Experiences

I’ve been working as an Undergrad Teaching Assistant (UTA) at Department of Computer Science since Fall 2023 under Dr. Ilchul Yoon. So far I’ve been involved with CMSC132 – Object Oriented Programming II and CMSC216 – Introduction to Computer Systems. These classes cover topics like Data Structures, Sorting and Search Algorithms, Graphs and its traversals, LinkedList and programming languages C, Java and Assembly.

As a UTA, I take discussion sessions twice a week, during the semester, comprising 20-30 students. In these sessions I go over the scheduled topics, using my custom Canva slides, as decided by Dr. Yoon, revise syllabus before Midterms, answer and solve any student queries. Alongside this, I also hold office hours where I help students debug their project assignments and help them with any issues and concerns which they want to discuss privately. Additionally, I’m also tasked with grading project submissions, Midterms and Final paper of students.

While reviewing the project or exam submission through student’s answers I get to see the different ways to solve a given problem. This helps me understand how to approach and tackle a tricky problem from different ways to get to solution. At the same time, I also land up in situations where I’ve to analyze and understand implementations of students to help them find their bug. This has never been an easy task as each student has a unique way to implement their idea in their attempt to solve the given problem. In general, the UTA experience has been rewarding as well as challenging. I’m thankful to Dr. Yoon for giving me this opportunity to learn and contribute to the academic journey of peers at the CS department.

Note : If you click on The Final Review Guide, it will take you to the canva presentation. There you can view this guide which I created for my CMSC132 students to help them prepare for their final examination

Community Assistants (CA) are part of the Adops team in the department of Resident Life. They’re responsible for the managing the desks of the on-campus dormitories. There’re 12 desks at UMD with each having around 12-15 CAs and a Desk Operations Supervisor (DOS) to supervise the CAs. Combined we’re a group of 230 CAs, 15 DOSs all of whom are undergraduate students. The desk operates 24x7 seven days a week, and CAs work 3-hour shifts with not more than 2 shifts continuously.

I started working as a CA in Fall 2023 at La Plata Desk. Working as a CA, I have always tried to act as a resource to residents, helping them with their concerns and creating a welcoming environment at the desk so that they don’t feel hesitant in reaching out to us. Due to this dedication and commitment towards increasing the community engagement and fulfilling my role as a CA, I was awarded the Community Assistant of the Year for the academic year 2023-2024.

What initially was just a part-time job for me, now has become a responsibility which I love to fulfill. Interacting with residents, solving their problems and having meaningful conversations has boosted my self-confidence. I credit my communication skills to being a CA as when you’re at the desk, you’ve to attend to the person visiting the desk. This indirect push has helped me overcome my introvert nature to a great extent. The best part about this experience is the flexibility in schedule. Even though there’s a fixed schedule which we follow, we’re allowed to drop and take shifts at our convenience provided we’ve someone to take our place. This aspect is really helpful to me when it comes to managing academics, CA work and other commitments.

I’m grateful to the Adops team and the Department of Resident Life for trusting me and handing over this important responsibility.

The ISAB is a group of international student representatives selected to serve as a sounding board for International Students and Scholar Services (ISSS) and other campus units. Board-members are committed to fostering and maintaining strong relationships with international student organizations and UMD international students to understand their lived experience and challenges. In turn, these members possess the ability to collect and share information as necessary. ISAB is a solutions-oriented board and seeks to empower students to develop solutions to the identified challenges of international students at UMD.

