Name: Anisha Khandelwal

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Maxim Healthcare Services | Title of Your Position: Corporate Compliance Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s): Psychology, Health Administration and Policy, BA/MPP

Expected Graduation Year: May 2015

Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research, or service-learning opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

As the Corporate Compliance Intern at Maxim Healthcare Services, I assist with both compliance trainings and policy development. I assist with organizing and implementing campaign ideas. I create communication posts which are included in Maxim's newsletters are e-mailed to over 40,000 employees. I prepare outlines and test questions for compliance trainings. I proofread, edit, and revise documents, forms, and presentations. I revise and compare current and prior policy implementations. I also provide assistance with other assignments when needed.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I found my internship with Maxim's Healthcare Services and research opportunity with UMBC's CWIT on UMBCworks. For the internship, I first submitted an application on UMBCworks. The initial interview was conducted over the telephone and was with an HR representative. I was interested in three internships with Maxim Healthcare Services but it was during this conversation that I decided compliance would be the best for me. This was followed by an in-person interview with one of my current managers. The third interview was an in-person interview with the Vice President of Compliance at Maxim Healthcare Services. A few days after, I received a telephone call and was offered the position. Similarly, I also found my research assistantship for UMBC's CWIT on UMBCworks. There was only one interview for this position and it was a telephone interview. I also notified of my offer for this position by a telephone call.

Which of the following resources did you use to find your current experience?

UMBCworks

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

What I have enjoyed the most about both my positions are my managers. I have been fortunate to have managers who truly care and who are truly interested in my success. My managers are extremely supportive, are like advisors, and even help me prepare for future positions.

What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another opportunity?

I believe that both my internship and research assistantship have provided me with an array of skills, practice, and experiences that will surely be beneficial for helping me succeed in future jobs and duties. This compliance internship is my first health policy internship and has allowed me to learn about the development of compliance trainings, campaigning in a corporate setting where there are limitations, and policy development. My research assistantship has improved my skills in conducting focus groups and exit interviews, organizing events, increased my knowledge of qualitative data, and how to use WordPress to update a website.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

I highly encourage other students to apply and obtain internships, research experiences, and other experiences.These experiences may further increase your interest in your academics, help you realize what kinds of experiences and duties you are interested in, help you realize your strengths and areas of opportunity, will help you learn more about the industry and field that your experience is in, and will definitely help with applying for future positions.

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / the internship placement process.

I believe that if you find positions that you truly are passionate about then you will never have to work a day in your life. That is how I feel with this research assistantship and internship. I have had other internships, research assistantships, and jobs that I was not as interested in but these other experienced helped me obtain skills to be successful in my current positions and to realize what kinds of duties I am indeed passionate about.

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Compiled by the Retriever Weekly Features Staff

Virgo- Things are looking bad for you, but on the bright side, your goldfish is going to have an absolutely killer week.

Libra- Winter is finally gone and, with it, all of the snow-friends that you built to keep yourself company. Why does everyone go away?

Scorpio- It’s too bad you can’t save your progress IRL because this week it’s game over man, game over!

Sagittarius- You’ll make great progress on your android this week, but you’ll find its urgent and frequent requests for raw red meat disconcerting.

Capricorn- Considering the fact that you woke the slumbering dread-lord Cthulhu during a spring break scuba trip, this week will be surprisingly normal.

Aquarius- You won’t be able to get that song out of your head after your ear-buds fuse to your skull.

Pisces- Hope you like yams, because that’s what in store this week. Yams upon yams upon yams.

Aries- It would be crossing a line to joke about your plane going down, but this a completely serious horoscope column and we don’t joke here.

Taurus- It’ll be a rough week for you socially and you can expect especially heated conflicts with Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Aries, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Libra, Virgo and other Taurus.

Gemini- You’ll have trouble concentrating at the entomology lab this week, but that’s really less of a reflection on you than it is on the parasitic wasps in your brain.

Cancer- You’ve been occupied with the future lately, but after you get your history midterm back, you’re going to be dwelling on the past.

Leo- Spring break may be over, but the warm memories and that one infectious disease will last you the rest of your life.

