Real People Profiles: Zach Kosinski

Sun, 15 Sep 2013 20:31:00 -0400
real-people-profiles

We're 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.

Name: Zach Kosinski

Hometown: Port Deposit, MD

Q: How long have you been at UMBC?

A: I've just joined the UMBC family this summer!

Q: What is your current title (job or student organization position)?

A: I am the Graduate Coordinator for LGBTQ Programs in Student Life's The Mosaic: Center for Cultural and Diversity.

Q: In 12 words or less, what role(s) do you play on campus?

A: Support, development, and resource provision for LGBTQ-identified students and their allies.

Q: What aspect of your UMBC role(s) do you enjoy most?

A: I wouldn't give up being able to meet with students one-on-one and work together to find the best ways to support their growth and development during their time here at UMBC for the world.

There's a special energy that comes about when folks work together to accomplish something, and I live for experiencing that through regular confab with students.

(P.S.: Using obscure words in everyday conversation also strikes my fancy. Confab ftw!)

Q: What is the most important or memorable thing you learned in college/have learned at UMBC?

A: In my as of yet short time at UMBC, I've come to learn that when folks say UMBC really cares about each and every member of the campus community, they mean it.

From my time in higher ed. thus far, I've come to value the support of LGBTQ-identified and questioning individuals as absolutely essential, not only for the well-being of individual students, but for the greater good of any community as a whole.

Learning what I have of UMBC's atmosphere of support for all members of the campus community, I don't think I could be at a more perfect institution to do the work supporting LGBTQ students that I've come to value so much.

Q: Complete this sentence: "I am a big fan of __________"

A: Dairy. 'Nuff said.

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: The walls of my office in Student Life are covered with flyers and posters from programs and events I worked to put on at Towson University, where I worked in the Center for Student Diversity's LGBT Student Development Center.

As I spend more time here at UMBC and have the chance to collaborate with students, faculty, and staff, I hope to fill in the gaps on the walls with flyers and designs from my time at UMBC.

I've always felt that continuing to remember and share your past can be a powerful way to connect with others and move forward with even bigger and better things. I'm hoping to continue doing this with my Towson AND UMBC flyers plastered across my office walls!