Hello! My name is Natalia Alfaro and I am a Senior Public Health major here at UMBC. I am also a Career Peer at the UMBC Career Center. Did you ever wonder what we Career Peers do? I would love to tell you!

As a Career Peer, I am a source of advice for career resources guidance and a conversational guide for those with no experience with resume writing. One of my main responsibilities is to provide feedback to students on their resumes and cover letters during our daily drop-in hours.  I advise students on professional document formatting, efficiently communicating their accomplishments, and understanding the technical aspects of resume and cover letter writing. 

I also present Career Center workshops. This means collaborating with various student organizations and classes to provide students the opportunity to learn about the resources provided by the Career Center and details about the job search process. Workshop topics can range from learning how to pick a major to job search tips to learning how to navigate networking platforms like Retrievers Connect and Linkedin, and more. 

Being a Career Peer is a very enriching experience. I have learned a great deal about professional resume writing and career development via interacting with students and direct training from the Career Center staff. I have also been able to learn how to better my own career goals by using the various resources available from the Career Center and attending networking events. Before becoming a Career Peer, I would not necessarily have accessed as many Career Center resources; however, this opportunity has empowered me to feel confident in my abilities and has given me skills to network and begin my path to achieve my career goals. 

I highly encourage students to go to the UMBCCareer Center website to learn more about resources on major tools, networking  and more! For help or if you have any curiosity in seeking resume review support there are a few options:

1. Express Drop-in services hours are anytime Monday-Friday from 2:00pm to 4:00pm (last student seen at 3:45pm) in the Career Center, Math/Psychology building, 201. 

2. Schedule a Virtual Express Resume Review. These are held from 5:00pm to 7:00pm on Tuesdays. Schedule inHandshake or via theCareer Center website

3. Schedule a resume review with the Internship & Employment or Career Specialist teams.

Check out our Upcoming Events!

• NSA IN PERSON Information Session: Stop By and Learn About Current Opportunities!

• Tuesday, December 6, 2022 - 5 - 6 PM in The Commons : 331

• ChAMP Career Corner: Stop By and Learn About Current Opportunities!

• Wednesday, December 7, 2022 - 10 AM - 2 PM in The Commons : Across from the Bookstore

Name:  Riya Kaneria 

Internship, Co-op, or Research Site: University System of Maryland

Position Title:  Economic Development Intern (Consultant)

Major or Program:  Information Systems

Current Class Level: Master's Student

Work Term: Summer 2022

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

 "My work as an intern was working on the early development of USM's early stage entrepreneurship program. The University System of Maryland’s Early-Stage Entrepreneurship Capital Program is based on providing funding for early-stage startups and is committed to support student , faculty, alum and community entrepreneurs who are connected to the institution. The program includes connecting and increasing accessibility for early-stage entrepreneurs to existing resources; providing mentorship and enhancing access to early capital. 

I assisted in developing the application, the rubric for analysis and other essential tasks in the program. I lead the lift-off track of this program which helped us stay on track with our deadlines. I also assisted in conducting the mock application round and was one of the reviewers for the applications. 

My day-to-day responsibilities differed at every stage in the program. It started with attending weekly meetings, planning and discussing the contents of applications. I had the chance to meet people from various venture capitals, collaborators, raised entreprenuers to discuss various aspects of our program. My work as an intern included providing a student's point of view at every stage in the program, conducting research for better decision making. "

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

I had an opportunity for this position through the UMBC career center. Earlier that term, I had taken a zero credit course PRAC 112, that I had taken under Annie Weinschenk through which I gained the knowledge and confidence to apply for this position. 

It was a broadcast email from the career center, which mentioned the position and the description for the same. I immediately emailed Christine Routzahn with my resume. It was Christine and the career center who recognized and considered my application. My application was sent to USM and I was given the opportunity for an interview with Lindsay Ryan ( Interim Executive Director of Economic Development) . The following week I was offered the position as their Economic Development Intern for Summer 2022. 

 "

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

 The most amazing thing about my position was that my thoughts and ideas were always valued and considered. My opinion in the overall development process mattered a lot. I always felt welcomed and that is what motivated me to work harder everyday to make our ideas a reality.

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

I doubted myself when I first applied for this position that how can someone from an Information Systems background help in Economic Development of an organization. Slowly I realised how important a student's perspective is, in programs like these. It was a smooth transition for me.

I have the courage to speak up and share what I believed, which has made a great impact on our program in developing new ideas and fuel discussions. I have had the chance to network and build connections not only limited to the organization. These long term relationships will play a vital part to my career growth. I had the chance to make an impact on our young entreprenuers and our program is going to change many lives of many early stage entrepreneurs. 

