Perspectives

My UMBC Commencement: “Black and Gold Runs in My Family”

/ 4 minutes of reading

Four years ago, I graduated from high school. I remember experiencing conflicting emotions, both the pride of academic achievement and the questions about where to go to college and what to study. Family and friends often asked me, what do you want to be? Because whatever I wanted to be must transfer into what I study in college, right? All I knew was that I wanted to go to UMBC, but not because of its stellar academics, social life, or diverse student population — which, of course, I became well acquainted with during my time here. I chose UMBC because… Continue Reading My UMBC Commencement: “Black and Gold Runs in My Family”

To You – Letter From the Editor

/ 2 minutes of reading

Dear Retrievers,The day after the men’s basketball team made history with their surprise win over UVA, I unglued myself from my laptop and headed to the grocery store to pick up an ice cream cake for my five-year-old’s birthday party. Like so many staff members working behind the scenes that weekend, I was a bit of a sleep-deprived mess. (A happy mess, but a mess nonetheless.) I hadn’t showered, so I covered my hair with my trusty UMBC ballcap and ventured into town as I had a million times before, hoping to get in and out of the store without… Continue Reading To You – Letter From the Editor

Who Gets to be a Superhero? Representation and Comic Books

/ 6 minutes of reading

With the runaway success of Marvel’s Black Panther movie, and the Women’s Center’s upcoming Knowledge Exchange about diversity in superhero media coming up this Thursday, we thought it might be nice to share this reflection by former Women’s Center staffer Prachi Kochar ’17, psychology, on her lifelong hobby of reading comic books and how how inclusive the comic book industry has been for women, particularly women of color.  Originally posted on the Women’s Center blog. * * * * * I have been a superhero comic book fan, on and off, for about 13 years – beginning with checking out Spider-Man and Fantastic Four comics from… Continue Reading Who Gets to be a Superhero? Representation and Comic Books

Cyber Ninja on Capitol Hill – Diana Parr ’85

/ 5 minutes of reading

What happens when you send a Department of Defense (DoD) cybersecurity expert to Capitol Hill for a year? Starting in January 2017, I had the opportunity to serve as a Brookings Legis Congressional Senior Fellow where Executive Branch employees work on the Hill to learn the legislative process. Little did I know that in addition to putting my technical expertise to work, I’d also learn civics lessons far beyond anything I could ever read about in a textbook. Armed with my resume containing my UMBC undergraduate degree in Information Systems Management, graduate degree from National Defense University, NSA and UMBC… Continue Reading Cyber Ninja on Capitol Hill – Diana Parr ’85

Back to School: The First Weeks

/ 3 minutes of reading

We attend school for different reasons — or, more likely, a combination of reasons. When we go “back to school” later, those reasons often multiply or change. This fall, I did the latter. After years of considering it, I finally decided to sign up as a non-degree-seeking student at UMBC. My goal: to take Introduction to Korean. My reasons: Many. (More on that later.) Now, a few weeks into it, I am proud of what I’ve learned. Here’s the gist so far: I have learned an entirely new alphabet, with new shapes and sounds unlike my own. (There are multiple marks for… Continue Reading Back to School: The First Weeks

graduating students laugh at undergrad commencement

Wow Moments

/ 6 minutes of reading

Who inspired YOU most as a student at UMBC? We asked, and you answered! #UMBCwow “Ilsa Lottes pulled me into Sociology, and Leslie Morgan convinced me to pursue a Ph.D. Both women were amazing mentors! So many great professors…a lot of fun was had in Rudy Storch’s Latin classes and I find myself still referring back to Jay Freyman’s word roots class.” — Connie Krach Pierson ’90, economics, M.A. ’92, sociology “Professor Schaller. He not only pushed me harder than any other professor, but he intensified my interest in politics and government. I still can’t believe he gave a quiz… Continue Reading Wow Moments

Wild Card – Fall 2017

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Henge After a sculpture titled, Forum, by Thomas Sayre Outside the glass wall That separates us From the cold and below, Covered with an icing Of melting snow, Are the half arches Formed of earth-colored stone Placed so no two can Connect, an almost row Of almost arches Among the broken gray Of stunted columns left As if to the wind on some acropolis; A henge whose shadows Rotate across the grass, Slant across squares of paving To remind us That time is told By the movement of suns, By melting ice, The shattered rock Of a ruined forum which… Continue Reading Wild Card – Fall 2017

Things Worth Saving

/ 4 minutes of reading

Although his thoughts often take him to the faraway national monuments of Utah and beyond, Ian Kennedy ’00, interdisciplinary studies, works every day to make his long-time community, Columbia, Maryland, a better place. Before becoming a Retriever, he was a Rouse Scholar at Howard Community College; upon transferring to UMBC, he found a way to make his interests in writing and environmental preservation work together as a scholar. Kennedy has worked as a newspaper reporter, a community organizer, and – most recently – as executive director of The Downtown Columbia Arts and Culture Commission, which oversees the health and well-being… Continue Reading Things Worth Saving

“I’m a Water Dancer, Mom!”: On Bodies and Baltimore’s Premier Water Ballet

/ 5 minutes of reading

A reflection on body acceptance and positivity while being a part of a water ballet by Special Projects Coordinator, Amelia Meman ’15, gender and women’s studies.  Above photo: Amelia and friend Susie Hinz ’14, courtesy of the author. * * * * * I tend to not write about my body much. It’s not that I don’t think about it. I’m preoccupied by it, actually. Rather, it’s that I don’t want to continue to bring attention to something that seems, to me, like a glaring error that folks can already pick apart. It’s not just that I’m sort of fat. I am fat, and… Continue Reading “I’m a Water Dancer, Mom!”: On Bodies and Baltimore’s Premier Water Ballet

Q&A with Mary Stuart: Making a Case for Women’s Voting Rights

/ 7 minutes of reading

In 1972, professor Mary Stuart fought to keep her maiden name and vote in Maryland, in what became a landmark case for women’s rights. Forty-five years later, the professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Health Administration and Policy at UMBC reflects on the experience and the ways it has impacted her teaching at UMBC.   – Allison Cruz ’18 * * * * * AC: When did you move to Columbia, Maryland, and why? MS: I think we moved to Columbia, Maryland, in 1971. I had graduated from college that year and got married. We were locating there because we both… Continue Reading Q&A with Mary Stuart: Making a Case for Women’s Voting Rights

How to Make a Viral Music Video

/ 4 minutes of reading

With Lisa Soumphontphakdy ’14, Visual Arts Back in 2012, Lisa Soumphontphakdy ’14, visual arts, was a recent transfer student looking for a home at UMBC. She loved music, she loved to sing, and she especially loved the idea of making more female friends, so the Stilettos, UMBC’s only all-female a cappella group, seemed like a natural fit. After auditioning, she quickly bonded with the group and became as involved as possible, arranging music, designing T-shirts, acting as president, and shooting and editing the group’s first video – Meghan Trainor’s hit “All About That Bass,” complete with sassy choreography, which she… Continue Reading How to Make a Viral Music Video

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