“I realized the secret to success is finishing! And not just finishing, but finishing strong!” – Dr. Eric Thomas
"I learnt that the only way to get a thing done is to start to do it, then keep on doing it, and finally you'll finish it, even if in the beginning you think you can't do it at all." — Langston Hughes, The Big Sea
“I'm racing against me. As long as I come across the finish, I'll be okay.” Ruben Studdard
We are in the home stretch, the back nine, the last miles, or whatever clichéd metaphor you’d like to use for approaching the end of the semester. As we do, I want to encourage you to finish strong. I know that sounds trite, but that doesn’t make it less genuine. Asking more of you right now, when you may already be pushing as hard as you can or stretched too thin, is unfair. It is challenging to push through when you’re already running on fumes. I could say catch a second wind, or find another gear, but you and I both know it isn’t that easy. It, in fact, can be quite grueling. What I want you to know is that hard doesn’t mean impossible. This is the way. It was never promised to be easy.
“Remember this in the darkest moments, when the work doesn’t seem worth it, and change seems just out of reach: out of our willingness to push through comes a tremendous power . . . use it.” – Stacey Abrams
“Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.” – Don Miguel Ruiz
“Don't settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that's in us.” – Angela Bassett
“Have a vision of excellence, a dream of success, and work like hell.” – Dr. Samuel DuBois Cook
There’s an African proverb that says that smooth seas do not make skillful sailors. The same holds true for you. You may be mastering your seas and cruising right along. If so, keep it up AND help someone else for whom it isn’t going as well. You may feel like the rough waters have tossed you around a bit, but you’re making progress. If so, batten down the hatches and keep pushing. Get help if you need it, help others if you can. You may be about to capsize, already be in the lifeboat, or worse yet treading water and holding on for dear life. If so, you’re still in the fight. Seek out help not now, but right now. Waiting for a rescue is a risky strategy in a storm. But this isn’t Titanic, there is room for you. If someone is telling you or showing you that there isn’t, float on and find help elsewhere. If you can take steps to get the help you need, take them. If you can’t or don’t know how, there are people all around who can help you figure that out. Blow the whistle to let them know you’re there and you need some assistance. Or respond if they’ve already reached out to you.
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”– Winston S. Churchill
"Dreams don’t have to just be dreams. You can make it a reality; if you just keep pushing and keep trying, then eventually you'll reach your goal. And if that takes a few years, then that's great, but if it takes 10 or 20, then that's part of the process." — Naomi Osaka
"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." – Vidal Sassoon
The next question for you to ask and answer is what does a successful semester look like for you at this point? You may have planned on the Dean’s list or even a 4.0, all A’s everywhere. Maybe that’s still in reach, maybe not. Maybe that wasn’t even the plan. Maybe you had a class, or two, or a few, where the goal was just to get through and get done with it. Bet. That works too. Maybe there’s no plan. Maybe you’ve got so much going on that you’re just trying to put one foot in front of the other until it’s over. Or maybe your goals and plans aren’t even about school. Maybe they’re about the other things that matter in your life. Since you’re a student, that is less than ideal, but still workable. What matters most isn’t what was, but what is. Today is the perfect day to revisit (or come up with) goals for the rest of the semester and a plan to get there.
· What are your goals for the rest of the semester?
· Have your grades so far put you in a position to reach your goals?
· What opportunities are left for you to get to where you want to be?
· Are you going to have to prioritize some things to get to a satisficing solution?
I didn’t say optimal, or best, I said satisficing. That is a real word, I didn’t make it up. It is a portmanteau of satisfy and suffice created by Herbert Simon that I learned in grad school. I always think of getting a ball to the top of a hill. Instead of pushing and pushing to get a ball to the peak of the hill and then straining to keep it balanced there, get to a plateau that is good enough and leave it there. Be careful though with how high you decide “good enough” is. It is easy to set that plateau too low. Once you set your goals, make your plan. Then, with your plan in hand, get busy getting.
“Success, to me, is just doing things that I'm really proud of.” – Dua Lipa
“Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.“ – Bradley Whitford
"Wake up determined, go to bed satisfied." — Dwayne Johnson
“You are the storyteller of your own life, and you can create your own legend, or not.“ – Isabel Allende
What am I asking you to do?
1. Be realistic. If you want to get an A in a class, but the best you’ve been able to do is a C-, that is a tall order. All it means though is that what you have been doing isn’t working. Find a different approach, more of the same likely won’t get you there.
