Concert Survival Kit!

Posted on July 14, 2023 by Ashlynn Battle

I have been to many concerts in my life, but haven’t been to one in two or three years. I am so excited to be going to a BLACKPINK concert in August, and hope to share some concert experiences and tips, as I know summer is notorious for being concert season!

Pick out an appropriate outfit!

Although, you probably want to wear an outfit that aesthetically matches the theme of the artist or their genre for that specific show. The one thing I have to recommend is that, no matter the situation, always wear tennis shoes or some sort of closed-toed shoes for comfort and safety! Not only will it save your feet after long hours of standing, but some concerts can get chaotic, and you don’t want anyone stepping on you!

Make a playlist!

Maybe this is a last-minute concert you got dragged to by a friend. The worst scenario is being bored and sitting around because you aren’t familiar with the music. Make a playlist ahead of time and star your favorite songs so you can at least sing along to a couple of songs!

Bring Cash!

Always bring cash along with an ID. Cash is much easier to handle and can prevent the attendants and people inside or outside of the concert venue from stealing your credit card information!

Arrive early!

Although you may be tempted to arrive as soon as the concert starts, always plan to arrive a little early because there will be long lines, and anything can happen! You want to ensure your tickets work properly and that everything runs smoothly!

Have fun! 

At the end of the night, your ears will be ringing, but it will all be worth it! If you’re going to a concert this summer, have the best time and put your phone down for a few songs to savor the moment!

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Living in RVA

Posted on July 13, 2023 by shriyakoneru

At this point of the summer, I have lived in Richmond, Virginia for a little over eight weeks. Eight weeks may not seem like a long time, but it has been enough for me to form a few opinions and learn more about myself.

One realization that has struck me during my time in Richmond is that I do want to live in bigger cities later in life. Having grown up in the outskirts of Philadelphia and then attending school near Washington, D.C., I had almost never experienced life without a large US city near me. Now, being in a mid-sized city like Richmond, I have come to recognize the benefits of living near a larger urban center.

One of the most significant advantages of living in or near a larger city is the diverse lifestyle it offers. In bigger cities, there are people from all walks of life, representing various cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives. This diversity enriches the social scene and provides opportunities to interact with individuals from different communities. It broadens one’s horizons and fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation for others.

Additionally, bigger cities tend to have a more vibrant cultural scene. They offer a bunch of artistic and entertainment options, such as theaters, sporting games, museums, galleries, music venues, and festivals. These cultural outlets create a dynamic atmosphere that nurtures personal growth and encourages exploration.

Moreover, larger cities often boast better employment prospects and a wider range of career opportunities. They attract companies from various industries, making them hubs for innovation, entrepreneurship, and professional growth. Living in close proximity to these opportunities can open doors and help individuals advance in their chosen fields.

In conclusion, my brief experience living in Richmond, Virginia has reaffirmed my desire to reside in bigger cities later in life. The exposure to a diverse lifestyle and the abundance of cultural and career opportunities are factors that have influenced my preference. While I appreciate the beauty and lowkey-ness of smaller cities, I love the excitement and dynamism that larger urban centers provide. Ultimately, everyone’s preferences and experiences differ, but for me, the allure of big cities is undeniable- which I’m glad I learned now!

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Summer internship tips I wish I knew sooner 

Posted on July 5, 2023 by mnur2

Even though we are at the peak of summer break, it’s never too late to apply for internships! It’s a great way to encounter real-life experiences by working in a field related to your studies. Here is a list of summer internship tips I’ve learned throughout the years.

Apply to at least 10-15 internships

Yes, you read that right! The best plan is to apply for as many internships as you can. One summer, I only applied to a few and unfortunately was frantically trying to apply last minute when the ones I applied to didn’t work out. When you apply to many, there is a possibility that you will have a higher chance of getting one.

Source: freepik

Have a polished résume and cover letter ready 

This is pretty self explanatory, but make sure your resume and cover letter are updated and have been properly looked over by someone (professors, TAs, professionals, etc.). Try to highlight your best qualities and cater the cover letter to the company’s interests.

Source: resumegenius

Make a LinkedIn account 

Most of you probably have one, but just in case make sure you create a LinkedIn account and mention it somewhere in your application! It’s a wonderful way for recruiters to find your information and you can easily network from the site too. Also, after the internship, you can still keep in touch with the people who you worked with.