I joined ISAB initially as a board-member and later on became its co-President in FALL 2023. Serving as the co-President, I’ve tried to create an open-communication channel where members can discuss their thoughts without hesitations in our monthly board-meetings. In my efforts of re-organizing the board and to create more awareness about it, I recognized the need for a new logo and came up with our present logo, created a dashboard on google Excel to track the activities of the board-members and communicated frequently with them. I led a team of 4 board-members in organizing the International Terp Nexus, a 2-hour event aimed at providing international students a platform to raise their concerns and share their insights. Using these insights we worked with ISSS on how we can make amends to the current policies to help better the situations

In April 2024, I was awarded a Certificate of Achievement by ISSS for my continued commitment and contributions to ISAB as its co-President. By being a part of ISAB, I have come closer to the international community at UMD. Working as the co-President, I’ve had the opportunity to develop critical soft skills like active listening, problem solving, team management which I know will greatly benefit me in my future endeavors.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Susan-Ellis Dougherty, ISSS director, under whose leadership we are making significant strides in fostering a more inclusive and welcoming environment for the international community at UMD. Further I also wish to express my appreciation to our esteemed staff advisor for ISAB, Dr. Rebeca Moreno, whose unwavering support and assistance have been invaluable to our endeavors.

International Orientation Leader (IOL) are student volunteers for the International Students & Scholar Services, taking part in their virtual engagement webinars, meet & greets, and welcome week events for the incoming freshmen international students at UMD.

Being an IOL, as the name might indicate, isn't just about welcoming newcomers ; it is about being a source of strength, guidance, and camaraderie during a transformative phase. Through the various virtual and in-person sessions, IOLs interact with the freshmen students helping them to navigate their transition to a new environment, providing essential guidance, resources, and unwavering support.

I had the privilege of sharing insights on university involvement, academic success strategies and many more. Empowering incoming students with my experiences and knowledge was incredibly fulfilling.

I'm immensely grateful to UMD’s International Students & Scholar Services (ISSS) for entrusting me with this role, and I'm pleased to have played a part in the journey of the incoming international community at UMD.

As we look ahead to more vibrant and diverse cohorts, I'm excited to continue making a difference and helping international students thrive at UMD.

CMNS recruitment ambassadors assist with student panels and CMNS information tables at admissions open houses, meet individually with prospective students, and act as class visit or lunch hosts for prospective freshmen. The experienced ambassadors find it very easy to express what they love about UMD, whether or not it was their original first choice college when they applied as high school students (or transfer students).

As a CMNS Recruitment Ambassador, I've been playing a crucial role in helping prospective freshmen and transfers explore the incredible opportunities that UMD offers in the field of science. This has been a wholesome experience for me where I’ve had the opportunity to engage with prospective students individually or in small groups, participate in virtual Zoom panels to share insights, represent the CMNS College and my fellow peers at CMNS with pride!

Through this I’ve been able to make connections with faculty and staff in CMNS, gain valuable leadership and public speaking skills, and contribute to the vibrant community at UMD. Immensely grateful to Eden Garosi Hurley, who's the Program Manager, Undergraduate Admissions Counseling and Recruitment, for offering me this incredible opportunity and having me on the board!

If you're curious about the undergrad student life at UMD or the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences feel free to reach out. I’ll be more than happy to have a quick zoom call !

The CMNS Inclusive Excellence Advisory Board is a newly formed board at College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) working towards making the CMSN college more inclusive and welcoming for all students, empowering them, irrespective of their backgrounds, to succeed in their fields.

I began my role as a board-member in FALL 2024. As a board-member, I’ve to participate in monthly meetings with advisory group members and the leadership. I share my insights into the student experience and make recommendations to enhance teaching and learning in the CMNS College. A part of my responsibility also includes providing feedback to the HHMI Inclusive Excellence initiative at UMD to improve the undergraduate student experience within CMNS.

I joined this board because of my genuine interest in engaging with diverse perspectives and experiences. My curiosity about different academic, professional, and informal contexts has always motivated me to seek out conversations with peers and learn from their insights. Additionally, as an international student pursuing Computer Science, I have a unique perspective that resonates with the experiences of many international students within the CMNS which further motivated me to become a part of this newly formed advisory board.

I am thankful to the selection committee for having trust in me and I'm always ready to contribute to creating a supportive and inclusive environment within the CMNS for all students.

