https://rubysiefken.journoportfolio.comRSS Feed for Ruby SiefkenenWed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQcZgv9Dmuh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQcZgv9Dmuh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQcZgv9Dmuh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQcZgv9Dmuh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/11/18/hidden-in-plain-sight-a-day-in-the-life-of-the-hyattsville-immigration-court/HYATTSVILLE–There’s no sign on the high-rise office building to indicate it houses the Hyattsville Immigration  Court. It looks like all the other office buildings on this commercial strip not far from the Mall at Prince George’s.  But it’s a place of life-changing decisions nonetheless. Some people come here and win appeals for asylum or an extension of their residency in the U.S. Others leave unsure of their future in the country.  “Have you seen ICE?” one man asked a passerby in Spanish on a...Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/11/18/hidden-in-plain-sight-a-day-in-the-life-of-the-hyattsville-immigration-court/https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/11/08/local-residents-keep-an-eye-on-hyattsville-immigration-court/HYATTSVILLE, Md.–Jim Bell has never felt comfortable entering Hyattsville Immigration Court, but he still shows up every Thursday afternoon, putting his own ease aside out of a sense of duty. He and several other local people of faith say they come to bear witness to the proceedings. They want to make sure that people are treated legally and fairly by Department of Justice representatives and any other government officials who may show up–including Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “I’m a lit...Sat, 08 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/11/08/local-residents-keep-an-eye-on-hyattsville-immigration-court/https://marylandmatters.org/2025/11/03/federal-officials-reverse-hyattsville-immigration-courts-move-to-eject-reporters/By Ruby Siefken and Lillian Glaros Federal officials have reversed a decision of the Hyattsville Immigration Court and welcomed reporters back inside – without permission from a public information officer to be there. On Friday morning, a Department of Justice office sent an email stating that immigration court hearings are “generally open to the public, including the news media.” Contrary to what local court officials said earlier this week, the email says that members of the media are not requ...Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://marylandmatters.org/2025/11/03/federal-officials-reverse-hyattsville-immigration-courts-move-to-eject-reporters/https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/10/31/chief-judge-reverses-hyattsville-immigration-courts-move-to-eject-reporters/COLLEGE PARK, Md.–Federal officials have reversed a decision of the Hyattsville Immigration Court and welcomed reporters back inside —  without need for permission from a public information officer to be there.  On Friday morning, a Department of Justice office sent an email stating that immigration court hearings are “generally open to the public, including the news media.”  Contrary to what local court officials said earlier this week, the email says that members of the media are not required...Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/10/31/chief-judge-reverses-hyattsville-immigration-courts-move-to-eject-reporters/https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/10/28/local-immigration-court-ousts-reporters-from-hearings/Editor’s Note: This week, two Capital News Service reporters were ousted from immigration court. It was an incident that drew national attention — and condemnation from advocates for press freedom and for people concerned about immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. Now, three days after our reporters were removed by local officials in Hyattsville, they’ve been welcomed back by higher-ranking federal officials. See the full update on the story here. HYATTSVILLE, Md. – Federal of...Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/10/28/local-immigration-court-ousts-reporters-from-hearings/https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/10/21/amazon-outage-shows-how-one-bad-day-can-break-the-internet/When Amazon Web Services went down on Monday, much of the internet went with it.  The outage began in northern Virginia at AWS’ largest data center, and ultimately impacted over 1,000 organizations and more than 100 million users worldwide. While most services returned to normal after the 15-hour long outage, the system failure highlights how a single error at a major tech firm can ripple across global internet operations.  “Day-to-day, people don’t even realize that there’s so many services tha...Wed, 22 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/10/21/amazon-outage-shows-how-one-bad-day-can-break-the-internet/https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/10/03/how-ice-works-with-local-police-to-deport-and-detain-in-maryland/ANNAPOLIS–Eight counties in Maryland are working directly with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in formal agreements to identify and detain undocumented immigrants in local jails. It’s happening under a decades-old law that lets the federal government formally delegate some parts of its immigration power to local law enforcement. Commonly called the “287g” program — the subsection of the law where it’s located — it allows specially trained correctional officers to perform certa...Fri, 03 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/10/03/how-ice-works-with-local-police-to-deport-and-detain-in-maryland/https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/09/26/maryland-teens-lead-push-to-lower-voting-age-to-16/ANNAPOLIS–A push to expand the electorate is gaining momentum in Maryland. The effort to lower the voting age in Maryland to 16 years of age is part of a national student-led initiative advocating for youth suffrage.  “By the age of 16, our cold cognition capabilities are fully developed,” said Anya Kleinman, a 17-year-old senior at Richard Montgomery High School and co-founder of Vote16MD, the local chapter of Vote16USA. “Instead of drawing an arbitrary line at the age of 18, let’s root our vot...Fri, 26 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://cnsmaryland.org/2025/09/26/maryland-teens-lead-push-to-lower-voting-age-to-16/https://today.umd.edu/when-your-recruiter-is-a-computerBefore a recruiter ever peers at your resume, there’s a growing chance a machine has already decided whether you're worth a second look. Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way people apply for jobs and employers find new talent. Understanding the roles of AI in recruiting can give job hunters an edge by helping them stand out as candidates while avoiding mistakes that could result in a digital “thumbs down,” said Assistant Dean Kimberly DeGross of the Office of Career Services at the U...Wed, 14 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://today.umd.edu/when-your-recruiter-is-a-computerhttps://today.umd.edu/game-on-this-summer-college-parkCasual summer days are all about flip-flops and dinners cooked on the grill, and next month, that vibe extends to a loose yet competitive sports league on the University of Maryland campus. Terrapin Social Sports, sponsored by UMD’s Recreation and Wellness office, is returning from June to August for its second year of organized volleyball games and the introduction of flag football. While RecWell already offers summer intramural sports for students, Terrapin Social Sports is also for faculty,...Wed, 07 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://today.umd.edu/game-on-this-summer-college-parkhttps://today.umd.edu/discovering-a-passion-for-researchRivers that flow through the air, the differences between human and computer cognition and how neighborhoods affect substance abuse are some of the topics that will be on display Wednesday as students demonstrate their growing ability to formulate—and answer—deep questions with science and scholarship. Roughly 500 students from disciplines across campus will present their work to peers, faculty and staff, and families and friends in the Stamp Student Union at Undergraduate Research Day. This sho...Wed, 23 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://today.umd.edu/discovering-a-passion-for-researchhttps://today.umd.edu/40k-philanthropic-challenge-celebrates-societal-impactWhat do a student-run hackathon, a dance marathon and a youth CPR program have in common? They’re all led by University of Maryland students who believe changing the world doesn’t have to wait until graduation. This year’s Do Good Challenge finalists are tackling big problems with bold ideas—and they can point to lives saved, dollars raised and businesses launched to prove it. The 13th annual finals will be held Tuesday, with six student-led teams pitching solutions to social issues to a panel...Mon, 21 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://today.umd.edu/40k-philanthropic-challenge-celebrates-societal-impacthttps://today.umd.edu/flight-fall-float-freezeRoy’s buoy uses GPS location, surface temperature and pressure meters to gather sea ice composition and movement data. Once the buoys are in the water or frozen into an ice sheet, data analysts from the International Arctic Buoy Program manage and interpret the data. This information allows researchers to identify thickness, movement and shape of glaciers in different regions, contribute to weather forecasts and track warming and melting phenomena. “The buoys are made to give us a better...Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://today.umd.edu/flight-fall-float-freezehttps://today.umd.edu/growing-pains-in-the-yard-turn-to-the-turf-terpsThe sight of your patchy, weedy, post-winter lawn might make you want to put a giant yard-waste bag over your head. Now imagine getting a 150-acre golf course to look luscious. That’s not just a general goal, but a national competition where four University of Maryland students who call themselves the Turf Terps excelled. The team of Luke Murnane ’25 and Zachary Onderko ’24, plant science majors specializing in turf and golf course management, agricultural science and technology major Conner To...Fri, 04 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100https://today.umd.edu/growing-pains-in-the-yard-turn-to-the-turf-terpshttps://today.umd.edu/new-res-life-initiative-helps-students-find-their-squadAs dozens of Terps filtered into Oakland Hall on a recent night—many arriving solo—a diagram flashed on a projector screen with a different personality type in each corner: outgoing and social; chill and mellow; introverted; oriented to one’s own small circle. After a quick self-assessment, students strolled over to the multipurpose room’s corresponding corner to meet a group of like-minded roommate seekers. The game of “Deal or No Deal: Roommate Edition” (minus Howie Mandel) aimed to ease awkwa...Thu, 06 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://today.umd.edu/new-res-life-initiative-helps-students-find-their-squadhttps://today.umd.edu/terp-thon-preps-to-turn-moves-into-miraclesAt the state’s biggest student-run fundraiser, the challenge isn’t just busting a move—it’s grooving for eight straight hours. This weekend, Terp Thon will turn the University of Maryland’s Stamp Student Union into a high-energy, neon-lit club for its annual Dance Marathon to benefit Children’s National Hospital. Since its founding in 2010, Terp Thon has raised over $6.5 million to support pediatric patients and their families. For many, the best part of Terp Thon is meeting and interacting wit...Fri, 28 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://today.umd.edu/terp-thon-preps-to-turn-moves-into-miracleshttps://today.umd.edu/capital-bikeshare-pedals-into-college-parkCollege Park commuters are seeing red, but it’s all good. The recent arrival of the familiar cherry-hued Capital Bikeshare rental bikes and e-bikes at three locations on and around the University of Maryland campus have signaled a new option for getting around campus and around town. Installation