Source: Linkedin

Don’t get discouraged from rejection letters

It’s true. Just a few weeks ago, I was rejected from one of my most anticipated summer internships. It definitely made an impact on me, and I constantly doubted myself and my abilities. But you have to get back on your feet and trust that the right internship will find you. A few weeks later I got accepted into one of the other companies I applied to and slowly gained my confidence back!  

Source: freepik

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Embracing the 9-5 Lifestyle

Posted on June 29, 2023 by shriyakoneru

Growing up, I always hoped to avoid the traditional 9-5 lifestyle. As I ventured into the professional world, I recognized that such a schedule was often inevitable, at least for the initial years. However, with my interest in coding and a recent focus on data engineering, I believed it was possible to carve out a work-life balance that offered both freedom and fulfillment. However, this summer brought about a delightful surprise – I discovered how much I genuinely enjoy the 9-5 in-office life. In this blog post, I want to share my unexpected findings and shed light on the benefits that come with embracing structure, fostering social connections, and appreciating free time.

One of the most remarkable aspects of a 9-5 routine is the level of structure it brings to my week. By having fixed working hours, I find it easier to organize my tasks efficiently. The sense of routine helps me stay focused and motivated, enabling me to make the most of my time at work. Having a set schedule allows me to plan my day effectively and set clear goals, which ultimately translates into increased productivity. Surprisingly, I’ve discovered that structure can be liberating and empowering, enabling me to accomplish more in both my personal and professional endeavors.

Secondly, and contrary to my initial expectations, the 9-5 office life has granted me invaluable opportunities to foster meaningful relationships with my coworkers. Being in the same physical space day after day has allowed me to engage in spontaneous conversations, share experiences, and collaborate seamlessly. Building rapport with colleagues has not only enhanced my job satisfaction but also enriched my personal life. The support within the office environment has created a sense of belonging that I hadn’t anticipated, but thoroughly appreciate. From brainstorming sessions to after-work social gatherings, the connections I’ve formed have added immeasurable value to my overall work experience.

Another surprising realization has been the newfound appreciation I have developed for free time and weekends. The structured nature of the 9-5 workweek has taught me to cherish and make the most of my non-working hours. Knowing that the weekends are reserved for leisure and personal pursuits adds an element of excitement and anticipation to my life. It allows me to plan activities, create memorable experiences, and strike a balance between work and personal fulfillment. By embracing the 9-5 lifestyle, I have gained a deeper understanding of the importance of downtime, leading to a more holistic approach to my overall well-being.

As I reflect on my journey and the unexpected joys of the 9-5 in-office lifestyle, I am grateful for the valuable lessons learned. Furthermore, I am excited to continue this lifestyle and continue to learn and grow through it!

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Spark The Reader In You-Part II!

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Ashlynn Battle

This theme was the first blog I wrote for Shady Grove, and I wanted to write a new one because it was one I truly enjoyed, and I’ve turned myself into a bookworm! So here I am again, with a few books that may spark the reader in you too!

Things We Never Got Over: Lucy Score In this witty book, Naomi Witt meets a wealthy bar owner, Knox Morgan, after leaving an unhealthy relationship while dealing with the leftover problems from her reckless twin sister. Without spoiling too much, this is one of the best I’ve read in a while! Although it’s a little long being 500 pages, it was very captivating, and you’ll be invested in the main characters’ lives by the end of it!

The Love Hypothesis: Ali Hazelwood In this contemporary romance, Olive Smith is trying to navigate the world of academia by pursuing research in Pancreatic Cancer. Along the way, she tries to convince her best friend that she’s over dating by kissing the first person she sees. Which happens to be Dr. Carlsen, a professor with a horrible reputation. This 500 page book has to be one of my favorites! It displays an independent woman in the field of stem unexpectedly finding love, and I deeply wish it was a series! 

Layla: Colleen Hoover Layla is a romance novel with a bit of thriller and paranormal themes involved. A young couple Leeds and Layla believe they will spend the rest of their lives together, but after an unexpected tragedy, they have to fight for their love without even knowing it. This book is roughly 300 pages and kept me interested from start to finish! If you choose to read this book, you will not put it down till the very end! 

Women Last Seen: Adele Parks This suspenseful psychological thriller was given to me as a gift, and I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did! It starts off with romance and a domestic atmosphere that has the reader questioning everything by the end of it! This 400 page book was an easy read that never gets boring! 

Books have become my new favorite thing, and I hope by the end of the summer I will have a part three for you guys! Enjoy! 

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Discover Book Sales Around You

Posted on June 22, 2023 by mnur2

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of attending my first book sale at the Germantown Library in Montgomery County, and let me just say that I regret not finding out about it sooner!