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

The only advice I would give is to be open-minded and ready to learn. Always listen your instinct and have confidence. When is comes to seeking opportunities like these, always look out for emails or flyers that are sent. These are life changing opportunities and will always help you focus on your strengths . 

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.

This experience has given me a sense of self realisation. I would have never got this opportunity if I had not replied to that email. I would just say : "Believe in yourself and seize every opportunity because one day you will look back to your career and be proud that you tried everything" 

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Name: Nikita Dharmadhikari

Internship, Co-op, or Research Site:The RealReal

Position Title: Cyber Security Intern

Major or Program: Data Science

Current Class Level: Master's Student

Work Term: Summer 2022

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

Write python scripts finding vulnerabilities in assets of organizations and populate those in a google spreadsheet so that assigned people can keep track of these and work on these.

I also developed a Log data ingestion pipeline which would store user logs every 15 min into an aws s3 bucket.

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

 I applied to this position in April of 2022 around first week using LinkedIn. I heard back from them in 2 days. They had set-up 3 rounds of interviews around 1 hr each. All went well and I was optimistic. I heard back in 2 days, and they had offered me the position! 

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

The work cultures! During the start of internship, they had asked me about my career goals and tried to assign me tasks according.

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

Yes, all of my projects are now in production. I am aware of the impact of my work. I saved a lot of time of my team members by increasing the productivity.

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

Never to loose hope when you get rejects. keep on applying.

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.

This internship made me realize what life could be like after graduating. I was working on projects, learning new things and connecting with people from different academic backgrounds. I am so happy that I got to intern here at the RealReal.

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Name:  Lauren Forsyth 

Internship, Co-op, or Research Site: Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology 

Position Title: Laboratory Assistant Intern 

Major or Program: Biological Sciences (BS) 

Current Class Level: Sophomore

Work Term: 

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

• Gather/measure biomass data using spectrometer, dry oven, centrifuge, Pipetting, and cell plate techniques

• Assist/observe lab partners in analyzing algal species genetics through PCR and gel electrophoresis to identify species for ongoing experiments

• Maintain orderly organization by collaborating with lab partners and sterilizing equipment by using an autoclave

• Attend weekly lab meetings; present research results pertaining to microalgae to lab partners

• Prepared BG-11 media using chemical formulas and recipes to create new algae cultures

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

Initially, I came across the career center website and noticed that the career counselors offered meetings to help build resumes and search for internships. I had my first meeting with Ms. Hindle last fall, and I told her about my interests in environmental research and marine biology. She contacted the director of IMET, a biotech company specializing in research regarding aquatic health, especially in the Chesapeake Bay. I then scheduled a tour around IMET with the director Dr. Hill, and I sent out my resume with a research paper to the faculty at IMET for a summer internship position. Dr. Chen emailed me about an interview after reading my research paper about how algae can reduce carbon dioxide levels in the oceans, which was terrific since his lab specializes in algal research. Dr. Chen hired me, and I worked with Lauren Wagner, who ran research experiments where she grew algae culture under various light intensities and carbon dioxide levels. And her experiments will help create algae that can be used to reduce flue gas emissions from water treatment plants. 

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

I loved working as a team with my co-lab partners, who became excellent friends of mine. I learned so much from them as a person without lab experience besides experiments in high school. Lauren, with whom I worked the most, taught me all the basic skills I needed to know at the lab, from simple pipet techniques to measuring biomass by placing samples in a dry oven. Not to mention, I learned the fundamentals behind PCR and gel from my lab partners, Jeffery and Peter, and I got to see their research, such as Jeffery's work on microbiomes in the bay in the winter versus the summer. And Dr. Chen gave amazingly detailed feedback during lab meetings that were super helpful when in the future with experiments. But most importantly, I had so many laughs and good times in between labs with my lab partners, like when we went to a French restaurant in the city! Lastly, we would always come down to celebrate people getting their doctorate degrees and celebrate by talking and eating fantastic food.  

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

My lab partner Lauren sent me the sweetest text when I told her when my last day would be. And she said that I was a ray of sunshine at the lab, and honestly, that was one of the best compliments I've received. I think that I made lab work much easier since I always asked if anyone at the lab needed help with anything, and I always got the work done on time. Not to mention, I had a lot of laughs with my lab partners, so I think we all had a great time working together.

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

Utilize the resources at UMBC, meaning using Handshake to schedule career appointments, and meet with your career counselor once a semester at least a couple of times in the summer. Also, develop a good relationship with your career counselor, and explain in detail what you want to do since they can help you find jobs that will suit you the best with the connections they have!

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.

I loved working with my lab mates who soon became my close friends.

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