I have recently graduated from UMBC with a M.A. degree in Texts, Technologies, and Literature after defending my thesis in April 2016. Before going for my Master’s, I had received my Bachelor’s in English, also from UMBC. The English Department family has always been supportive, guiding me and other students through the tough process of learning. While pursuing my Master’s, I was lucky to receive a Graduate Assistantship and teach English Composition for two years. It was a truly rewarding experience teaching freshman students and learning from them at the same time.
What I love the most about UMBC is that it does everything possible to provide its students with a multitude of opportunities to find jobs upon graduation. While in my second year in graduate school, I attended career workshops held by the University and, sure enough, I landed a job in December 2015. With my B.A. in Linguistics from Russia and the education I received in America, I became a good fit for a position as a Multilingual Proofreader at BD Life Sciences and was even hired during the second interview. The managers immediately recognized my thorough academic preparation, which equipped me to deal with dense scientific texts on a daily basis.
My educational background has transformed into a career that I always pictured for myself. I have always enjoyed working with foreign languages, not only as a translator and a tutor but also as someone who simply enjoys reading in multiple languages and learning about different cultures. And the best part about receiving my M.A. degree is that I am not only capable of working for a big company but I can also teach at the college level, which creates various professional opportunities in the long run.
This spotlight was originally published on August 23, 2016.