Once every month, the library hosts a book sale where they sell paperbacks and hardbacks for as little as 50 cents to a dollar to raise money for funding various activities. Apparently they started the book sale event around 6 months ago, so the whole ordeal was pretty new. I was unsure whether or not to attend because it was very early in the morning and I honestly thought the book selection wouldn’t be that varied.

My cousins forced me to go, and I need to share my excitement over the details! First of all, when we got there, we noticed that there was a huge line. That came as a surprise to me because I didn’t think this many people would be in attendance (and I was sort of ready to back out by now because I didn’t like crowds). But everyone in line was so enthusiastic and eager to share what books they would be looking for, and I found myself joining in their feelings. 

This one guy brought two whole bins and he struck up a conversation with us as we waited in line for the doors to open. “Is it always this busy?” I asked and he smiled. “Yeah! First timers? You’ll have a great time.” And he mentioned the type of books he collected such as nonfiction and how he sometimes came across rare editions that were worth a lot of money (his words not mine).

Anyway, when the doors finally opened, we quickly browsed the selections and I couldn’t contain my astonishment in seeing paperback and hardback copies of the Twilight series, Hunger Games, classic novels from authors like Jane Austen, etc. I had so much fun looking at all the books and trying to discover titles that I was familiar with. Everything was in mint condition, and I think I purchased around 6 books. 

So, I highly recommend you to find book sales in your local areas and support them. And you never know if you’ll also come across hidden gems!

Source: giphy 

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Summer Blogs

Posted on June 15, 2023 by shriyakoneru

I hope you are all having an amazing summer! As for myself, I am truly fortunate to be interning at an absolutely incredible company! When I first began this journey, I must admit, a mixture of excitement and nervousness filled my heart. This was mainly due to the fact of moving to a new state (one day after my last final) all by myself. However, my worries quickly disappeared once I stepped into this experience.

Now, four weeks into this exhilarating 11-week program, I find myself very grateful for the amazing individuals I have had the pleasure of meeting and working alongside. Together, we form an extraordinary team of 30 interns, and every interaction with them has been nothing short of exciting. I genuinely get so excited to go into work every day! 

As a data engineer, I’m diving headfirst into the world of information and technology. It’s mind blowing how much power lies within data, and I’m loving every minute of it. The talented people I’m working with are not only super smart but also incredibly inspiring. They’ve shown me what it means to be passionate and dedicated, and I’m beyond grateful to be part of such an amazing team. Together, we’re pushing boundaries, honing our skills, and discovering new possibilities. 

I’m beyond excited to be sharing this amazing adventure with you through my summer blogs. Forget the school related stuff for now because this season is all about giving you a firsthand look into my life in the city of Richmond, Virginia. And let me tell you, it’s been one wild and fun ride! Richmond has become my third home (literally- I now have two apartments and a permanent house which is a lot to manage).

So, get ready for an amazing new era of blogs! Together, we’ll navigate the twists and turns of my life as a data engineer in Richmond, Virginia. I’ll share the highs, the lows, and everything in between. This summer is all about growth, discovery, and creating memories that will last a lifetime!

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Babysitting Tales…

Posted on June 13, 2023 by Ashlynn Battle

Since summer has started, I have had multiple random babysitting jobs thrown my way, and it had me thinking about the iconic book series I loved growing up. The babysitting club is about a group of friends who run a babysitting service to gain some extra cash. The purpose of the books is to display that a group of friends can accomplish big goals with enough determination by working together! The series has multiple variations of books, and even a Netflix series that I hope to watch this summer! Sometimes I feel like I am living straight from the books, so I wanted to share a funny story that happened to me, and a couple tips to use this summer if anyone finds themselves in the same situation! Enjoy!

Babysitting short story!

One time I was babysitting two kids, and I brought my dog with me, but my dog wasn’t allowed on the couch. My sister was helping me with the kids, and as we both entered the kitchen to make lunch, my dog jumped on the couch, and we noticed a huge hole that we thought my dog had ripped! As I panicked and rushed to find a sewing kit to stitch the couch back together. When the parents finally came home, my sister casually asked about the hole in the couch, just for the parents to say it had been there for a while! 

Babysitting Tips!

