Life after the military has turned into a journey into education for UMBC graduate student, Cliff Taylor. 

He joined the Army and worked as an analyst to gain experience, and also to take advantage of the loan repayment program. He also provides leadership and support to fellow UMBC veterans in his role as a graduate assistant in the Department of Student Affairs. 

With a keen interest in project management, he pursued a certificate in that at UMBC and decided he wanted to enroll in a master’s program as well. So he joined the UMBC community as a graduate student in the Technical Management graduate program. He attributes his success with the program to one of his professors, Dr. Jeffrey Ray who, despite not being his official advisor, has provided him with above and beyond support.

Tune into this episode of UMBC’s Mic’D Up with special guest, Paul Martin, graduate faculty with UMBC’s Systems Engineering Graduate Program.

He speaks with us about the field of systems engineering and why it’s critical that we have really great systems engineers dedicated to finding ways to make the world a better place. This starts with having a team mindset because systems are not built within silos. It takes a concerted effort of many experts to bring systems together in a meaningful way.

In order to learn how to bring your best forward, you have to be open to new discoveries. Leaders aren't created overnight. We share several tips on how you can become a dynamic leader. 

We had the pleasure of interviewing UMBC alum, Bryan Reed, and he shared his thoughts on the importance of networking. In this short video, he highlights one of the greatest benefits of being a graduate student in the IO PSychology graduate program at UMBC: the opportunity to build a rich network.