Name:Ciara Christian

Internship, Co-op or Research Site:SNLP- Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance

Position Title:Sondheim Nonprofit Leadership Fellow

Major(s)/Minor(s):Applied Sociology w/ P.C.B. in Nonprofits

Work Term:Summer 2017

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

Last summer I interned at Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance (BNIA).  At BNIA, I was primarily responsible for organizing Baltimore Data Day -- an annual workshop that brings together over 300 community leaders, community groups,  nonprofits, gov't entities, and socially minded technologists to build capacity. Members of the community will learn how to access and utilize available public data about their neighborhoods to advocate for change.  My tasks included preparing promotional materials; preparing panel participants; talking with and recruiting community organizations to attend the event; managing the logistics of the event; as well as curating one of the sessions and recruiting participants --particularly a panel on data related to issues of social justice and racial equity in Baltimore.  I was also responsible for creating the final report after the event to be shared with sponsors.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I heard about  the Public Service Scholars Program through other work I was doing in the Shriver Center as a Peaceworker Fellow.  I was particularly interested in the Sondheim Nonprofit Leadership Program, as I was earning my Pcb in Nonprofits.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?

Being able to utilize the skills I've developed in the classroom as a graduate student, and at my service placement as a Peaceworker Fellow. Additionally, one of the greatest experiences in my internship was the freedom granted me.  My mentor had faith in my work ethic and skill level, giving me lots of independence and agency. Baltimore Data Day is an annual event, and my mentor, Dr. Seema Iyer, gave me so much creative freedom in helping theme the event as well as theme and curate one of the panels.  I was also allowed to create a lunch session (which had not be scheduled in previous years). This, among other things, helped me to feel like a truly valued member of the BNIA staff.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I believe I'm making an impact in my office by lessening the load of my colleagues and helping keep the event organized.  Additionally, I believe I'm making an impact on Baltimore residents by helping ensure that they are aware of Data Day and the benefits they might reap as a result of participating. Furthermore, as a result of my participation, we were able to register 300 participants for the event, with nearly 100 more on the waitlist, a significant increase from the previous year.  Additionally, the event survey data suggests that participants were well pleased with the panel I curated, which was very well attended.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Believe in yourself!  Too often we allow fear and/or intimidation to prevent us from trying new things, exploring new opportunities, and ultimately having growth inducing experiences.  This is true at every level. Though most of my peers in the program were undergraduates, I am a graduate student and I nearly let imposter syndrome prevent me from having an amazing experience.  I would also tell students to be willing to try something that’s outside of their comfort zone. As a qualitative researcher, I was worried about interning for a quantitative data gathering Nonprofit.  What I learned, however, is that both methods help tell richer stories. As a result of working for BNIA I am (somewhat) less intimidated by quantitative data, and at the same time, they saw value in my ability to see the qualitative story behind data points.  Do the unexpected! Lastly, I would encourage students to lean into the relationships with those they work with at internships and similar experiences. I established great relationships with people at my internship that have continued to support me nearly a year after I began working with them.

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The semester is trudging along my friends, and although those final exams and project deadlines are looming, opportunities for professional advancement still abound! There is one week left in Career Month, so see what kind of events you can attend to make connections, explore an industry, and collect pins to enter the raffle for two free plane tickets courtesy of Southwest Airlines! Hopefully some of you have already attended some events, maybe shook some hands, grabbed a few business cards, and perhaps even acquired a summer job, internship, or research experience. CONGRATULATIONS! That’s great! You know how you can take that experience to the next level? By registering for the Intern Success Practicum through the Career Center!

The Intern Success Practicum is a FREE, zero-credit pass/fail course for students participating in an internship, co-op, or research position of 120+ hours per semester. Not only does this practicum add a notation of your professional experience to your transcript , but it also gives you the foundation to reflect on what you are gaining from your experience and optimize your sense of personal and professional development. You can even enroll in PRAC for summer positions, and each academic semester that you hold the position, so register now!

Why you should register for the Intern Success Practicum:

• Professional Growth - Students enrolled in PRAC attend special workshops, panels, and discussions so you can get the most out of your experience.

• Feedback - Being able to receive performance reviews from your employer can help you find what you excel at and where you need to improve.

• Transcript Notation - You can’t get more solid proof that you had a successful experience than with an official notation on your transcript! The best part is that this course has no effect on your GPA, so it can only help you!

• Academic Credit - It is possible to gain academic credit for your experience as well, but that is done through your academic department.

Registering is all too easy. Simply log in to UMBCworks and click Intern Success, Work & Service Practicums, under the Shortcuts. Then, click “Add New Experience” and fill in the required fields. You must upload a letter or email verifying that you have been offered the position. After that, your registration will be reviewed within five business days. If you like, you can also register by setting up an appointment at the Career Center so one of our staff can help you through the process and answer any questions you have. If you have already acquired an internship, co-op, or research experience, registering for the Intern Success Practicum shows dedication to being the best intern you can be. So register today!

Name:Swathi Prakash

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: DSFederal

Position Title:Business Development and Human Resources Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s):Media and Communications Studies

Work Term:Summer 2017

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

My internship allowed me to practice my technical writing skills, as well as allowing me to manage social media posts, filing, interviewing co-workers, and attending meetings.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I had connections with people who worked at the company, and after learning what kind of interns they needed for the summer and explaining my skill sets, I got hired! I went to the Career Center to get my resume reviewed and updated by using UMBCWorks

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?

