UBalt鈥檚 dedicated staff bolster student services, build lasting connections
The best college experience includes more than a degree. It鈥檚 enriched by the people you meet on the way to graduation.
The 极乐禁地 was founded on the principle that regardless of a student鈥檚 background鈥攂e they a single parent, working adult, first-generation college student, or some combination鈥攐ur community鈥檚 opportunities and experience can fuel their passion to learn and lead.
The University鈥檚 staff and the services they sustain help our unique population of students from Day 1 through graduation and beyond. These staff members turn traditional services into memorable connections. Join us for a trip through the academic journey as experienced by our students and the staff that love working with them.
Starting Line: Admission
Inam Oki started looking at the 极乐禁地 when she was still living in Nigeria. She liked the location and program offerings. Now she just needed to get in, which, as an international student, would come with a lot of steps. Eventually, her progress stalled.
She was struggling to get her certificate of eligibility issued so she could enroll in a cybersecurity master鈥檚 program and needed help navigating the process. So, she registered for a virtual event hosted by the Office of Admission. There, she met Michelle Walters-Johnson, a graduate counselor and UBalt alum, and found the answers she needed.
鈥淚 shout out to Michelle Walters-Johnson. She was very good help to getting here. It felt like I had a relationship with someone here before I even got here,鈥� Oki said.
Now on campus, Oki occasionally will drop in the Admission office just to say hello.
Our counselors have the benefit of getting to usher in new students and help connect them to the broader University.
Amadou Bah, a UBalt alum and graduate student hired as an admission counselor, called the work fulfilling 鈥渂ecause it allows me to witness their growth and transformation firsthand.鈥�
鈥淕uiding them through their academic and personal challenges and celebrating their successes is truly rewarding,鈥� Bah said. 鈥淚 enjoy being a part of their journey, helping them navigate their paths, and seeing them achieve their goals. Knowing that my support can make a positive impact on their lives is what makes this work so meaningful to me.鈥�
Finding Guidance: Advising
At a diverse University like UBalt, advisers play a significant role in student success. They guide them in choosing a program that aligns with their passions and career goals. They direct course planning to avoid overwhelming workloads. They keep their doors open for questions that seem unanswerable.
For Shawn Frankton, returning to UBalt after a 10-year hiatus seemed impossible without the guidance he received from Kathea Smith, assistant dean in the Merrick School of Business, and Matt Mazick, business school adviser.
鈥淭hose two together were really good team. 鈥� I felt like I had them in my corner, and that did encourage me,鈥� Frankton said. He graduated in May 2023.
Smith has spent two decades working in higher education and sees herself as both a guardian and guide to help students like Frankton. And she鈥檚 loved the role she gets to play in students鈥� lives.
鈥淚 can show you the path down the road so that you can achieve your dreams and your goals because that sets you up for a lifetime of learning, and can set up your family and your community,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o, I鈥檓 not just helping one person, I鈥檓 helping people I will never know or meet to make learning something that is an integral part of who they are.鈥�
Carey Miller, director of student success and retention, appreciates that his job allows him to connect early with students and remain part of their college experience. He considers the relationship reciprocal.
鈥淚 do what I do for all students, but specifically first-year students, because I believe in students having an opportunity to get an affordable and quality education. Their determination and grit are things that motivate me, and I think, as a staff member, I have to match their energy. I also believe in giving back. I was fortunate enough to have a mentor as a college student, and they were instrumental in helping me navigate the pitfalls of college.鈥�
The University offers a mentorship program designed to support transfer students. UBalt Connects introduced Jemia Bell-Sandy to Llatetra Brown Esters, dean of students and a fellow first-generation college graduate.
鈥淪he was the person that pushed me to keep going, that reminded me that I鈥檓 almost finished,鈥� Bell-Sandy said. 鈥淓verything that I prayed for鈥攎y prayers are being answered.鈥�
Finding Help: Academic Support
David Kelly is a UBalt alum who now oversees The Writing Center in Robert L. Bogomolny Library.