Read more stories from: The Retriever Weekly

Students find a charitable alternative to spend their week off

Instead of spending spring break at beach resorts, some students chose a more charitable alternative by volunteering at homeless shelters in Baltimore City.

As students make their way back to classes after a week long vacation, many will ask and be asked “What did you do on your spring break?” Although spring break is notorious for college students letting loose, some sought a more charitable alternative.

This year, 36 students chose to spend their hiatus from classes working long hours in the city of Baltimore and other local areas to engage in an alternative spring break (ASB) program.

One such service-learning program is the Homelessness Trip. Mark Zachar, one of the coordinators of UMBC Serves, said, “This ASB trip is designed to educate participants about the plight of homelessness in the hopes of eliminating stigma and uncovering the intricate complexities of homelessness.”

By participating in small daily projects and reflecting on underprivileged lifestyles, it is hoped that the stigma toward such areas and individuals will be reduced.

Markya Reed and Megan Lynch, both juniors and social work majors, were in charge of the Homelessness Trip this year. They both attended the ASB trip last year and loved it, which was one of the primary reasons they decided to apply to be leaders.

Reed sees the program as more than just a service job.”It was the most meaningful experience I’ve had so far at UMBC,” said Reed. “It’s all about education outside the classroom and getting to know the people around you and your community.”

A typical day on the Homelessness Trip consisted of helping the shelters in any way possible, whether it was serving food, distributing resources or sparking up a conversation with clients. Some students even provided resources and contacts for local jobs.

After a long day at the shelters, students would return to UMBC and have group discussions to reflect on their daily experiences.

It’s a rather grounding experience that teaches students the value of community service and teaches empathy towards all people. Having the opportunity to positively influence the lives of underprivileged people is one of the many benefits of participating in such a program.

“[Community service] was always something that was important to me in middle school and high school and I wanted to continue that on my college campus,” Lynch said.

Applications for 2016 ASB begin next October. Any student interested in taking part in a cause such as the Homelessness Trip or any of the other ASB programs should contact UMBC Serves or Student Life for more information.

Photo: Courtesy of Student Life

Read more stories from: The Retriever Weekly

UMBC hosted several events to commemorate Women’s History Month.

The library studied the past and the Women’s Center looked into the present. Groups at UMBC observed Women’s History Month in March.

Throughout March, UMBC celebrated women’s contributions to society for Women’s History Month. Student activities highlighted important women in history as well as the modern female experience. The Women’s Center hosted the bulk of events, including guest lectures, documentary screenings and a fair. Other organizations on campus also got involved, even the library.

Simmona Simmons, UMBC services development librarian, hosted a Read-A-Thon at the library with the theme of “Telling Our Stories.” The event was a nonthreatening way for students to read, relax and join in a discussion about important women. A selection of books about significant women in history was on display for students to peruse.

Simmons, who was enthusiastic about the event, felt it was important for people to study women’s history because many historical women are overlooked.

“It’s the same women who get highlighted,” she said. “Books about women get overlooked unless there is a term paper.”

Tucked away in the instruction room on the second floor of the library, the event only saw four visitors. This was perhaps due to the obscured location coupled with it being the Friday before spring break. Still, it resulted in a lively discussion amongst attendees. Emily Silver, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, echoed the need to study women’s history.

“Women typically get shafted history-wise and women of color even more so,” Silver said, as she watched a slideshow of significant women in America. A photo of Hillary Clinton flashed across the screen highlighting her as the first female senator for the state of New York.

While the library focused on women’s history, the Women of Color Coalition covered the modern female experience. Throughout the month, they set up the Telling Our Stories Photobooth on Main Street in The Commons. It presented an opportunity for women of color to have a voice and speak against stereotypes by writing what they were not. Some examples included “I’m not exotic,” and “I’m not sassy.” Posters from the event were shared on social media and hung around campus.

Bree Best, a senior English major, worked at the booth, encouraging all women to participate. Best became involved in the Women of Color Coalition in 2014, which is a student-run organization supported by the Women’s Center. Being in the organization allowed Best to meet women from a variety of backgrounds and learn about different things going on globally.

Best feels that the Women’s Center is an important organization on campus because it gives women a safe space to tell their stories. She encouraged both men and women to get involved and hear women’s stories as well as learn about women’s history.