2. Be specific. “I’m going to study more” is not a plan, it’s a slogan. Words are wind, plan for action.
3. Know what’s coming up. One of the worst things that can happen is failing a test or missing an assignment because you didn’t know when it was or when it was due. Go through all your syllabi and make sure that you mark when everything that you have to turn in or take is. Mark it on a calendar that you look at EVERY DAY.
4. Don’t know where to start? Start HERE. The Academic Success Center here at UMBC, they have a whole page of resources to help you succeed.
5. Celebrate your accomplishments. When you hit a goal no matter how small, make the time to celebrate. You’ve earned it. Then get back to work.
6. Dedicate focused time to your work and put forth maximum effort during that focused time.
7. Take care of YOU. As you move, take care of your whole self in real and tangible ways. If you need help, get help. If you need help finding the help, just say something, there are lots of people here for you.
8. Take care of your business. You are here to get your degree. Life requires balance for sure but keep the main thing the main thing. You have persevered through all that you have been through. Keep that same energy and get this done. The world will be there when you get there. Humankind needs to see the brilliance you have to offer.
Now go be GREAT!
Any views or opinions expressed in this missive are solely the author’s and do not represent that of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County or any programs, departments, or partners affiliated with UMBC. While I make every effort to ensure that the information I am sharing is accurate, I welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors.
]]>
URCAD is tomorrow, 4/12 in the UC!
Two Perspectives to Understanding Post-COVID19 Inflation: A Recovery Phenomenon and a Classical Economic Tradeoff
Location: UC Ballroom | 10 – 11:30 a.m. | Poster 05
Zinedine Partipilo Cornielles
Mentor: Salem Abo-Zaid, Economics
Macroeconomic disruptions tend to cause discrepancies between the expectation provided by economic theories and the actual data. With the economic downturn that started with the COVID pandemic, most, if not all of the world’s economies saw themselves facing a crisis. Unemployment skyrocketed, economic activity floundered, and consumer confidence and demand saw themselves heavily impacted by lockdowns and fears of the pandemic. Because of this, I aimed to study likely causes for the high inflation in what I considered the first “recovery” period, before the start of the war. My strategy was two-pronged. First, I studied the relationship between certain characteristics of countries’ economies and their respective inflation rates. Second, I assessed the presence of an inverse relationship between unemployment and inflation. I then found the following results. First, economies that recovered faster from the demand shocks, had higher inflation. Second, larger economies (with a larger real GDP) also faced higher inflation. Lastly, the relationship between inflation and unemployment that is implied by the simple, short-run Phillips Curve held, which could be another likely explanation for the abnormally large levels of inflation.
Full URCAD schedule: URCAD.umbc.edu
]]>Arjun Kanjarpane ’24, M32, biochemistry and molecular biology, and Soujanya “Anya” Viswanathan ’24, M32, biological sciences, are the latest UMBC students to be named Goldwater Scholars. By pursuing their research interests—virology for Kanjarpane and neuroscience for Viswanathan—with rigor and dedication, both have the potential to make a major impact in their fields and in people’s lives.
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program is designed to provide the United States with “a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers.” More than 1,200 students applied from over 425 institutions across the country this year, and the program ultimately selected 413 scholars to receive Goldwater Scholarships for 2023 – 2024.
As Scholars, Kanjarpane and Viswanathan will receive substantial funding that advances their undergraduate work and supports their educational paths. They will also gain access to a network of current and former Goldwater Scholars, many of whom are conducting research at the leading edge of their fields.
“We are delighted that UMBC has continued its impressive string of Goldwater awards for this year,” says April Householder ’95, visual arts, director of undergraduate research and prestigious scholarships. “This indicates just how strong STEM education at UMBC is—indeed, it’s among the best in the country.”
Characterizing Zincergic Neuron Projections and Elucidating their Role in Cocaine Mediated Behaviors
Location: Poster #52 from 10-11:30am in the UC Ballroom
Leila Ghaffari
Mentor: Michael Michaelides, NIDA
Zinc (Zn2+) is an essential element of life that regulates neurophysiological homeostasis. Additionally, zinc has been understood to enhance the affinity for cocaine binding of the dopamine transporter (DAT), resulting in the enhancement of cocaine mediated behaviors. Synaptic, or free zinc, has also shown to be an endogenous modulator of dopamine neurotransmission in the striatum. It is not known, however, how zinc affects DAT activity between males and females, and whether such activity differs between the dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens, or in regions where zincergic neurons originate. Our project aims to increase understanding of zinc in this context. First, we assess whether zinc affects cocaine related behaviors, known to be modulated by striatal activity following striatal zinc chelation. Our next goal is to study if zinc alters DAT and dopamine D1 receptor binding as a function of sex. Our third goal aims to understand the proportion of zincergic neurons that project to the striatum. Through these research goals, our hope is to characterize zinc as it affects sex-dependent dopamine neurotransmission in striatal circuits.
