Hello World

Allow myself to introduce...myself. My name is Melvin Green Jr. and I am the Graduate Assistant for Veteran Student Services in the Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS)office. My primary role is to act as a liaison for the student veteran population by connecting them to resources and opportunities available in the UMBC community. This is my second semester in the Information Systems program. I'm pretty excited to be on campus each day as this experience is following 7 years of active duty in the Air Force. I often find myself being impressed by very minor things daily. I'm happy that the Yum Shope sells Mike & Ikes and that Chik-fil-a is within walking distance. More importantly, I am grateful to be in a position to make a meaningful contribution to both the UMBC community and the student veteran population!

For more about me, I'd like to offer up a few insightful musings:

1) It is my belief that I have been conditioned to love McDonald's cheeseburgers. It started with the cheeseburger happy meal and a toy. Now I eat them even though I'm pretty sure it's not food. It's almost like I don't have a choice at this point.

2) I listen to the Sun Tzu's Art of War audiobook during my daily commute. I like to think there is much to be said about people who make a decision to be happy each morning. Sun Tzu had a lot to say about being happy. It's hidden underneath all the stuff he says about war.

3) I'm a huge fan of "Mom & Pop" restaurants. It has been my experience that places with small menus and little in the way of decor have the best food!

4) I had my first child a few months back and realized that naming a child is a very difficult task. Chalupa Batman!

5) Trevor Noah has been the most insightful person when it comes to explaining the complexities of the African American experience....he's from South Africa.

6) If I were to follow my passions, I'd be a horologist. I love Movado, but can't justify buying one...yet. Also, I like Shinola's attempt to save Detroit.

7) In my mind, I'm still a basketball player. One day, I'll write a book entitled "How Basketball Explains the World: An unlikely theory of globalization".  With any luck, Franklin Foer will do the foreword.

Photo taken Flickr user 85th Support Command under CC 2.0