Although it’s been 15 years and he now works in Silicon Valley, Rahul Razdan ’05, information systems, Hilltop Society Member, can still hear UMBC database management instructor Richard Sponaugle’s lessons echoing in his current work. 

“I still talk about normalizing a table,” he says. “A lot of what I learned at UMBC applies to what I do today.” 

Razdan lives in San Jose and works as a senior business process architect for Intuitive, a global company that produces minimally invasive surgery technology, most notably the da Vinci Surgical System. The system translates the surgeon’s hand motions inside the patient’s body using a miniaturized surgical camera and wristed instruments (i.e., scissors, scalpels, and forceps). Because the doctors are seated while they use the systems, they can perform longer, more complicated procedures. 

Entering new markets in new countries, each of which has its own regulations, is where Razdan comes in. “I work with the legal and regulatory teams to interpret the standards into business requirements,” he says. The fundamentals of his work, according to Razdan, are rooted in his time at UMBC, where he studied information systems on the Shady Grove campus. 

“It’s the foundation of my career today,” says Razdan, “The systems analysis and design focus in my undergrad taught me to deconstruct problems into smaller parts and apply root cause analysis. I had such an amazing experience.”

Making a home at Shady Grove

Karen Archambault, a former program coordinator at UMBC, isn’t surprised by Razdan’s accomplishments. “He didn’t just focus on credits and classes,” she says. “He took advantage of the full experience at UMBC.” 

As a transfer student from Montgomery College, Razdan knew about UMBC’s reputation from its number one ranking in chess. “I thought, ‘That’s pretty awesome. They brag about chess.’ But you know what? Nerds get paid in the end,” says Razdan, with a chuckle. 

On the Shady Grove campus, Razdan distinguished himself outside of the classroom. As president of the Universities of Shady Grove Student Association, he organized a job fair and started a dining discount program with nearby restaurants. 

“This wasn’t just a place to take classes [for Razdan],” says Sponaugle, senior lecturer and associate undergraduate program director of UMBC at Shady Grove. “Any college experience is going to be what you make of it. He stood out, and really applied himself to his studies too.” 

Razdan says he was struck by the genuineness of his classmates and professors. “They were really humble and genuinely inviting,” he says, adding that he always felt welcome on the main campus in Catonsville. 

“I never felt like a stepchild. I never felt apart,” says Razdan. “I could go to Catonsville and watch a basketball game or catch a lacrosse match.” 

Staying connected from the West Coast

Before Razdan graduated, he’d already completed an internship at the Washington Post and had a job waiting for him at a software company when he graduated. 

After earning a master’s degree from the George Washington University in information systems technology, in 2014, Razdan moved to California with his wife. He’s stayed connected to UMBC from afar in a variety of ways.

Razdan’s gifts to the university have earned him a membership in the Hilltop Society. One program he donates to is the Center for Women in Technology. “It’s a great way to give back to my school that gave me so much,” says Razdan, “and while doing so, support women entering the science and technology space. We need a more diverse group of people at the table talking about problems affecting us today, and I find this is one way to address that problem.”  

Razdan still follows the news from his undergraduate alma mater, and particularly enjoyed bragging from the West Coast about UMBC’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament upset in 2018. Even more fun, he said, was getting together with fellow Retrievers earlier this year at a UMBC alumni event in California. “It was great,” Razdan says. “I’d love to get together once a year and build on this network.” 

— Laura Cech

*****

Header image: Razdan with the DaVinciX system. Photo courtesy of Razdan.

During an education course, the professor tasked the class with a creative writing assignment. We were told to write a poem about something specific, and this specific something was provided by the professor. For example, after reading a poem in which the narrator expressed a desire to be inside a rock, our professor told us to write a poem about an object that we would like to be inside. We could write about any object we could imagine, but we had to express a desire to be within that object. We were then given five minutes to write our poem. This is what I came up with:

I would go inside Jupiter
Or another gas giant
Because you really can go inside.
I think about how small I would be,
In that giant Jupiter.
And yet,
How small is that giant Jupiter
When compared to our medium-sized sun.
And as we are already inside it,
Let us think about how small that medium-sized sun is
Within our spiraling, swirling milky-way.
And outward we go
Towards greater spaces.
How many things
Are we already inside?
What’s not one more
to be within?

