Humanities Retrievers Events

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You’re Hired!

(Humanities Job Search Strategies)

Location

Performing Arts & Humanities Building : 216

Date & Time

April 15, 2026, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Description

LUNCH PROVIDED!
The data is in! Humanities majors don't just get jobs, they build exciting careers! Come and learn the latest job strategies for humanities majors because the time to start preparing is now!

"Although the role of the humanities in the economic life of the United States may not be as readily apparent as that of engineering, for example, the humanities are, in fact, crucial to many fundamental elements and functions of modern economic productivity. Institutions such as museums and universities, as well as business enterprises in publishing and journalism, generate employment, returns on private investments, and tax revenues. They also depend on the humanistic skills of critical thinking, reading, writing, and speaking, and, while these skills have always been important, they have become increasingly vital to today's knowledge-based economy, which requires a strong humanities workforce."--Humanities Indicators
                                                                              

Event Registration

1 people registered
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A Lot is Happening in the World: Let’s Discuss!

(A Student/Faculty Forum)

Location

Performing Arts & Humanities Building : 216

Date & Time

April 8, 2026, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Description

LUNCH PROVIDED!What role do the humanities play in understanding and processing current events? Take part in a discussion with students and faculty as they consider how history, culture, and various areas of research shed light on emerging developments. 

Event Registration

5 people registered
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Curious About Graduate School?

(Cover Letter Strategies and more)

Location

Performing Arts & Humanities Building : 216

Date & Time

March 25, 2026, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Description

LUNCH PROVIDED!
This presentation and discussion will focus on strategies for navigating the application process for graduate school. Are you currently a junior? If so, this presentation may be of great importance if you are planning to submit graduate applications this fall. However, all students will receive information and tips relevant to their interests and progress towards graduation. 

Event Registration

6 people registered
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Are You Good? Checking In With Maryland’s Young Adults

AOK Library’s Spotlight! Symposium

Location

Library and Gallery, Albin O. Kuhn : Gallery

Date & Time

March 25, 2026, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm

Description

RSVP on the myUMBC post, where you can find the link to the WebEx


The AOK Library's Spotlight! Symposium will host a hybrid public symposium titled Are You Good? Checking In With Maryland's Young Adults on Wednesday, March 25th, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m in the Library Gallery and online.

This long-standing symposium is a themed conversation in which invited speakers discuss their research and experience on a selected topic – the lives of young adults in Maryland. The Symposium supports the University's vision of creating an inclusive culture that connects innovative teaching and learning, research across disciplines, and civic engagement. 

The goal of the symposium is to highlight the research of our community, but also the library collections and the subject expertise of our librarians. 

The guest speakers will include UMBC faculty, alumni, students, and external community members. We've established a connection with community members of the Charlestown Assisted Living community to integrate them in the symposium, not only as guests but as speakers. The speakers, topic, and language are inclusive and intentionally highlight the voices and concerns of the marginalized and underrepresented.

With the help of our attendees, we aim to critically examine the current factors impacting Maryland's young adults aged 18-25. We hope to acknowledge the many challenges young adults are facing, as well as the glimmers of hope on the horizon for our emerging adults. 

Accompanying the speakers will be a librarian-curated reading guide that spotlights the collection of the Library related to the topic. The reading guide was crafted by our subject expert librarian, Katy Sullivan. 
Light refreshments will be provided. We hope to see you at the event!

SCHEDULE 
9:00-9:15 am Welcoming remarks from Provost Manfred H. M. van  Dulmen

9:15-10:00 am Danielle Locke (UMBC, Graduate Assistant and PhD  Candidate)
 Behind the Screens of Young Adult Romantic  Relationships

10:00-10:45 am Donna Martin + Ellyn Loy (Charlestown Senior Living  Community)
 Bridging the Gap: A Conversation with Community  Seniors

15min BREAK

11:00-11:45 am Katy Sullivan (UMBC, Head of Reference &  Instruction/Spotlight Librarian)
 (Being) Young in America: A Panel Discussion with UMBC students

11:45-12:30 pm Dr. Kate Drabinski (UMBC, Gender, Women's, +  Sexuality Studies)
 Disability and Accessibility at UMBC: Student and  faculty perspectives 
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Collaging & Cupcakes

All Are Welcome

Location

Performing Arts & Humanities Building : 216

Date & Time

October 20, 2025, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Description

Welcome to the first event from the Humanities Retrievers. 
Come out for FREE! cupcakes and collage around our central theme of the humanities. No prior collaging experience necessary. 
Come out and learn more about what we as the Humanities Retrievers are!