“You create history alongside each other,” Best said, as she straightened a stack of fliers. “You’re not in a vacuum.”

Photo: Shannon Carney

Read more stories from: The Retriever Weekly

Audio journalism changes the life of one with the help of many

The podcast that attracted millions has made a surprisingly large impact on college students, as well as the cases that it covers.

In autumn, when the sun starts setting earlier each day, some college students crave a thrilling story that will keep them looking over their shoulder. This is especially true when Halloween is near. In October 2014, political reporter Sarah Koenig released a podcast that not only appealed to those with a passion for investigative journalism, but also lured lovers of chilling mysteries.

According to the online global news organization The Guardian, Koenig’s Serial (a spinoff of the This American Life radio documentary) is the fastest podcast to attain 5 million iTunes streams and downloads. Until December 2014, in the twelve 30-50 minute episodes, Koenig detailed the case against Adnan Syed, the then-high school student convicted of the murder of his 18 year-old ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee.

Syed and Lee were both students at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County, where Lee was last seen alive on Jan. 13, 1999. After a month of searching, Lee’s body was discovered in Leakin Park. Not long after, Syed, who had no solid alibi, was arrested for the murder. Syed is currently serving a life sentence plus 30 years in Cumberland, Md.

As reported in an article written by Penn State University student Lauren Blum for USA Today, some criticized the way Koenig narrates the events surrounding Lee’s murder as though she is one of the characters in the story. UMBCs Dr. Steph Ceraso, an English professor who teaches in the communication and technology track, reiterated that Koenig expresses her bias due to her relationship with Adnan multiple times.

Last semester, Ceraso incorporated Serial into the syllabus for her English 300 class to help students learn how to structure an audio narrative. Regarding the criticized reporting style, she felt that Koenig was continuously self-reflective on the podcast, making Serial, “more honest and authentic than so-called ‘objective’ reporting.”

The Maryland Court of Special Appeals granted an appeal to Syed on Feb. 6, 2015 that will be heard in a new court session in June. For those who may be quick to assume that the appeal was granted due to the popularity of Serial, the paperwork was filed back in Jan. 2014, months before Serial was broadcasted.

Even so, one piece of vital evidence was uncovered by Serial. A new affidavit (a written statement confirmed by oath) has been filed by Asia McClain, a former peer of Syed’s at Woodlawn, who learned what an impact the information she had could make after listening to the podcast.

The document places Syed with McClain in the library across from their high school at the time the state claims Syed killed Lee. This information was disregarded by both the state prosecutor and the defense team in 2000. Today, McClain insists that she never denied this statement and early evidence of the declaration can be found in the letters she wrote to Syed in March 1999.

Many who expected to tune in to Serial solely for entertainment purposes now find themselves perplexed by the multiple mysteries and unsolved puzzles in Syed’s case. The fact that this source of entertainment has brought the defense a new piece of evidence that may help to prove Syed’s innocence is a surprise that listeners—and Syed’s family—couldn’t have expected.

Source: http://files.serialpodcast.org/sites/all/modules/custom/serial/img/serial-social-logo.png

Read more stories from: The Retriever Weekly

Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford visited UMBC on March 30 to meet with university leaders and students.

During his visit, Lt. Gov. Rutherford took a tour of UMBC buildings, including the Collaboratory, Commons and Library, and learned about UMBC’s progress and future needs. He also met with several Meyerhoff scholars to discuss their academic and career goals. Akua Nimarko ’15, biological sciences, said of the visit, “It was an enlightening experience to share my UMBC experiences and future plans with such an inspirational person.

8am - 8:45am
Registration, Continental Breakfast

8am – 2:30pm
Re-Charge Lounge

8:45am – 9:45am
Welcome and Keynote

9:45am – 2:30pm
All Day Beverage Service

9:45am – 2:30 pm
Vendor Showcase

10:30am – 11:20am
Concurrent Sessions

11:30am – 12:20pm
Concurrent Sessions

12:20pm – 1:45pm
Lunch
Dessert and Vendor Showcase

1:45pm – 2:35pm
Concurrent Sessions

2:45pm – 3:45pm
MEEC/Microsoft Agreement Review
Closing Remarks