My UMBC story starts and ends with the professors that were there for me in so many different ways. I would like to take a few moments to thank some of these people and let them know how deeply the 3 months I spent with them for each semester stint not only affected my life, but also shaped who I am. My interest was first sparked in Information Systems by Dr. Canfield - he was amazing. Somehow he did this in a lecture hall with more than a hundred other students surrounding me. Dr. Gangopadhyay prepared me for my first job at JP Morgan where I ended up making my mark as a SQL programmer (and eventually business analyst) in their Proprietary Trading division. Cut to Mrs. Kahl - I never could have contributed in the way that I did and taken the next steps to project management without my IS capstone class with Margaret Kahl. She taught me the hard analysis skills and softer communication skills that I needed to succeed. And then there's Dr. Zhang. I remember him most because this is the class where everything finally clicked for me and I realized that I had made not only the right decision, but the only decision I could in pursuing an IS degree. Dr Zhang also gave me the important referral I needed for on-campus interviews. And that brings me to the final people I need to thank who go unnamed but who helped me tremendously in the year 2000 - the staff and resources of the Career Center. They helped me develop a solid resume and prepare for the next step - interviews. I never would have had the opportunity to interview with Northrop Grumman without the Career Center. And while I didn't get that job, without the insight and practice interviewing with a company like that, I never would have landed the JP Morgan job (also through an on-campus interview). So thank you to all these people who helped to shape my journey from student to programmer to business analyst to project manager to business owner.