Once again, the time has come for our Entrepreneur Panel, tomorrow Wednesday, April 12 from 19 - 1 pm, in University Center 312. We have three amazing people who will be coming to talk about their adventures as entrepreneurs, so bring questions! We can't wait to see you!

Alex Chizhik ‘97, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, VIMRO, LLC--University of Baltimore, School of Law, J.D.; University of Maryland, Baltimore County, B.A., Economics, Double Minor, Finance and International Affairs

A simple telephone call in 2005 from a friend asking for advice led Alex to joining his friend’s startup as a Partner and Employee #2. 12 years later, as the company grew from 2 people to 50, and over $10M in revenue, Alex says he can’t imagine doing anything else. VIMRO provides professional services in the IT infrastructure space working within datacenters and wide and local area commercial networks.

Rob Deford ‘93, Owner and President, Boordy Vineyards-- Loyola University, MBA; University of Maryland, Baltimore County, B.A., Geography

Rob Deford is a twelfth generation Marylander with over forty years of experience in the wine industry. He studied viticulture and enology at the University of California at Davis from 1979–1980. Upon returning to Maryland, Rob assumed the role of president and winemaker of Maryland’s historic Boordy Vineyards. Under Rob’s guidance Boordy has gained a reputation as a leader in the regional wine movement in the mid-Atlantic, through one of the most exciting and challenging periods for the American wine industry.

Kara Redman, CEO, Backroom

Kara is an ex-full service agency strategist who needed a better way to do great work. So she founded Backroom in 2014, where they use deliberate process to build brands and web technology that empowers the visionary people who work with them to go out and do big things. She believes that how they get there is just as important as where they end up, and the best products come from intimate collaboration with clients and constant iteration. At Backroom, they help companies with real substance live up to their potential, and build incredible relationships in the process.

Co-Sponsored by the UMBC Career Center

Calling all volunteers
for our biggest party of the year!

Marquee Ball: Disco Nights is inspired by the 1979 film Roller Boogie!

One of our largest events of the year is just a few weeks away.

Volunteers are still needed for this dynamite annual event to help with the following tasks:
-Greeter, 7 - 11pm Welcome guests in lobby after they check in, direct guests to different activities throughout the building, hop in to help with Will Call desk if needed, help to keep the lobby area neat and tidy.
-Auction Assistant: 10:30pm - 12am  Help gather, wrap, and distribute art at the end of the auction. As a volunteer you are welcome to attend the Dance Party before your shift.
-Gallery Monitor (shifts available throughout the night)  The main gallery gets fairly busy as the night progresses.  This volunteer moves around the room to remove garbage, clean spills, and make sure that the silent auction sheets where people place their bids are being filled out correctly. Help us keep The Patterson looking good! 
-Clean Up Crew 11pm - 2am Help with event breakdown. Any volunteer can add these hours to your shift--many hands make quick work!

If you are interested in helping out at this years Marquee Ball, please email the Volunteer coordinator Samantha at samantha@creativealliance.org with your availability for April 29th.

**This is not a UMBC Serves event  

The UMBC Cyber Defense Team took first place at the 2017 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition held in San Antonio, Texas this past weekend. The team defeated nine other regional winners from across the country in a contest to protect their networks from cyber attacks and threats efficiently and effectively.

“We are as excited about the national cyber defense competition as we are about an NCAA athletic competition,” says UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski. “UMBC is developing brainpower to protect our nation and build the economy in the Baltimore region. Our partnerships with the Department of Defense, NSA, the Naval Academy, NIST, and dozens of cyber companies  at bwtech@UMBC and beyond expose students to authentic problems and allow them to immediately provide value to government and business employers. Our campus is an ecosystem for cybersecurity talent development.”

Cyber Dawgs’ Faculty Advisor Charles Nicholas, professor of computer science and electrical engineering, calls the win “my proudest moment at UMBC.” He explains that the competition puts the team in a realistic situation that requires them to use resources and rely on their colleagues and teammates in challenging situations. During 14 hours of competition over two days, the teams are not able to interact with their coaches. Eight students used a dozen pieces of equipment throughout the tournament to keep the services on their network accessible and make sure that the systems are not brought down by hacks or cyber attacks.

“We are absolutely ecstatic with our win at Nationals. We have worked very hard to be the first team from the Mid-Atlantic region to win nationals,” said Christian Beam ‘18, computer science. “I am filled with pride to be a part of such an amazing team, and we are looking forward to returning to compete at the 2018 Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition!”

Leading up to the national and regional tournaments, the team spent hours training, studying, and reviewing scenarios that they might encounter during the competition. They prepared and practiced counterattacks to combat attacks from the other teams.

1 Corinthians 15:52 (NLT) - “It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.”

The Bible talks about creation being frustrated because of its “bondage to decay” (Romans 8:21). Think of trying to swim while being strapped to a ten pound weight. You may be able to stay afloat for a while, but eventually, inevitably, it will drag you down. Or think of the frustration that accompanies our efforts to change our diets…watching our cholesterol, monitoring our sugar levels, avoiding all tree nuts, fleeing any traces of gluten, cutting out carbs, etc. We’re trying to stave off the inevitable… decay and degeneration. At times it can be exasperating-thank God for cheat days, vegan substitutes and medical innovations!

We could mention many things that provoke frustration in our physical existence-injury, sickness, disease, violence, effects of injustice, mistakes, accidents or poor choices, etc. But in the twinkling of an eye, we will be changed… transformed… ready to inhabit a new heaven and new earth (cf. G. Ladd, The Last Things, p. 83). It is not simply to escape or to forget our past struggles and pain… but everything will be thoroughly redeemed and transformed… all wrongs being made right!

Read the following poem and spend time writing your own response (in 100 words or less) to this question: Why do you need the Resurrection?

I need the Resurrection
because my sister is sick
and can’t afford insurance,
because I’ve told a weeping Haitian mom,
“No, I can’t take your son home with me.”
because I’ve been rushed off a Jerusalem street
so a robot could blow up a bag that could’ve blown up us.
because I’ve exploded
in rage
and watched their tiny faces cloud with hurt.
because evil is pervasive
and I participate.
I need the Resurrection
because it promises
that in the end
all wrongs are made right.
Death loses.
Hope triumphs.
And Life and Love
Prevail.

(Kara Root)

-JP