�����鱨վ

Samantha Wright is pushing forward on an MBA with a focus on business finance at �����鱨վ (�����鱨վ). In addition to studying, working full-time as a civilian employee of the military and taking care of her family, she spends about four hours each week as a mentor for CareerQuest, the university’s job-skills hub.

Thanks to �����鱨վ’s new , Wright is being recognized for that volunteerism. 

Participating in a meaningful way in the community may not be in the university’s course descriptions, but it is part of �����鱨վ culture. The new badge program formalizes the university’s commitment to building citizen-leadership skills. 

Shelley Hintz, �����鱨վ director of student engagement, said students and alumni can earn badges by logging their volunteer hours on a university platform that verifies the work and the organizations involved. There are two digital badges, one for 25 hours of volunteer work and one for 50-hours of volunteer work, and both can be used on recipients’ social media pages and resumes. 

“We try to offer more volunteer opportunities and recognize those who are engaged in the community,” said Hintz. “The badges are no cost, no credit, voluntary and optional. Students just need to sign up for the platform.” 

Hintz said allowable community work spans a broad spectrum, from helping Scouting America to volunteering at churches or local food banks. Students log their community hours and �����鱨վ tracks the information and issues an electronic Community Engagement Badge once a certain number of hours and achievements are confirmed. The volunteer platform is found on the bottom right side of the student landing page on the �����鱨վ website. 

The program is currently open to students and alumni. It may be expanded in the future to include faculty and staff, Hintz said. 

At Fort Shafter Flats at the 9th Mission Support Command in Honolulu, Hawaii, Wright works as a civilian financial counselor for the Department of Defense, helping members of the U.S. Army with budgeting, debt management, retirement planning and other personal finances. Her husband, Chief Warrant Officer II Thomas Wright, is an active-duty servicemember who is also pursuing an MBA at �����鱨վ.  

Wright said CareerQuest mentoring lets her connect with other �����鱨վ students in a meaningful way. 

“I do the mentoring because I love education and I love sharing and helping people,” she said. “The Community Engagement Badge site is a neat tool for letting me to keep track of my mentoring hours.” 

Most of the students Wright mentors are enrolled in the required Program and Career Exploration (PACE) course. They consult with a CareerQuest mentor to obtain class credit. 

“One student was in cybertechnology. I told her I was in finance and she asked if she could interview me for a class assignment. She wanted to write about my career experience,” Wright said. “Another time I virtually met with an Army active-duty servicemember who was getting his MBA and getting ready to retire from the military. He wanted to learn more about my job. 

“What I do is translate the degrees at �����鱨վ into the real world. Once they’re done with college, they need to get a job and make money and start living. So, I give them information and encouragement and talk about their transition plan,” she said. 

Wright has added the Community Engagement Badge to her social media accounts, including Facebook. 

A soft launch of the Community Engagement Badge initiative took place in January, and the first badges were awarded to two students in April. That was followed by a full rollout of the program and additional badge awards in June. Hintz said the program is funded by a University System of Maryland grant aimed at civic engagement. 

The Community Engagement Badge initiative joins a longstanding Volunteer of the Month program. A student who is showcased as Volunteer of the Month receives a certificate and is recognized on �����鱨վ social media channels.  

Katlin Katrina Muller, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree carrying a double major in English and history, has been recognized with both a Community Engagement Badge and as a Volunteer of the Month. 

“My mother was a teacher who worked at a church. She volunteered all the time; she never turned off. And my siblings and I were expected to join in, so volunteering became a part of my life from a young age,” said Muller, whose community work has run the gamut from tutoring to coordinating environmental cleanups. Some of her current volunteering involves student and alumni organizations at �����鱨վ. 

“I am deeply active in many student organizations,” said Muller, who plans to return to �����鱨վ to pursue a graduate certificate in leadership and management before continuing her studies in history. “I currently belong to 12 honor societies and clubs within �����鱨վ. I’m a leader in the History Student Society and help coordinate our yearly International Undergraduate History Conference. 

“I’m a leader in Sigma Tau Delta [the honor society for English majors] and the new Creative Writing club. I’m co-founder, vice president and disability liaison of the Council for United Engagement, or CUE. We celebrate culture and want to build community spirit among students, alumni, staff and faculty,” she said. “CUE is dedicated to advocacy and inclusion through our workshops, cultural showcases, guest speaker events and collaborative projects. We want to reach out to tap the energy of the student body, staff, faculty, and alumni, to connect people to one another.” 

CUE is working on a global cookbook project that will accept submissions from all members of the extended �����鱨վ community. The organization is also planning events to prepare people for disasters, to raise funds for the Red Cross and other charitable causes, to share cultural pride and to educate the community about accessibility options for students.