I really enjoyed learning how to work in an office environment with co-workers, and acquiring new skills, such as how to file paperwork properly.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I believe that my work at this company has improved their official blog, social media presence, as well as keeping their documents more organized and easily accessible for future use.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

My advice to other students seeking and internship would be to not be afraid to apply to a bunch of places, even if it doesn't directly go with your major! You'd be surprised to see how every job does improve your career experience in one way or another even if you don't directly see it at first. Also, don't get too adamant about working at one specific place.

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Spring has finally sprung, and Career Month is in full swing! There have already been so many fantastic events, like IBM-UMBC Day, and the CAHSS Careers Conference. There is another upcoming event I’d especially like to highlight: Arts with a Purpose! This event is made just for our creative majors, including visual arts, graphic design, cinematic arts, film/video, theatre, dance, music, MCS, and INDS. If you fit these majors, come to this event to gain advice from professionals and get a chance to network with them!

UMBC has a strong undergraduate liberal arts foundation, but it’s no secret that there is a pretty strong STEM presence here. Biology is the largest department on campus, and it seems like employers are only looking for students with lab experience or tech experience. I understand that trying to pursue your passion in the arts can be disheartening at times, but here at the Career Center we want to ensure you that your career goals are valid and you will achieve them!

Arts with a Purpose is an event that Career Center has held for several years now, and it is not only a place to hear the stories of people who have succeeded in making a living creating things they are passionate about, it is also a great opportunity to network and make connections with those people. Personal networking is one of the best way to find jobs AND land jobs. This event will have 20 employers, including several offices here at UMBC looking to hire students in the arts. How can you best be prepared?

• Make a 30-second commercial: this should be a clear and concise tool to communicate the skills you have and the goals for your future. Make sure you practice it so you can convey yourself with confidence!

• Do some research on the employers: we have a full list of the employers attending, so check out who you might be interested in so that you go in with a game plan.

• Have your resume and/or portfolio ready to go: Bring plenty of copies of your resume to give to employers, and you can even sign up for a 15-minute portfolio review! All students in relevant majors will be sent an email about the event that includes a sign-up for the portfolio reviews.

• Be ready to listen: We are bringing in some great panelists that have endless advice to give, so make sure you are taking it all in - and take notes!

We want ALL students at UMBC to feel they have a chance at success, so this event is designed for all of our creative majors to have that chance. Keep a lookout for all the other great events happening this month as part of Career Month!

Name:Pravin Pande

Internship, Co-op or Research Site:Laureate International Universities

Position Title: ETL Software Engineer

Major(s)/Minor(s):Information Systems

Work Term:Spring 2018

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

I’ve been working at Laureate since June 2017 and it’s an amazing experience. I’ve learned niche technologies and expanded my professional network. The job responsibilities are exactly what I was looking for. We are working in Scaled Agile Framework(SAFe) which makes work more fun. I work closely with my colleagues and it gives me a sense of more responsibility. I've some amazing mentors and teammates who help each other and learn from each other. I've worked on various projects which include loading data from various source systems using SSIS and Informatica ETL tools. ETL (Extract, Transform & Load) is a process of extracting data from source systems, transforming it as per business requirements and loading it into various databases. We use Snowflake, MS SQL Server, Azure, Oracle and MySQL databases. We work in Agile environment so we plan work every two weeks and divide it in stories. Some of my daily responsibilities include:

- Creating mappings in Informatica Cloud to extract data from Oracle and load it into Snowflake DW. This is an ongoing project with interest from top management executives to build a global data warehouse and reporting suite for all the 70 universities owned by Laureate.

- Creating mappings in SSIS to load and transform ticketing system data from MySQL into MS SQL Server and Azure. Then building reporting on this data using Tableau. The aim is to keep all the teams informed about current ticket queue and track performance of various systems.

- Automating Cognos and Tableau access request process using MS Flow, Azure and MS Form cloud applications.

- Optimizing Informatica mappings using various optimization techniques such as Pushdown Optimization(PDO), buffer block size changes etc.

- Loading data from Banner to ODS using Oracle PL/SQL procedures. Modify and fix issues as and when needed.

- Working on tickets to fix issues in reports, data or jobs developed.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

Career fair in February 2017 was my starting point where I got in touch with Laureate recruiters. Then I applied online and was called for three interviews. I was consistently in touch with Beth Rudoy from Career Center to get my resume reviewed and learn some tips for interview. It's important to know what industry needs and plan to build your skills. I attended various workshops and seminars organized by Career Center to learn industry requirements for my profile. UMBC Connects is an amazing networking event and I strongly recommend everyone to attend it and talk to professionals.   

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?

I enjoy work environment, freedom to think and act, people and technologies used at Laureate. It's fun to explore new technologies when you have enough time to think critically and build new and innovative solutions by your own. We are always appreciated and inspired to develop efficient & innovative solutions. This helped me in developing automated access approval process solution which will be implemented at global level. Agile approach is fun to work in.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I seek for feedback from my boss and colleagues which helps me in understanding about my work and progress. It also helps me in setting up priorities. I use Trello.com to keep track of my daily tasks. I engage with folks from different teams to learn and understand how we are helping each other. We work very closely as Agile methodology suggests doing so. We test each other’s work and appreciate if someone is doing something out of the box. Certificate of achievement which I received in August 2017, appreciation from my team and boss makes me believe that I’ve made an impact.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

I would suggest working on technologies/skills you love and build resume before applying. Learning a technology just because there are many job opportunities in the market won't help you. You should think about what you like doing and what not. Finding a right internship starts with knowing what you really want to do. Networking is extremely important and keeping in touch with people helps you a ton. Attending various events organized by Career Center should be the starting point for networking. Then start using LinkedIn and make sure your profile is updated.

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Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Friday!