OGSL will be closed from Tuesday Nov 26th - Friday Nov 29th. Enjoy your holiday break!
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BEYA STEM Career Fair (FREE --Both In-Person or Virtual)
Friday, February 14, 2025
Saturday, February 15, 2025
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Open to ALL Students (undergraduate and graduate)
Jobs--full-time, part-time, internships and graduate admissions
This event is sponsored by Career Communications Group (CCG) and is part of their large annual conference, which will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center. Representatives from major corporations and universities will be available to meet with students pursuing careers in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields as well as Business, Finance, and Marketing. Why should you participate?
Registration is required. Your registration will give you access to the in-person and online Career Fairs. The UMBC Career Center will provide a free shuttle bus to the Career Fair on Friday. If you would like to take the free shuttle bus, you must register with both BEYA and the UMBC Career Center by Tuesday, February 11th.
Please be sure to upload your resume at the time of registration.
Contact Diane Crump-Fogle (crump@umbc.edu) or Chrisi Giannakaris (chrisig@umbc.edu) at the UMBC Career Center for additional information.
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When Patricia Mengue Bindjeme, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, went to classes, her professors would sometimes point out how engineers’ decisions can have life-or-death consequences. But the message really hit home this past summer when Mengue Bindjeme interned at the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), working on the Baltimore Red Line Project, a recently revived transportation project to create faster and more convenient links between the eastern and western parts of the city.
“I saw people talking about the journeys they had to make coming from West Baltimore to work at someplace like Johns Hopkins,” she says. “That’s a lot of travel.” Mengue Bindjeme realized how engineers working to ensure the safety, availability, and reliability of transportation could make huge differences to people’s everyday lives. “Having another person’s life in my hands is nerve-racking,” she says. “But the change I can make for someone else is really beautiful and impactful.”
Hannah Schmitz addresses the audience at the opening gathering for the Maryland Public Service Scholars. (Marlayna Demond ’11/UMBC)
Mengue Bindjeme secured her internship at MTA through the Maryland Public Service Scholars (MPSS) program, a 12-week summer fellowship program funded by the state of Maryland and administered by the Shriver Center at UMBC. The goal of the program is to provide students across Maryland the opportunity to develop as future leaders in the state’s public and social sectors.
Mengue Bindjeme was one of five UMBC students who completed the program this past summer. The others were Tasnim Rushdan, a senior global studies major; Aziza Mattaka, a junior global studies major; Dionne Cole, a senior biology and social work major; and Samantha Fu, a junior psychology and public policy major.
The students wrapped up the fellowship with real-world experience on their résumés. “From day one, I was having real tasks and learning real things,” says Rushdan, who worked as an international affairs fellow at the Maryland Office of the Secretary of State. The international division of the office was small—with just two full-time employees—so as an intern Rushdan was immediately involved in important work such as reviewing agreements, organizing meetings, and writing memos for Maryland Secretary of State Susan C. Lee and Governor Wes Moore.
Rushdan helped organize the Pan African City Exposition to facilitate discussions with international delegates around ideas for improving economic development and making housing affordable. She also met with embassy officials, business leaders, and students from around the world.
Mattaka worked in the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, working with victims of crime on their compensation claims. “Sometimes when I’d call people, they would go into their stories,” she says. “It really put into perspective my privilege, but it was also rewarding to be in a place to assist.”
The students faced challenges throughout their fellowships, from the sometimes heavy nature of the work, to the pressures to balance their schedules, produce deliverables, and present in front of the leaders of Maryland government.
They found support from program staff, the mentors they were matched with in their workplaces, and from each other. Each Friday, all the program participants met together and attended workshops to talk through their experiences and learn new skills for success.
“We realized that, even though we come from diverse backgrounds, we were there for the same mission. We’re facing many of the same challenges, and we’re all in it together,” Rushdan says.
Clockwise from top left: Samantha Fu, Patricia Mengue Bindjeme, Aziza Mattaka, Dionne Cole, and Tasnim Rushdan.
“I made lifelong friends who are supporting me, and really wanting me to succeed,” says Fu, who worked at LET’S GO Boys and Girls, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering economic success in underserved communities through STEM education and workforce development.
Throughout the summer, the MPSS scholars pushed themselves out of their comfort zones and discovered how much they had to contribute.
“Before the program, I was afraid of public speaking,” says Fu. “By the end of the program, I was able to confidently present a grant proposal in front of a panel of nonprofit leaders. My group and I even won the grant proposal competition.”
