Student Events

Winter semester is underway here at UMSI and there are an endless amount of events happening at UMSI and the greater University of Michigan campus. Fun fact about UM: Second semester is called “winter” instead of “spring,” which is definitely accurate considering that I’m writing this post on an official snow day! Despite all the snow, many first year UMSI students are starting their search for a summer internship. There there have been several career fairs on campus recently to connect students with internship and job opportunities. In March, UMSI will host a Networking Fair and expoSItion of student projects. You can check out the projects from last year here. In addition to job searching, UMSI students have been busy attending speakers, workshops, expos, and volunteering for the annual UMSI Service Day. This week, I asked a few students to share their experiences participating in a few of these events and future events. I hope this gives you a better idea of student life and events around campus!

UMSI Service Day

"I think that UMSI has a wonderful spirit of service, and that really comes out on Service Day. Though there are many other ways to engage in service-learning at UMSI as a student (Alternative Spring Break, the Global Information Engagement Program, Citizen Interaction Design), this is the one opportunity for the entire UMSI community to come together and serve our local community. Not only do students participate, but also faculty, staff, and their families. It's great event that UMSI looks forward to each year." - Michelle FIesta, 2nd year student and Service Day Organizer

"I'm really proud to be apart of a graduate program that emphasizes service and community impact; I believe the college experience really isn't complete without applying your skills to something bigger than yourself. Our service experience at Mitch Albom Charities really opened my eyes to the immense benefits that information science can have on a small but passionate non-profit." - Michael Nguyen, 1st year student

Group of students volunteering at WCBN, Image credit: Karl Seibert, WBCN manager, @WCBN

MPowered StartUp Career Fair

“It was amazing to see so many startups on campus from local ones to bay area ones. The recruiters are laid back and easy to talk to. I really like how many startups are trying to solve a unique problem which makes it even more intriguing to work for one. Another bonus point is that most startups have heard of user experience designers.” - Izhar Buendia, 1st year student

Engineering Career Fair

“The engineering career fair brings some of the largest companies of the world on campus. This is an opportunity for SI students to ask information about the company culture and other things that might not be easily accessible online. Many times companies will actually give SI students on-campus interviews.” - Izhar Buendia, 1st year student

Alternative Spring Break

“This year, 80 students were matched to 60 information projects in Chicago, Detroit or Washington DC. We're working with amazing organizations like The Smithsonian Institute and the Open Technology Institute. Now all of the participating students are working on fundraising for ASB. The goal is to raise $20,000 so that all students can participate, regardless of their ability to pay for housing and transportation. As a member of the ASB Leadership Committee, I help to plan fundraising events, contact organizations about potential projects and answer student questions about ASB.  Basically I get to work with a really talented group of people on an awesome service project!” - Joanna Thielen, First year student and ASB Leadership Committee

"For Alternative Spring Break, I’ll be going to DC to do data analysis at the American Councils for International Education. I’m excited to get some experience working at a nonprofit and I’m even more excited to find some good Ethiopian food in DC." - Arun Varghese, 1st year student

QuasiCon

​2015 marks the fourth year the American Library Association University of Michigan Student Chapter has hosted QuasiCon.  QuasiCon is a semi-structured conference organized by ALA student members to provide a welcoming first professional conference experience for fellow UMSI students.  This year's conference is on Saturday February 7, 2015 and we are looking forward to welcoming our most diverse group of participants to date including students from Wayne State University and Kent State University.  This year we are doing small group networking sessions to provide a comfortable, low anxiety setting for students to meet professionals in the field of library and information science.  We are fortunate to have a very eclectic group of professionals participating including public, academic, and corporate librarians.  I am really proud of the work the QuasiCon 2015 Planning committee has done to prepare for the event and I look forward to being invited back as a professional librarian for future small group networking opportunities at future QuasiCons."

-Michelle Bass, ALA UM Student Chapter Executive Board Member, 2nd Year Tailored 2015