Caroline Bodnar

Role at the UMBC Career Center: I help people figure out "what they want to be when they grow up" and what steps they need to take to get there.

Q: Where have you earned your college degrees?

A: Undergrad = University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. Wahoowa! Grad= Towson University in Towson, MD.

Q: What program(s) did you study? How did you choose your major?

A: B.A. in Psychology. I started out a Biology major on the pre-med track but decided that I wanted to help people without having to take all those advanced science and math courses. I basically took every Psych course the school offered because I loved the subject that much!

M.A. in Counseling Psychology

Q: Tell me about the job and internship process when you were in college. Were you able to find job/internship positions that were related to your major or your career interests?

A: I interviewed for a work-study on-campus job as a fiscal tech assistant in UVA's biomedical engineering department on my first day of class and was offered the job on the spot. I kept that job for all 4 years including summers because they gave me a raise every year. Internships were not really emphasized so I did not have any. However, I was a research assistant in a cognitive Psych lab for academic credit for 4 semesters.

Q: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

A: “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”

Q: Why should students visit the Career Center?

A: Students and alumni should visit because you don't have to do everything on your own. I never went to my college career center mistakenly thinking they could not help me. As a first generation college student, I didn't have anyone else to point me in the right direction so it would have made things infinitely easier if I had used the resources my school offered. Plus, we are fun and friendly people so students should not be intimidated to check us out.

Q: What is your favorite aspect about UMBC?

A: This is the fifth university I have worked for and while each one has had a unique culture and personality, I really like the small feel of UMBC and how supportive everyone is of each other. It is such a pleasure to work with UMBC students because they are so polite, hard-working, and appreciative. Plus, we're a little quirky and I think that's pretty cool.

Q: What is one item on your bucket list?

A: I really want to try sky-diving. I was all set to do it on my 30th birthday and then I discovered that I was pregnant so I decided to hold off for a bit. I also love travel and want to see as much of the world as I can in my lifetime.

Q: What is one aspect of the DC/Baltimore area that you often explore?

A: My husband and I like to visit off-the-beaten path places. One recent interesting find is the Mansion on O Street in DC where you can wonder around themed rooms and find secret passageways. I also love animals so the National Zoo is an old fave that is free!

Want to connect with Caroline or any of our great Career Center team? Call our office at 410-455-2216 or check out our contact us page here: http://careers.umbc.edu/aboutus/