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.
Flyer in blues and yellows advertising the collaging and cupcakes event on Mon. Oct, 20.

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Beyond the Bookshelf: Librarians on Censorship and Careers

All Are Welcome! Banned Books Week

Location

Library and Gallery, Albin O. Kuhn

Date & Time

October 6, 2025, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Description

Join local librarians as they share stories from the front lines of book challenges, explore the role of libraries in defending free expression, and offer insights into career paths for humanities students.

  • Ande Tensae, Manager of the Fiction and Humanities Department, Enoch Pratt Free Library, and the Maryland State Library Resource Center
  • Stef Long-Murphy, Manager of Children's Services, Enoch Pratt Free Library, and the Maryland State Library Resource Center
  • Erin Durham Wright, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Albin O. Kuhn Library, UMBC

Banned titles will be raffled, with some other cool SWAG! Refreshments provided.

This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.
Flyer stating date and location for banned books event titled Beyond the Bookshelf: Librarians on Censorship and Careers

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8 people registered
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Thriving In Community: Mentorship and Sustainable Productivity Workshop for College and Grad Students

Location

Online

Date & Time

September 19, 2025, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Description

Many students navigate higher education while balancing intersecting challenges, including academic workload, cultural and family expectations, and access barriers. These experiences can be especially pronounced for first-generation, BIPOC, disabled, and other historically excluded students. In this interactive workshop, Dra. Yvette Martínez-Vu will share evidence-informed, culturally grounded strategies for sustaining productivity without burnout and building supportive mentorship and femtorship networks. Participants will explore practical tools to manage their time and energy effectively, identify flexible pathways for mentorship, and cultivate relationships that help them thrive both personally and academically. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies, downloadable tools, and a renewed sense of connection, ready to navigate their educational journeys with confidence and care.

Dra. Yvette Martínez-Vu (she/her) is a first-generation, disabled, and autistic Chicana grad school and productivity certified coach, consultant, speaker, and LinkedIn Learning instructor. She is also the co-author of Is Grad School for Me?: Demystifying the Application Process for First-Gen BIPOC Student and co-editor of the best-selling Chicana M(other)work Anthology. As the founder of the Grad School Femtoring, LLC and the host of the award-winning Grad School Femtoring Podcast, 
he helps first-gen BIPOC students and professionals navigate academia and careers with sustainable productivity strategies. Her work focuses on grad admissions, executive functioning, flexible work systems, burnout prevention, and values-aligned success. Dra. Yvette offers coaching, consulting, and speaking engagements on grad school admissions, career development, productivity, and wellbeing.

This event is co-sponsored by the Critical Disability Studies Minor, the Dresher Center for the Humanities, the Working Group on Latin American Feminisms, the Global Studies Council of Majors, the Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, and the Master's in Intercultural Communication
Yvette Martínez-Vu, a Chicana woman, is smiling. She is wearing a magenta-colored shirt and has dangly earrings.

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Is Grad School for Me?

An event for undergraduates

Location

Online

Date & Time

February 21, 2025, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Description

The Latin American Feminisms Working group presents an event geared towards undergraduate students:

Join Dr. Yvette Martínez-Vu and Dr. Miroslava Chávez-García for an honest conversation about the graduate school process. They will discuss their book, Is Grad School for Me?, a useful guide designed to help first-gen, low-income, students of color, and non-traditional students through the process of graduate school, from deciding to attend, selecting programs, applying, and thriving in higher education.

Copies of the book will be raffled to attendees. Virtual. All welcomed.

This event is organized by the Latin American Feminisms faculty working group.

Sponsored by the Dresher Center for the Humanities; the Humanities Scholars Program; The Graduate School; Office of Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Development; PROMISE Program; The Interactive Systems Research Center's Designing Participatory Futures Lab; the Intercultural Communication M.A. Program; and the Department of English.


Image description: Two images side by side. On the left is Miroslava Chávez-García, a Latina with short curly hair. She is wearing a black blouse with purple flowers. On the right is Yvette Martínez-Vu, a Latina with short dark hair. She is wearing a white, black, and red headband.

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