#TransformationTuesday: Edward Lin

Yesterday we had Man Crush Monday so of course today at The Stone we have Transformation Tuesday! As you all know, college is typically a time of great change and the activities we are involved in can play a huge role in that change, so it makes sense that Gemstone has caused some big transformations in the students who have completed all four years!

Meet Ed Lin.

Actual depiction of the transformation Ed underwent in college

Now I know a lot of you are probably thinking, “Wait I already know Ed! He was my RA/100 SL/102 SL/104 SL/202 SL/classmate/friend/GSC rep/etc.” What you might not know is that as a freshmen Ed came to the University of Maryland after attending high school at Upper Dublin High School in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, where he believes he was “a much stranger and more timid version” of himself. Ed decided to attend UMD (thanks to the unique experience of Gemstone) and came into college expecting a transformation and new start that comes with most college experiences. However, the big change he was expecting didn’t exactly happen right away since he was living in the basement of Ellicott and “nobody knew [he] existed." This meant that he didn’t really get to meet that many people or come out of his shell just yet. So by the end of freshmen year, Ed was still pretty quiet, reserved, and “shell-tered” (because he's a turtle or something).

Over his four years at Maryland, Ed has gotten very involved in campus life, has taken on many leadership positions, and has really transformed into who he is today (#TransformationTuesday). The transformation all started when Ed taught GEMS100 for the first time. During the semester Ed received feedback that he lacked confidence in his Section Leader position, and was able to see the problem and make the change. This really changed his viewpoint overall and allowed him to begin to grow in other roles and as an individual. Ed went on to teach GEMS100, GEMS102, and GEMS202 during his sophomore and junior years, he became an Ellicott Gemstone RA his junior year, he joined the GSC his junior year, and is now teaching GEMS104. Ed seems to be a jack of all trades for Gemstone and this year he stepped up to the leadership role of VP of Operations of GSC where he has put his amazing creative skills to use in revamping the Gemstone blog, The Stone, and marketing various Gemstone events. All of these experiences and roles have transformed Ed over the course of his college career and have led to a real life job!

Ed will be at Accenture Federal Services in Arlington, VA, following graduation, where he will begin working as a Business and Systems Integration Analyst. Ed largely attributes his success in getting the job offer to Gemstone and his skills in team dynamics, communication, and leadership. Ed has obviously transformed, succeeded, and excelled during his four years in Gemstone. He has gone through many changes, come out of his shell, attempted Snapchat stories about his Pokemon plushies, opened up, taken on numerous leadership positions, made too many dumb puns, and grown as an individual.


-24 March 2015, Carolyn Lane