Avni Patel

Degrees: B.S., Biological Sciences; B.A., Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies
Hometown: Ellicott City, MD
Post-grad plans: Medical school

Avni Patel has completed a demanding double major in biological sciences and gender, women’s, and sexuality studies while also emerging as a leader among her peers, with a focus on building community. She has served as secretary of the Hindu Students Council (HSC), as a member of the UMBC Red Cross, and as vice president of the UMBC Global Brigades, the campus chapter of the world’s largest student-led global health and sustainable development organization.

Her executive leadership with HSC has been particularly meaningful. Wanting to create a sense of community with other Hindu students and students from different backgrounds on campus, Patel worked with student colleagues to revive the dormant organization. She cites her experiences with HSC as giving her key leadership and problem-solving skills. After numerous fundraisers, meetings, and networking, the HSC held a spring 2023 Holi celebration (the Festival of Colors), attracting more than 700 attendees from across the campus community.

In addition to undergraduate research in the biological sciences lab of Jeff Leips, Patel served as a learning assistant for introductory chemistry classes and as an exam proctor for courses in biological sciences and chemistry.

Has there been a mentor or fellow student who influenced your time at UMBC?

“Dr. Jeff Leips and Dr. Kathryn Kein have been major influences and supporters. In my first year, Dr. Leips took the time out to explain certain concepts to me and ensure that he answered any questions I had. The year after, he served as a mentor and I joined his genetics research lab, where he offered me guidance on my research. Dr. Kein has been my professor for multiple gender, women’s and sexuality studies courses and my advisor in the program as well. Today, she is not just my professor, she is my mentor. She has always advocated for me and provided support for my capstone research project and future endeavors.”

What has been the best part of your UMBC experience?

“The best part of my UMBC experience was finding a diverse community of peers and mentors where I was appreciated and encouraged to reach my full potential. Being able to be involved in different organizations and experiences at UMBC allowed me to immerse myself in an environment that was academically and socially nourishing. One of the things I appreciate the most about UMBC is its commitment to diversity. As someone who did not grow up with people that looked like me, UMBC was a breath of fresh air. I was able to form relationships and connect with so many different people.”

CSEE Research Day, 9am-4pm Friday, May 5, 2023

As part of planned diversity, equity, and inclusion improvements from Blackboard, the first phase of pronoun support will display student pronouns in courses in time for summer 2023 courses. Providing this information within specific contexts of the course, particularly where engagement and collaboration occur, provides a means for instructors and classmates to address each other in ways that align with individual identity and expression. 

Pronouns are visible within many areas of an Ultra course including roster, discussions, groups, and gradebook. Pronoun support is limited in Original courses. Please review the list of locations where pronouns appear. 

Image 1: Example of Ultra discussion board with pronoun visible to all users 

The use of personal pronouns is an important aspect of self-expression and respect for one's identity. This feature helps foster a more inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students. Learn more about using pronouns (pdf).

How do faculty and staff select a pronoun to display in Blackboard? 

At this time, faculty and staff cannot choose a pronoun to display in Blackboard. Students may choose to indicate their pronouns via their myUMBC profile. This information is passed to Blackboard when a user's account is created or the pronoun is selected/updated. A pronoun is not required. If a pronoun is left blank, no information is passed to Blackboard in this field. 

How do I keep my pronouns private? 

Users control privacy by opting-in to pronoun selection in myUMBC. If no pronouns are selected, then pronouns are not displayed at all in Blackboard and other UMBC systems. 

How do pronouns pass over to third-party tools linked in Blackboard? 

At this time, pronouns are passed over with the user's name to Qwickly Attendance. Pronouns cannot be passed over with the user's name to third-party tools such as VoiceThread, Webex, among many others. While the major learning management systems all support pronouns, web conferencing tools and other engagement platforms have not developed support for this type of data. Some tools may allow users to rename themselves within the platform itself. 

If you need support: 

For technical questions about this feature, please open an RT ticket. 

For all other questions about inclusivity at UMBC: 

The Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) is responsible for promoting and coordinating the University's core values of inclusive excellence and equity, and has primary responsibility for managing UMBC's efforts related to Title IX, gender identity, and sexual orientation, as well as, other civil rights issues. If you are experiencing discrimination based on your gender identity or sexual orientation you can report it using OEI's online reporting/confidential referral form.

--

UMBC is committed to providing a consistent learning experience for everyone. The last day we will support Blackboard Original is December 31, 2024. Please check out our training and support: umbc.edu/go/ultra