See the full URCAD schedule at: URCAD.umbc.edu
]]>Presenters: Matthew Brown, Matthew Zheng, Jacob Delaney, Oluwagbemiga Ayeni, Thomas Tchaou, Jocelyn Truong
Mentor: Michael Satzinger, Visual Arts
Presenters: Janae Jacobs, Charmain Su, Bodhi Arnold, Eli Kawecki, Stephen Vaudreuil, Lujane Elkhatib, Ikee Chandler
Mentor: Michael Satzinger, Visual Arts
Presenters: Scott Serafin, Sarah Chen, Evan McRae, Sydnee Conigland
Mentor: Marc Olano, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Presenters: Talia Trunk, Robby Dews, Matthew Shuck, Kwame Dodiar, Jason Polon, Will DeStaffan
Mentor: Michael Satzinger, Visual Arts
Presenters: Jacob Schoenberger, Wei Yan, Timinye Willis, Myunghoon Cha, Patch Hatley, Iriejah Allen
Mentor: Michael Satzinger, Visual Arts
Presenters: Vivian Yeh, Christina Lukaszczyk
Mentor: Ryan Zuber, Imaging Research Center
Join us on Wednesday at 12 noon in UC 312 for the URCAD Keynote by Alicia Wilson (UMBC, Political Science, '04).
Alicia L. Wilson, Esq. is the Managing Director and Global Head of Philanthropy for the North America Region for JPMorgan Chase. At JPMorgan, Alicia oversees the local philanthropic strategies across 40+ markets in North America, collaborating intentionally with senior leaders across the firm’s corporate responsibility and business units to drive meaningful impact across JPMorgan’s business footprint in the U.S. and Canada. This includes helping to steward the $2 billion philanthropic commitment as part of the firm’s broader Racial Equity Commitment.
Prior to joining JPMorgan, Alicia served as Vice President of Economic Development for Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System and Associate Professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore, Maryland. At Johns Hopkins, Alicia led a core cross-institutional team focused on developing and implementing Hopkins’ institution-wide strategies and initiatives as an anchor institution in and around its campuses both within the United States and abroad. Alicia spearheaded the elevation and expansion of Hopkins signature commitment to its communities through investments in real estate, economic and neighborhood development, healthcare, and education.
Alicia is a graduate of the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC, 2004) and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. At UMBC, Wilson was a Blaustein and Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar and, in 2003, was named the Harry S. Truman Scholar for the state of Maryland. She worked closely with Dr. Roy Meyers (retired professor, Political Science). Alicia was named the inaugural 2004 Andrew Levy Leadership Scholar at the University of Maryland School of Law. In late 2004, she was also named the 2004 George L. Russell Scholar at the School of Law. While in law school, Alicia served as the co-captain of the Maryland Law National Trial Team and led her team to be ranked the number one trial team in the country.
Alicia is actively involved in civic and charitable organizations. She is a native of Baltimore City and valedictorian of her class at Merganthaler Vocational-Technical High School and draws on her experiences growing up in inner-city Baltimore for inspiration to help others realize their dreams. She currently serves on the boards of Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland School of Law Board of Visitors, the CollegeBound Foundation, Kennedy Krieger Institute, and the France-Merrick Foundation. She is also co-founder of the Black Philanthropy Circle at the Baltimore Community Foundation. Alicia is also Chair of the CollegeBound Foundation and as such is the first CollegeBound Foundation alum, first woman, first African-American and youngest Board Chair in the thirty history of the organization. Alicia also serves as Parliamentarian within the Harbor City Chapter of the Links, Incorporated and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
For her accomplishments and public service, Alicia has received over fifty professional awards and honors. Most recently, Alicia was recognized as Pro Bono Partner of the Year for 2022 by the Equal Justice Council and was selected as the 2022 Whitney M. Young Award recipient for her service to youth by the Boys Scouts of America, Baltimore Area Council.
Her professional and civic leadership have propelled her to the forefront of local and national media attention. Most recently, Alicia was recognized as one of the 15 Black Marylanders to Watch for 2023 by the Baltimore Sun. In mid-2022, Savoy Magazine recognized Alicia as one of the “Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America”. She was also named a 2022 “Women Who Wins” and Newsmaker of the Year for 2021 by the Afro-American Newspaper.
]]>