These past two weeks have been super busy, and boy, have I learned a lot! On two separate occasions, the phrase “practice makes perfect” rang true. My first experience began at the USG Open House, and the second was learning to network.

Seeing as I mention I’m a USG ambassador every time I write a blog, you might think I’m lying when I say the open house was my first ambassador event. But it’s true, at least in the sense that it involved non-USG workers. And I had quite a few jobs throughout the event doing things an introvert usually doesn’t, like talking to a whole bunch of people.

The first part of the event I got to help with was a tour. Thankfully the senior ambassadors handled most of the talking. Still, they did include my fellow shadower and me in personal experiences, which was a great introduction to tour giving. And with the confidence I got from being a part of the tour, I put it towards the rest of the event. I may have stuttered here or even attempted to help someone who was also working there (whoops), but at the end of the day, I was thrilled to have played a part.

Beyond my present job, I also got to prepare for future employment by working on networking. My class was fortunate enough to have two representatives from UMBC’s career center come and give a presentation. Although I cannot relay the whole presentation, I can say you should consider utilizing Handshake and UMBC’s Retrievers Connect. Handshake is a great way to communicate with employers for jobs or internships. Within just a few days of signing up, I have already had an employer reach out! And for UMBC’s Retrievers Connect, it’s a similar networking site but specifically for UMBC students and alums. These platforms highlight you are a student, so employers know you might not be able to work right away and can plan for the future. I’m hoping to get an internship for next Fall, so these sites are just what I need to start looking for one!

Til next time, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!