6. 24 inch HKC monitor with power cable and serial connector (no HDMI) - $40.
7. Dirt Devil Vacuum cleaner: $40 (available only from May 25)
8. Storage shelves: $3
9. Floor lamp: $15 (available only from May 25)
10. 2 twin comforters and 2 flat sheets (barely used) - $35
    

1. Ikea bed frame: $60 (can be completely dismantled)
2. Linenspa queen mattress - $70 (used for 1.5 years in a house with no smokers/pets)
   

As a result of the AFAC runoff election:

Paul Comitz has been re-elected as the COEIT Representative, and

Jill Vasbinder has been elected as the CAHSS Representative.

Congratulations to Paul and Jill, and a very big "Thank You" to everyone who participated in this year’s elections!

Diane Stonestreet

Degree: B.S., Mechanical Engineering
Minor: Mathematics
Hometown: Mount Airy, MD
Plans: Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Cornell University

“The mentors I have connected with through the McNair Scholars program have definitely been the most influential. I’ve always felt that they supported and understood me as a human before I was a student or scholar. And overall, my time at UMBC has given me the space to better understand and take ownership of my journey as a first-gen student. I’ve become confident in myself, and aware that I do deserve the opportunities that come my way.”

Diane Stonestreet ’22, mechanical engineering, is a first-generation college student who initially found the prospect of applying to college daunting. As a high school student, she didn’t know where to find all the answers and resources she needed. But after attending Frederick Community College, Stonestreet applied to UMBC and received a scholarship called ME S-STEM to study mechanical engineering. That support had an enormous impact on her educational path. She’ll soon head to Cornell University to start her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering. 

While at UMBC, Stonestreet took on multiple leadership roles to support her fellow students. She served as a teaching fellow in the McNair Scholars program, a coach for the Center for Democracy and Civic Life’s immersive STRiVE leadership for social impact program, a leader of a UMBC’s Alternative Spring Break, and an officer in Engineers Without Borders.

“Doing my best to give back to my UMBC community might seem like it would take extra work on my part,” she says, “but helping others helps me renew my own energy. I’m just doing my best to pour back into the communities that have supported me.”

Tchuissi Mbu Nyamsi

Degree: MPS in Data Science
Hometown: Paris, France 
Plans: Data science consultant at CrossCountry Consulting

“Thanks to the UMBC program and the support of the Career Center and others, I feel well prepared to enter the workforce in the U.S. and to bring [my] unique perspective.”

While working at Sodexo, a food services company, Tchuissi Mbu Nyamsi ’22 realized that there were data problems she wanted to solve. “I realized it was something I really wanted to have more knowledge in and I wanted to sharpen my skills,” she says. So she enrolled in UMBC’s master’s program in data science at the Universities at Shady Grove.

Mbu Nyamsi had only recently come to the United States from her home country of France to work at Sodexo, a French company, after having lived in several other countries around the world. “I wanted to experience this entrepreneurship mindset in the U.S. and have a new kind of international experience,” she says.

With her passion for math, knowledge of data science, and intercultural communication skills, Mbu Nyamsi looks forward to working as a consultant in data science. “It’s a big strength,” she notes, “to be able to combine my technical, language, and soft skills.”

Story written by Karen Stysley.