Cole, who worked at the Maryland Department of Health drafting policy recommendations for behavioral health care access for prison populations and others in the criminal justice system, says she feels much more confident after the summer. “Fear paralyzes us. But it’s like, no, we’re actually capable. You just have to look through the fear and realize, ‘Oh, snap, I could actually do this.’”
The group also ended the summer more confident of their commitment to public service.
“The public service sector truly is limitless and it affords any individual the opportunity to make a difference in their own way,” Cole says.
“Public service calls everyone,” Mattaka adds. “We are a collective, and society works better if we have people willing to develop the skills of leadership and empathy to do these jobs. Those are the skills we cultivated a lot this summer.”
]]>Update: Now includes Bluesky, LinkedIn, and Youtube!
We’re excited to announce a new feature for your group! You can now add external links to showcase your website and social media platforms directly from your group's homepage.
Supported links include:
Hey CyberDawgs!
Our weekly club meetings continue tonight, from 7:15 PM to 8:15 PM in ILSB 118. You can also join us virtually on Webex: https://umbc.webex.com/meet/CyberDawgs. Everyone is invited to attend!
Tonight will be our much-anticipated FireTalks meeting! You will have the chance to hear from not just one speaker on one topic, BUT five, count 'em, five speakers on five topics. The topics include:
* Rooting A Cheap Amazon Smart Drive
* Three States of Fear, Game AI
* Ghidra-Fu : The Art of Demystifying Decompilers
* Sexism in Data Science (Specifically Within Research Topics and Participants)
and
* Reporting Malicious Websites
To make things interesting, we will have a panel of judges ranking each topic, and we will be awarding the presenter of the highest-rated topic with a prize!
We look forward to seeing you all again tonight!
As a reminder, this week's submissions for the CyberPaws CTF challenge will close at the start of tonight's meeting. Remember to submit your flag! Also, if you would like a hint, you can DM a board member to receive one.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. Finally, as always, **Don't Do Crime. **
Respectfully,
Izzy
CyberDawgs Vice President
]]>Name: Sheila Muli
Pronouns: She/Her
Semester of Internship: Summer 2024
Major: Political Science
Current Class Level: Senior
This semester I completed a(n): Internship
Internship, Co-op, or Research Site (Company/Organization Name): Morgan Stanley
Location of the Organization (City, State): Baltimore, MD
Title of Position: Operations Analyst
Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities:
As an operations analyst on the cash equity team, I began by shadowing various departments within operations, including cash equity. Day-to-day, I attended networking events and collaborated with my intern team on an automation project using Alteryx and PowerBI to streamline the manual filtering of cash equity's daily fails file. I also worked independently on a data visualization project for the cash equity team, helping to identify trends for mitigation and providing higher management with historical insights. Additionally, I scheduled coffee chats with executive directors, vice presidents, and managing directors to explore different career paths within the organization.
Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?
I first learned about the opportunity through signs around campus and attended a UMBC Connects event with Morgan Stanley in Fall 2023. At the event, I met members of Morgan Stanley's HR team, who reviewed my resume and provided feedback. Later, I attended a UMBC-hosted bus trip to Morgan Stanley, where I reconnected with the HR team. The application process included an online HireVue interview and a Superday interview. I submitted my application in September 2023 and received the offer in November 2023 for the Summer 2024 program.
What resources did you use to find your current experience?
UMBC Career Center, Networking events (UMBC Connects, Info Sessions, Arts With a Purpose, etc.).
What have you enjoyed the most about your position and organization?
I enjoyed contributing meaningfully to the firm through an automation project that saved countless hours. Morgan Stanley fosters an inclusive and authentic culture while emphasizing community involvement, making it a rewarding and supportive environment.
How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?
As a political science major in a finance institution, I brought a unique perspective to my intern group project, focusing on the bigger picture and amplifying team collaboration. My initiative to identify and address gaps in data visualization for the Cash Equity team created a lasting impact, improving processes and providing valuable insights for leadership.
What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?
Networking is essential—maintain your connections and attend UMBC events. Be authentic in your pursuits, as opportunities that align with your true self will lead to growth and success.
Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center:
"My summer at Morgan Stanley was a unique experience that allowed me to contribute to impactful projects and connect with professionals at all levels. I'm grateful for UMBC's resources and events like UMBC Connects, which helped me discover and secure this opportunity."