He said some students arrive with negative perspectives about their writing skills. He strives to help them develop their voices as writers and engage more intentionally in the writing process, because that鈥檚 what the center did for him.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 until I started working at the Writing Center that I more explicitly explored who I am as a writer and what my process looks like,鈥� Kelly said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I love my job at the Writing Center so much! I get to train tutors to think about the writing process and what it takes to help writers become more skilled and confident.鈥�
The more he learns, he said, the more he can support the writing tutors and students.
鈥淚鈥檓 interested in our students being able to more fully explore their ideas and to engage in the many facets of the writing process. I want our students to see the value in their lived experiences and their place within a discourse community, through writing.鈥�
Marta Baffy, director of academic success for UBalt Law and professor, approaches her work like a coach. That stems from her own difficult time as a law student.
鈥淚 think, broadly speaking, it鈥檚 an intensive experience that a lot of students just aren鈥檛 prepared for. You鈥檙e not prepared for it academically, you鈥檙e not prepared for it emotionally, and I wasn鈥檛 prepared. I really didn鈥檛 know what to expect.鈥�
She stuck with law school, but knew she wanted to find a better way forward and went on to earn a doctorate focused on the language of law school. Baffy came to UBalt three years ago with a commitment to help law students avoid the struggles she had.
鈥淥ne of the toughest things for me as a law student was recognizing that I鈥檓 not the best at this anymore. I was always a straight A student, but I wasn鈥檛 in law school. It was a big slap in the face. I thought I knew how to write. Well, I didn鈥檛 know how to write for law. I had to learn how to do that. It was a long, painstaking process, and so I can really empathize with the students. I teach law now, and I get to teach it in a way that I wish someone had taught me law.鈥�
Beraka Bland is a recognizable face around campus. As the lead media technology specialist in the Office of Technology Services, he has helped with various tech issues and loves the immediate relief his fixes can provide his anxious customers.
鈥淚n tech at least, you don鈥檛 always have a direct connection with the consumer or client or user and in this field, I always have a direct connection with those students that are using our services,鈥� he said. 鈥� 鈥淛ust the gratitude that students usually express to us when we solve their problems is something that does help me keep going.鈥�
Getting Involved: Student Life
Randy Wells III, B.A. 鈥�23, M.P.A. student and Student Events Board president, has
increasingly gotten involved in student life at the University. That exposure has
allowed him to meet many people across the UBalt community, but if one stands out
for him, it鈥檚 Elizabeth Purswani, assistant director of the Rosenberg Center for Student
Engagement and Inclusion and SEB adviser.
鈥淟iz has been very instrumental鈥痠n my growth while being here at UBalt,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here have been a number of times when I was feeling low and defeated about a situation around a student event or something else, I could call on Liz and she would give me some encouragement that would help me get through it.鈥�
The University has several spots on campus where students can make a home away from home. For Starla Santana, a J.D. candidate and military daughter, that鈥檚 The Bob Parsons Veterans Center.
鈥淭here are so many helpful resources like a food assistance program for students, a rest and reset room, and knowledgeable staff (who are often veterans) that can assist you in helping you understand your educational benefits and legal matters,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always nice to pop in and chat with whoever is in the office.鈥�
Planning Ahead: Career Services
Tori Amah, a law student, has found help whenever she walks into the Law Career Development
Office, with particular thanks to Dina Billian, assistant dean for career development,
and Cordell Grant, J.D. 鈥�18, assistant director for judicial clerkships and diversity
initiatives.
鈥淭hey are amazing. If I have any issues, I just walk into the LCDO and tell them, say, I need a job and I need someone to help me, and they do; the internship is unpaid, I need help with the funding and they do. I didn鈥檛 get that in undergrad,鈥� she said. But at UBalt, she added, 鈥淚t always works out and they always come through.鈥�
La-Toya Gomez loves her job working with students as a career coach in the University鈥檚 Career and Internship Center. She also serves as an adviser for UBalt鈥檚 chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success.
鈥淲hen my students come back to me to say, I got this job, I鈥檝e got this interview, or I鈥檝e got this confidence boost, you helped me to do this, you helped me to believe more in myself, it just makes me feel good,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what really makes me love my job.鈥�
For students at every level of their UBalt journey, the staff is poised to help.
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