The Education Committee at Department of Computer Science is made up of professors, academic advisors, administrative staff, and students. The committee meets to discuss general department updates and make decisions regarding administration, programs, and financial issues. The Undergraduate Student Representative represents the undergraduate students of the department in the committee.

I was elected by my peers to represent them for the academic year 2024-2025. As the Student Representative, I’ve to attend meetings with professors, academic advisors, and administrative staff to discuss general department updates and make decisions regarding the administration of academic programs. Further I also provide the undergraduate student perspective on academic program administration and departmental updates. Collaborating with faculty, advisors, and staff to improve and enhance the academic programs within the department is crucial part of responsibilities.

I’m grateful to my Computer Science peers in trusting me and supporting me to represent them in the committee. My efforts will always be towards being committed as a resource in contributing to decision-making processes that positively impact the department's educational policies and initiatives.

The Junior Youth Empowerment Program was developed through a global network of organizations as a way of developing language skills, power of expression and the overall empowerment of the new generations of young people. With the means and opportunity to explore a multitude of concepts and themes, JYEP empowers the children to deal with the complexities of life, combat negative social forces, and become active agents of social change. A major element of the JYEP is the selfless acts of service or “service projects” that are aimed at helping the community in whatever way possible. This plays a vital role in assisting the Junior Youth to apply what they’ve learnt into meaningful action to positively impact the lives of others around them.

Following this, I led the JYEP animators (volunteers) of senior section ,with the guidance of Mrs. Rubina and Mrs. Niruda : my JYEP instructors , to start the HELPING HANDS Program. These were Tutorial sessions where the animators helped their juniors in the preparation of upcoming Examinations. This program turned out to be very helpful to students as alongside animators, who worked really hard, students too actively took part in the sessions. It was largely due to this enthusiasm of kids that sometimes the sessions continued for more than two hours. I feel another major reason behind the success of this program was that juniors were more open to their seniors and hence Helping Hand provided them an environment where they were comfortable in clearing their doubts without any hesitation.

HELPING HAND assisted me in increasing my competence in various aspects. Since I was the one leading, I had to handle all sorts of issues : from making the schedule of the sessions, sharing it with students to arranging study materials to ensuring that both the tutors and the students were not facing any difficulty in communication. From these I developed the important skills such as Time-management, Organizational skill, Prioritizations and Decision-making. I also learnt skills like Team building and motivating which were sometimes required when the animators also had some personal works to do and at that same time their presence was also very necessary. The tutorial sessions were held online, hence quite a couple of times animators couldn’t join the link on time, due to technical faults, so I had to interact with the juniors so as to ensure that they remained focused and enthusiastic. Through this I acquired communication skills.

Besides HELPING HAND, I sometimes accompanied my fellow batchmates to moral teaching classes and did some interactive activities, like Career Ladder, with the students of primary sections. One of the most interactive activities was Career Ladder Activity. In Career Ladder activity we asked the kids to make a ladder and fill the blanks between the steps of ladder with the profession they want to join in future. We then asked them to write down what all skills, knowledge and experience they require for that profession. As expected, most of the kids came up with some or the other profession. But very few of them knew what they had to do to join that profession. We then helped them explore their path of what they need to learn, which course they need to pursue etc. Hence through activities like these we tried encouraging the students to think about their future and tried to introduce them to the world of possibilities which they never thought of before.

Being a nature lover, with the help of my family I started an environmental sustainability campaign in my community. My father suggested the named of this campaign “Each One Plant One”. We started this initiative in 2019 during the monsoon season and donated 200 tree saplings among my community members in India.

In order to encourage more and more people to plant trees I also came up with a slogan, ” Buy 5 Tree Saplings, plant 3 and donate the rest.” By doing these not only did I get closer to the people in my community but also paved the path for environmental sustainability in my area creating more awareness about it among the community members. Periodically, when we visit our hometown we continue this campaign.