I would hardly consider myself a poet. But I couldn't help but be somewhat pleased with what I had created in a mere five minutes. Not only had I written the poem in five minutes, but I was forced to write about being inside of something. How was I, along with everyone else in the class, able to create poetry in such a short amount of time, with such a restricted sense of time and topic?
I then thought to myself: what if I were simply told to write a poem in five minutes? If I were told to write a poem about anything and everything in five minutes, would I be able to? And if I were able to, would I appreciate my writing as much as I had appreciated my poem about being inside Jupiter? The more I thought about these questions, the surer I was that I needed that sense of restriction to write creatively in such limited time.

The art of restriction is overlooked by many creative writers. Attempts at creative writing are too often discouraged by a lack of focus. It is easy for the author to have the desire to write. It is always there - the desire to put one's thoughts down and create some meaningful and powerful message from our feelings. But we have so many feelings and emotions and thoughts and desires to share our story. In fact, we have so many ideas on what to share and how to share it, that when it comes time to actually writing, we just decide on any one topic.

The choice then becomes the ultimate objective. The author must first choose his path. Nothing can be accomplished; nothing can be written without first choosing a topic to write on. But choosing is so hard, isn't it? When the nearly impossible task of choosing a dinner spot arises, what do we do? Who do we turn to? Traditionally, we turn to the person joining us for dinner and say, "Why don't you choose?" To which that person replies, "No, I chose last week, it's your turn to choose." And this conversation continues for hours and hours. When you finally choose, you find that the restaurant is closed, or that you've since lost your appetite.

Authors face much of the same issue. What should you write about? Well, the author wants to write about what the audience wants to read. But, unlike choosing a restaurant, the author cannot deflect the issue. The choice will always be your own. The opportunity to say, “What do you want me to write about, audience?” never realistically manifests.
But we have seen what happens when the audience does choose for the author. In the case of my education class, the audience did tell the author what they wanted to hear. The audience wanted to read a poem about wanting to be inside an object. Much like the once in a million occurrence when your lunch buddy actually chooses a place to eat, it works. After the choice is made, the two go to lunch. After the restrictions are set in place, the author can write freely, openly, and comfortably, set within those specific parameters.
How then can we, as authors, self-restrict our writing? How do you set parameters in place that will allow you to create so freely and efficiently? It comes down to making that dreaded choice. But how do we lessen the burden of making such a choice? We lower the stakes. We understand that our topics of discussion are limitless, and we look towards absurdity to structure our creativity.

I believe the poetry assignment worked so well because the restrictions were so specifically strange. Although I was writing about being inside Jupiter, I still managed to create poetry that felt emotionally charged and meaningful. I found that my imagination successfully created content within the parameters, but simultaneously worked around the constraints to deliver emotionally fulfilling writing.

Restrictions allow authors to focus more on the delivery of emotionally charged and meaningful content without experiencing the hindrance of choice. The next time you sit down to write creatively, set a ridiculous parameter. Limit yourself to discussing something strange and make choosing meaningless. By doing so, you will effectively disengage with the preservation of choice, allowing you to focus on your love for writing.

Check out this and other posts on the Writing Center's blog: https://umbcwritingcorner.wordpress.com/author/umbcwritingcenter2017/

President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III
Provost Philip J. Rous
and
Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
Janet C. Rutledge
Cordially Invite You to the Ceremony and Banquet
to Recognize New Doctoral Candidates
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Program Begins at 6 p.m.
University Center Ballroom

Please RSVP by November 13, 2019

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Submission deadline: February 15, 2021