I’m asking some of the people you might encounter on the UMBC campus, including students, faculty, staff and alumni, to answer a few questions about themselves and their experiences. These are their responses.
Hometown: Horsham, Pennsylvania
Q: How long have you been at UMBC?
A: 1 Year.
Q: What is your current title (job or student organization position)?
A: Student Government Association Senator, First Year Council Peer Advisor, Orientation Peer Advisor, Tour Guide, Sister, Friend, and Student!
Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus?
A: Motivating my peers to engage in student life and better our community.
Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most?
A: I love playing a part in getting people passionate about something on campus, whether it’s a club, organization, event, or just something that they want to change about UMBC. I’ve found my home at UMBC and I love helping others find theirs.
Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC?
A: For the majority of my life I have followed a predetermined course of action. I took all the right classes, joined all the right extracurricular activities, and rarely ever stood up for what I believed in. Quite honestly, I didn’t know what I believed in; I was, more or less, told what to believe by authority figures. In college I figured out my own personal positions on hot political issues. I joined clubs and took classes that I was passionate about. I tried everything and went to tons of events until I found something that made me so excited that I couldn’t stand the idea of not being a part of it. Or something else that made my blood boil and felt as though it was my responsibility to do something to change it. I found what I love but it wasn’t easy. No one is going to come knocking on your door (after welcome week) trying to get you to come to events and opportunities won’t just be handed to you; but that shouldn’t stop you. Try something new just for the fun of it! After you leave college when will you have the opportunity to take salsa lessons for free, or take a class about something you love, or get your scuba diving license? This is your time and your life, not your parents, not your professors, not your friends, nor anyone else’s. I wasted so much time doing tedious things I thought I had to do in order to boost my resume or because that’s what my older sister did so I had to as well. But more than anything, I regret not doing things because I thought it wasn’t cool to be passionate about something. It took me a really long time to figure out that everyone’s measure of success is different and mine doesn’t necessarily have to correlate with anyone else’s. Now, if I don’t absolutely love something I stop doing it (well with the exception of math class and other gen eds). I don’t love every second of every student organization and I get quite frustrated at times, but at the end of the day I love being a part of it all and wouldn’t trade my experiences for the world. You are not going to be good at everything (I certainly am not), but not trying, for fear of making a mistake, may be the biggest mistake of all. Don’t let anyone or anything hold you back from doing what you love.
Q: Complete this sentence: "I am a big fan of __________"
A: The Phillies, baseball, running, cliff diving, enthusiasm, dancing (badly), singing far too loudly, politics, iced tea, sharks, outdoor adventures, cheeseburgers, and spontaneity!
Q: Do you have any UMBC stories, little-known facts about UMBC, favorite spots on campus, or anything else you’d like to share?
A: My favorite UMBC story is the one about how and why free hour was created. “Forty to fifty college students held anti-war signs and sat on the floor of a classroom-lined hallway. The students were staging a peaceful protest in hopes that their "occupation" would bring to mind in passerbys the American lives in jeopardy half a world away. Across campus, hundreds of student sympathizers took note of the sit-in and several faculty members were fired for taking part in the unfolding events. The Vietnam War was close to its end, but students and faculty at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County were determined to speak out against what they believed to be an unjust war. Few members of the UMBC community today are aware of the school's history of activism. Until the 1980s, UMBC was home to numerous protests. The university's 12-1 p.m. free hour is a direct result of this past, created when student protestors convinced administrators to give them a period during the school day to organize.” http://sixties-l.blogspot.com/2009/05/few-students-aware-of-umbcs-history-of.html It was a time of such passion and the student body came together to do something meaningful that is still seen today.