Kevin Ngala Jr.

The workshop was a great opportunity to gain valuable strategies to make good decisions for our long-term career goals. I learned about the occupational handbook which provides a thorough outlook of many careers in various fields. Using this resource, alongside many others covered in this workshop, I'm better equipped to move forward with confidence as it relates to making decisions for my future.

Adulting 101 was a very interactive meeting, covering how to be a respectable college adult. We talked about how to structure our emails, respond to our peers, and navigate difficult social situations. I learned that assertiveness is necessary but is not the only piece when it comes to dealing with an unresponsive and lazy group member. Several students agreed that private conversations were a good first step, then a public notice in the group, and finally reaching out to a professor or completing the work individually. I will approach group projects with a better mentality and handle these situations more gracefully with this perspective.

The SGA meeting at UTC was very informative on several topics that concern the student body from ways to improve E-learning services to updates on PGCC sports events and victories, though I'm not particularly a sports person. I looked forward to the question & answer session with Dr. Williams because of the excellent questions posed by the student body recently, covering concerns of campus security from ICE agents, rising vending machine prices, and installments of gender-neutral bathrooms. These monthly events ensure students feel heard and their collective concerns are acted upon by our wonderful SGA team!

The SGA meeting was an incredible opportunity to meet with our student leaders and special guests such as our President, Dr. Williams. We covered all sorts of grounds such as our rights as it relates to voicing our opinions on campus, making use of the writing center for essays, resumes, and beyond, and obtaining strategies on the best studying method for college students. We were also introduced to our PGCC advocates who represented our college on other campuses or public events and were shown how to reach out to our local representatives to plead our civic concerns. This was a great event!

The resume workshop was an incredible opportunity to receive expert guidance on improving my resume for job applications. The host met with participants one-on-one, offering personalized feedback on how to boost their credibility by using strong key words, avoiding fluff, and highlighting results/numbers that shows real impact. After receiving my individual review, I feel much more confident walking into my next job interview knowing I now have a stronger resume. This was an outstanding event!

The GivePulse training covered the basic features and technicalities of the website and how to use it effectively to complete our engagement hours for the Promise Scholarship. It allows you to join a group, find and register for events, receive announcements on upcoming events, and write a reflection to share how impactful it was to the attendees. Attending the training meeting was a fresh reminder of how to use GivePulse, especially as we are starting the Spring 2026 semester.

The scholarship recovery program went over our scholarship status and detailed ways to return to good standing with the program. Despite feeling personally disappointed of my standing, I'm glad that SSP team develop strategies such as developing an action plan for the Spring 2026 semester as a way of personally reflecting on my actions moving forward. Coupled with the monthly check-in meetings with our coordinators, I feel reassured that I will return to good standing by the end of this semester.

The NIH internship information session with Dr. Belen Hurle was very insightful and a valuable resource for an aspiring neuroscience specialist like me. Dr. Hurle not only explained the responsibilities and pay structure for NIH summer interns, but she also shared practical strategies to strengthen our application and ultimately gaining valuable experience from the summer program. Overall, this was a great event that reignited my pursuit for neuroscience research.

The refresh meeting was incredibly helpful in updating returning scholarship recipients on the requirements for the upcoming spring semester. The interactive Kahoot! activity was a great addition to create a lively atmosphere and encourage collaboration. With every refresh session, I walk away learning something new, often a detail I may have overlooked. Overall, it was a great meeting.

The DMV Archive initiative, led by the UMD scholar, is an outstanding program designed to help students of color and all students in affording college and navigating its environment. The interviews she shared of students and staff provided valuable insight into the transfer process and highlighted opportunities for financial support. The presenter also demonstrated genuine enthusiasm on the transfer process while sharing her personal experience and communicated effectively with Promise Scholarship students as they forge their path toward higher education. Overall, this was a great event.