My name is Joseph Edwards and I am a student attending the University of Maryland Baltimore County
I was born and raised in Upper Marlboro, Maryland DeMatha Catholic High School Hyattsville Maryland
Post-Grad Plans......are what you might call "in flux." I'm juggling three ideas that I'd like to manage simultaneoulsy
- School/ I'll be pursuing graduate study (masters in public policy) at George Washington University, University of MD, College Park, or Georgetown University.
- Work/ While I'm in school I hope to find a part-time job that allows me to both gain more experience, while letting me practically help folks.
- Music/ I plan on continuing my musical aspirations in the midst of school, as well. I'm writing my third album now (in addition to my work with Ndelible).
Internships
1. I have interned in the office of Senator Ulysses Currie (Chairman of the MD State Budget and Taxation Committee). There I have gained a wealth of knowledge from watching the Senator and have worked on a variety of issues including the foreclosure crisis, cigarette taxes, constituent services, and senatorial scholarships.
2. During the summer of 2007 I interned at SEIU (Service Employees International Union) where I worked in their Public division. I particularly focused on childcare and the steps that would be necessary to implement universal Pre-K. This was an enjoyable position for me and led to a contract position with SEIU which I held until last summer (08).
3. I'm currently interning at the Social Security Administration where I've worked on a variety of assignments, including: newsletter articles read by more than 20,000 employees, research on the multigenerational workforce, and inventory requests.
Classes
During my course of study at UMBC, I've had the opportunity to take a variety of wonderful classes. One of my favorites from Fall 2009 was...
POLI405: Seminar in Identity Politics
--This was an amazing course from Dr. Tyson King-Meadows. In a seminar setting we explored the complex world of identity politics, focusing on race, ethnicity, gender (and a million other attributes). Sounds cliche, but this course was a life-changer. Really made me reexamine commonly cited myths that too often frame our debates on identity.
Other courses I've enjoyed over my UMBC years include...
POLI210H-POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
--This was a great course led by Dr. Stacey. We examined some of the great political philosophers of both historical and present times. He's a great teacher and gave a great foundation to the study of political science.
AFST 350-PSYCHOLOGY OF RACISM
--Another great course. Dr. Robinson led us through a semester full of tough questions, and helped us see how people of all backgrounds are privy to prejudice.
HONRS 300C-HONORS SEMINAR IN ETHICS
--Dr. Stacey led this course as well. He's a brilliant professor and focused on the grey areas of life. In ethics there are numerous voices shouting out their perspective views. This course helped find some clarity in all the noise.
AMST 352- AMERICA IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
--Really cool course led by Professor Campbell. Like the title suggests, we looked at how the rest of the world sees America. Really enlightening and helped to broaden my own view of this country. It also made me want to travel more.
POLI 401-INTERNSHIP POLI 428-INTERNSHIP CLASS
--Great set of classes led by Dr. Schaller. They worked in conjunction with each other during the semester I interned for Senator Ulysses Currie. Dr. Schaller helped us to put our internships into perspective. The course culminated with a 20 page research paper and presentation.
