UMBC is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for all. To request accommodation(s) or to inquire about event accessibility, please contact us via slazar@umbc.edu May 14 Accessibility Tour in the subject line.
UMBC is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for all. To request accommodation(s) or to inquire about event accessibility, please contact us via slazar@umbc.edu May 14 Accessibility Tour in the subject line.
By: Isy Davy
Photo Credit: UMBC Women's Soccer
For Ava Schreiber, a Junior and a Division 1 soccer player at UMBC, media isn't just something consumed passively, it's an influential force she's interacted with since childhood. Initially drawn to the Media and Communication Studies (MCS) program by her experiences as an athlete, Ava was intrigued by how athletes are portrayed across various media platforms and how those narratives shape public perception.
"Growing up as an athlete, I've always been exposed to different types of media," Ava shared. "I've seen firsthand how media shapes the environments athletes navigate, and that's what initially sparked my interest in MCS."
Choosing MCS at UMBC was not a difficult decision for Ava. She was searching for a degree that catered to her creative instincts and allowed space for innovative thinking and application.
"I was drawn to a more creative way of thinking, and the MCS degree allows for exactly that," Ava explained. "It gives me room to express my ideas creatively while understanding and engaging with media critically."
Throughout her academic journey, Ava pinpointed specific MCS courses that have significantly shaped her professional trajectory. Currently enrolled in MCS 144, Ava highlighted the practical benefits she's gained from the course. This class has actively equipped her with essential professional skills, from mastering LinkedIn profiles to perfecting her elevator pitch—skills critical for life beyond graduation.
"MCS 144 has truly been invaluable. It has helped me envision clear career pathways, showing me how to build a strong professional presence online and communicate effectively in professional settings," Ava remarked.
One pivotal moment for Ava came during her MCS 399 capstone project, where she focused on the discrimination faced by women's sports in media. This project was deeply personal, given Ava’s lived experiences as a female D1 soccer player. It provided a profound realization about how media portrayal influences real-world attitudes and treatment.
"Doing my capstone on the discrimination against women's sports allowed me to directly explore issues that impact my daily life as an athlete," Ava said. "It deepened my understanding of media's power and relevance in everyday life."
Ava also noted MCS 377, a visual communication course, as instrumental in her skillset development. Aspiring to pursue a career in marketing, Ava recognized the practical value of design and photography skills she acquired in the class.
"377 opened up an entirely new avenue of professional skills for me," Ava mentioned. "It's given me confidence and capability in visual communication, which directly helped me secure my upcoming summer internship."
This summer, Ava will put her MCS education into practice during a marketing internship with Headstrong Lacrosse, a prominent sports organization. She expressed enthusiasm about applying the theories, design principles, and professional communication strategies she's learned at UMBC.
"I'm really excited about my internship with Headstrong Lacrosse," Ava noted. "It'll be the perfect opportunity to apply everything I've learned in MCS, from design skills to effective marketing strategies."
Reflecting on her journey so far, Ava Schriber's experience illustrates how the UMBC MCS program empowers students by intertwining theoretical knowledge with practical applications. Her blend of creativity, athletic insight, and professional readiness shows the powerful potential of an MCS education, preparing students not just for graduation but for impactful careers and lives beyond the classroom.
By: Rithik Kavanakudy
When Dan Truckenbrodt began his time at UMBC, he started off on an engineering track. However, like many students just starting college, he discovered it wasn’t the right path for him. He soon found the MCS program and decided to give it a shot, as it piqued his interest and seemed to be the best fit from the other majors he had looked at.
“I went into my freshman year on an engineering track but very quickly realized that it was not for me,” Dan recalls. He “eventually attended an intro-level MCS class – if I’m remembering correctly, Dr. Snyder was my professor – I really enjoyed the topics that we covered and the discussions we had in class.” This class would serve as the catalyst for Dan’s MCS career.
Dan would go on to graduate in Winter 2015 with his major in MCS and a minor in English/Writing. Though he wasn’t entirely sure where MCS would lead him when he decided on the major, he didn’t let that stop him from immersing himself and taking away key skills that would one day prove to be useful. One of his favorites was learning to create and do voiceover for stop-motion videos, which he did for an MCS assignment.