  • Take them to the park: I always take the kids I babysit to the park or outside in the morning. This really helps them take a nap or even ask for downtime during the afternoon, because it tires them out! I even recommend taking them to the dog park if you have a dog, and letting them run around too! 
  • Put on Just Dance!: I have never met a kid who doesn’t like to dance or enjoys music! Just Dance is always a good way to keep children active and entertained, which also helps tire them out for that midday nap! 
  • Watch a movie: Putting on the child’s favorite movie or something they have never seen before always keeps them occupied for a good hour or so! 
  • Play board games:When I babysit kids that are a little older, I love to introduce them to games like Uno and Bop It because they’ve most likely never played it before! 
  • Bake!: Baking became a more prominent hobby of mine during the pandemic, and I say if the kids are old enough to mix ingredients in a bowl, bake cookies! Or even a cake and have them decorate it, this keeps the children entertained and happy! 
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May Chancellor Chat with Muslim Students

Posted on May 12, 2023 by Aisha Sowe
University System of Maryland Dr. Jay A Perman (Source: University System of Maryland).

On Sunday, May 7, I had the excellent opportunity to meet with the Chancellor of the University System of Maryland, Jay Perman, alongside 12 other Muslim students. Every month, Chancellor Perman meets with students across the universities in the state to discuss important issues. This month, he wanted to speak with Muslims and to learn about our experiences at our campuses.

Shelby Speer, whom I work with as a member of the Student Leadership Advisory Council (SLAC), presented me with this opportunity. Shelby emailed me about the monthly chat with Chancellor Perman and without question, I accepted this offer! This is something that is a once in a lifetime chance not to pass up. Even though I am a student at the University of Maryland, College Park, I went to represent USG because this is my home campus. Not only that, but I believe students at USG deserve to have their voices heard and represented, and that was my job at this chat.

We met with the Chancellor at the Hidden Waters Residence in Pikesville, Maryland, which was about 10-15 miles outside of Baltimore. We had breakfast and some drinks such as water, coffee, and tea when we got there. Then we all sat down and introduced ourselves. Chancellor Perman gave his backstory from applying to medical school, becoming a doctor, and getting into advocacy. Hearing his story allowed me to understand who he is as a person, but also as an advocate and why he is chancellor. 

Chancellor Perman asked us questions throughout the discussion that prompted students to speak about the positive and negative experiences at their individual campuses. A few of the topics that we raised questions and concerns about were having accommodations for prayers, food that is halal (permissible according to Islam) as well as providing food during Ramadan, and the Muslim Student Association on campus. Everyone provided a concern and input into the conversation and I was interested in hearing more.

At the end of the two hours we had, Chancellor Perman reassured us that these issues would be taken care of. He was thankful that we shared our experiences with him and even educated him a bit about Islam. Chancellor Perman was confident that our issues would be resolved.

I am glad to have been chosen to meet the Chancellor and represent fellow Muslim students. We took a group photo and networked with each other in order to stay connected while were in school. This event was a great way to close out the year and I very thankful for Shelby and everyone at USG who have supported me as a student advocate during my first year on campus!

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K-dramas to binge while on summer vacation

Posted on May 10, 2023 by mnur2

Welcome to my last post of the semester! I’m so grateful for being given the opportunity to share my advice, recommendations, and stories will you all. I hope that I was able to provide something useful for you to use in the future. Remember to finish out the semester strong! 

Since summer break is starting and many of you will probably have a few hours of free time here and there….I’m going to finally give you all my favorite korean drama (k-drama) recommendations. I’m not saying that you should be watching these in between your internships and summer classes…but that’s exactly what I’m saying. 

Source: amazon 

Strong Woman Bong-soon 

My first ever k-drama! I was a reluctant viewer at first but soon found myself laughing to tears. The story is so comical, so thrilling, that I finished all 16 episodes in one day. It’s about a girl who was hired as a bodyguard for a CEO of a company due to her superhuman strength. It’s so cute. And there’s an underlying crime theme that added the perfect touch to the story. 

Source: imdb

Vincenzo 

The most exciting show that I watched in 2021. Filled with dark humor, law intrigue, and a gripping backstory, I highly incline you all to watch this. The cinematography is beautiful and the budget of the drama incredibly high, I promise it’s worth your time! It’s about an Italian-Korean mafia consigliere who returns to Korea to find the gold hidden by his former boss and encounters a building full of renters instead….

Source: imdb 

Extraordinary Attorney Woo 

I can gush about how cute it is all day long. Diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, Young Woo excelled in her University classes as the top student. She got into law school due to her excellent memory and thought process. But the real struggle came after she joined a law firm. Each episode is so much fun and involves a different law case. I learned so much from this show! 

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