The first wave of COVID-19 badly affected the lives of those people who depended on daily wages. COVID-19 had just been introduced to the world, there were no vaccines hence people, in general, were very afraid and avoided making contacts with anyone. As a result, the ones affected with COVID-19 were helpless. I used to see that many household helpers ,in my neighborhood, used to go from house to house asking for help of any kind so as to support their family.

To help these people, I discussed the idea of Food and Clothes Donation Drive with my parents. With their help I started this Drive. With my mother, we distributed jute sacks, containing food and other items of daily needs, to household helpers of our area in the city to support them. I also assisted my grandfather and acted as a helping hand to 20 people of my village. These people were elders, disabled, or had lost their source of living due to pandemic. We provided them clothes, food, and financial aid for other basic necessities. With the help of my family, we did this periodically throughout the pandemic.

Coming from a community of farmers, where farming and nature conversation is a part of daily routine, I had developed a close attachment with Nature from a very young age. Whether it was just sitting idly on terrace during the monsoon showers or taking a walk at night in the breeze or spending time in maintaining my garden.

In-fact, I feel Gardening has played a significant role in further strengthening my bond with nature. Back, in my country I had a small garden comprising twenty plants ranging from Cactus to Rose, all planted by me. Since I had a great concern for the uncontrolled use of pesticides, I also used to grow fruit-bearing and edible plants and had few like tomato, cabbage, gourd, lemon, curry leaves, and basil, grown organically. Gardening not only provided me with fresh and healthy vegetables but also helped me become a more creative thinker. It takes a lot of effort to grow and nurture a plant. Gardening , over a period of time, has taught me patience and made me a more responsible person.

Coming back to Nature, at UMD I love to sit in the sun on a warm day or take a walk around campus on a cloudy day and enjoy the breeze. These activities help me rejuvenate and detox my mind from the stress and pressure of the numerous commitments I have. Overall, being attached with nature has helped me maintain a healthy balance between my professional and personal life.

Sports has always been very close to my heart. Unlike majority of Indian parents, my parents gave equal importance to sports and education. From the early days of my life, they have always encouraged me to continue sports, be it any. We share a common believe that sports help a lot in personality and character development as the person learns discipline, spirit of Sportsmanship, becomes mentally and physically stable, develops leadership traits ,and many more, which are the essential components.

Badminton is a game in which I didn’t have interest initially and I had started playing it under my parent’s compulsion. I used to play cricket till standard sixth, but it was not very regular with respect to timing. Therefore, my parents made me join the Academy so that my time for sports was fixed and I could better utilize the rest of my time. Badminton as a sport has given a lot to me. There was a time I was distracted, and my academics was getting affected, it was because of Badminton that I got back on track as I focused only on academics and Badminton and hence tried to reduce the distraction. I met two of my very close friends, who are now my extended family, due to Badminton. I still continue to play Badminton in College and polish my skills.

Like any other Indian kid, Cricket is the first sport which I started playing. Till standard sixth, due to less workload from school, I used to play cricket every day. During summer breaks, It used to be on the next level. From 1 pm, after lunch, till 7 pm, until my mom would come to take me back, I would play with friends. I rarely played cricket after standard sixth till 2019. When the pandemic came in 2020, all the facilities were closed on health grounds and hence I couldn’t play Badminton, which was played indoor. I had gotten bored by staying at home during lockdown, therefore when the lockdown was lifted in October 2020 I started playing cricket with my friends from my school. We used to play on Sundays mostly in morning. I remember sometimes maa use to warn me that I should be careful that the balance between the academics and sports is not disturbed as I would spent time calling my friends, scheduling a match or deciding the venue. I even got scolding from her sometimes due to numerous calls she would get from my friends when we use to go to play. Such was my and their enthusiasm. I never paid attention to what cricket gave to me but now when I look back, I feel it gave me some very good moments, people who are more than friends and most importantly brought positivity to my life.