“The assignment was to create a presentation discussing one of your favorite pieces of technology, but I decided I wanted to take it further than just a PowerPoint presentation. It was a lot of work for just a 1-2 minute video, but I was super happy with how it turned out.” He explains that he had fun going through the process of compiling photos and putting them together and putting a voice over to create a finished product.
Today, Dan is working as a project manager at a web agency in Baltimore that specializes in building websites for high-end clients, as well as museums, cultural institutions, and some multinational corporations. Recently, they won a Webby for one of the sites they had produced. Before this position, he was working as a marketing manager at a publishing company for 5 years here in Baltimore.
For Dan, career goals can be defined in two ways: where one looks at job titles/positions and the money they earn, and the other looks at what one gets out of their career. He goes on to note that “a solid work-life balance, finding satisfaction in the work you do, and having great coworkers that make your days enjoyable are all things that I find myself placing greater importance on. I still want to make money! But, I also want to have an enjoyable time doing it, too.”
Going back to skills, Dan recommends that students focus on gaining skills in communication and personability. “So much of media, comms, marketing, and management jobs are people-facing, and being able to effectively communicate is extraordinarily important.” He goes on to note how many other technical and job-specific skills can be picked up along the way, but that being able to communicate effectively is one of the most important.
For new MCS students, Dan notes that one of his regrets was not doing more internships when he had the chance. “Internships can really open the door to so many more opportunities and connections post-graduation that you otherwise will have to work 10x harder for.” He adds that they are a great way to see the working world and potential fields of interest to work towards. One of Dan’s bigger regrets was not planning to do study abroad earlier in his academic career before it became too late. Studying abroad can allow students to explore and experience the world outside of their home countries.
Despite these regrets, UMBC still helped to shape Dan’s career in tangible ways. He was able to make connections with some of the hiring managers at some of the jobs he’s worked at after he noticed they were UMBC alumni, and thus mentioned that in his cover letters to them. He also notes that he got his first office job through a friend he had met at UMBC.
The process to Dan’s current role was, as he describes as “Unusual?”. He continued working at his restaurant job for several months until he got the aforementioned job from his friend, with which he started to build up his resume. He goes on saying, “After leaving that job and taking a bit of time off to do some post-education soul searching, I found my way into the marketing and publishing world by happenstance.”
Outside of work, Dan enjoys a multitude of hobbies. “I’ve always been into photography, that’s a bit of a mainstay in my life. Last year, I bought a super-telephoto lens, so I’ve been getting more into bird photography recently.” Dan also loves to travel, for which he has a few trips planned for this year, as well as partake in pottery classes, which he's done for 2 years now.
Dan does not forget about his time at UMBC. When asked about his favorite memory, he jokes, “Graduation day? No only (half) kidding. Honestly, just walking around campus, especially on nice spring days,” He explains how it wasn’t something he truly appreciated until after he had graduated.
Dan most often consumes media through social media, “though I don’t love that that's the case.” A fun fact about Dan is that he has officiated a friend’s wedding and recommends it to those who have the opportunity.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
1) CLDR 410/610 -- Places and Placemaking, with Joby Taylor (8/27 - 9/24)
Places and Placemaking will be a 1 credit class designed to support students in cultivating a strong sense of place and developing leadership skills and experience in the practice of placemaking. The class will meet weekly for 2.5hr sessions for 5 weeks (1 credit time equivalent), mixing synchronous seminar style instruction with outdoor in person sessions. Students will critically explore theoretical and applied perspectives about the key concept of “place” through seminar style discussions, written reflections, and individual projects. Human beings charge the world with meaning and power, and as culture scholar Clifford Geertz reminds us “No one lives in the world in general...Everybody lives in some confined and limited stretch of it—the world around here.” Taking that as our jumping off point for a hands-on skill-based class, the majority of the course will engage students in in-person local outings (and complementary virtual outings) that draw upon historical/cultural background narratives, current social dynamics, and community member perspectives to develop their own sense of place and gain an informed understanding of the ongoing local struggle for meaning and positive community change in our Baltimore area. After participating in initial instructor-designed and led place-based outings, students will then design, develop, and present their own place-based outing for the class. Students will leave the course with skills for developing a vibrant and nuanced sense of place, and leadership tools for facilitating that powerful sense of place and placemaking in others in their classrooms, communities, or workplaces.