of the new Capital Bikeshare docking stations around College Park, which feature both battery-powered and traditional bikes, wrapped up in December, and officials expect a surge of ridership as tempera...Tue, 25 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://today.umd.edu/capital-bikeshare-pedals-into-college-parkhttps://today.umd.edu/5-inspiring-childrens-books-for-black-history-monthJennifer Turner, associate professor of reading education at the University of Maryland, has always loved a good story, especially those with Black protagonists. Black History Month, she says, is a good time to pick up or check out books that can educate young readers about cultural milestones and heroic individuals. “Black history is American history, so when we celebrate it we are celebrating the accomplishments of Black people, not only for our own communities, but for the entire nation. I...Mon, 17 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://today.umd.edu/5-inspiring-childrens-books-for-black-history-monthhttps://today.umd.edu/in-igive-course-freshmen-become-philanthropistsYou’re handed $7,500 to donate to any cause in the world. Go. Or maybe pause to consider: How do I give? That’s the question first-year students in Carillon Communities, one of the University of Maryland’s living-learning programs, have deliberated each fall for the past decade. They’re in iGive, the community where they learn about philanthropy, innovation and social change—and then make it happen. In the “Leading and Investing in Social Change” class, students identify and select a pressing...Fri, 06 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://today.umd.edu/in-igive-course-freshmen-become-philanthropistshttps://today.umd.edu/sweet-center-for-young-alums-baking-successHaas’ business began by delivering cookies to friends and family on plastic-wrapped paper plates, but when the 2019 holiday season rolled around, sales ramped up. Then, the pandemic hit—and it turned out that funfetti, stuffed oreo chocolate chip and monster cookies were a bright spot during lockdown for her growing customer base. Haas practically quarantined in her kitchen, pulling all-nighters and baking through the day with her mom, Keri Haas, to help Cookies by Drew fill the gap, with Bethes...Wed, 04 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://today.umd.edu/sweet-center-for-young-alums-baking-successhttps://today.umd.edu/where-to-find-the-biggest-terp-tailgate-just-follow-testudos-raised-handFor 14 years, University of Maryland tailgater, booster and all-around superfan Scott Weitz ’90 has staged successful football gamedays, whether the Terps win or not. His parking lot parties are College Park’s largest, filling seven spaces with live bands, five TVs and cornhole showdowns. He’ll be hosting his final tailgate of the football season this year this weekend—his last as a current Terp parent, as his second daughter, Ryan, will graduate in May. He and wife Jodi ’90 have reveled in conn...Fri, 22 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://today.umd.edu/where-to-find-the-biggest-terp-tailgate-just-follow-testudos-raised-handhttps://today.umd.edu/smith-school-introduces-game-changing-virtual-classroomPaulo Prochno scribbles notes onto his classroom’s light board and steps toward the middle of the room, lifting his arms to trace a series of shapes in the air as he addresses his students on the role of AI in management. Zachary Ewell MBA ’24 raises his hand, and his comments send Prochno back to the board. With the click of a button, Ewell digitally drops his hand, and Prochno turns back to his students—except he’s in an empty room. Prochno, a clinical professor in the Robert H. Smith School...Fri, 22 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://today.umd.edu/smith-school-introduces-game-changing-virtual-classroomhttps://today.umd.edu/terp-student-inventor-helps-set-path-for-autonomous-vehiclesFrom a young age, Weirich tinkered with cars, airsoft guns and other machines. In his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, Weirich passed hundreds of traffic cones while weaving through construction on his drive to high school. One day, he realized the miles-long lines of orange cones and barrels couldn’t possibly be efficient in cost or materials. He began brainstorming a solution to the problem right there behind the wheel. Traffic cones have been around since 1914, and the first versions were made o...Fri, 08 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://today.umd.edu/terp-student-inventor-helps-set-path-for-autonomous-vehicleshttps://today.umd.edu/a-nerd-sleepover-and-much-moreAnd in two more minutes on Sunday morning, the 10th annual Technica was over in a flurry of just-submitted, newly created apps and websites showcasing the creativity and computer coding skills of its more than 1,700 competitors. The record turnout—more than double last year’s registration—was just another sign of the growth of the University of Maryland student-hosted event that draws in-person and virtual attendees from all over the world. “This is a space where just everyone feels welcome,” s...Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://today.umd.edu/a-nerd-sleepover-and-much-morehttps://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/2024-40-under-40-honoree-jeremy-carter/Jeremy Carter Manager of Housing Strategy, UPMC Health Plan Jeremy Carter has helped more than 5,000 people in the Pittsburgh region stabilize their housing situation over the last 14 years. Carter’s three terms with AmeriCorps opened the door to his work in public service and volunteerism, and he has since dedicated his life to helping Allegheny County residents transition out of homelessness and reach housing security. He serves in leadership roles on boards with several housing and developmen...Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0100https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/2024-40-under-40-honoree-jeremy-carter/https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/2024-40-under-40-honoree-johnathan-garlow/Johnathan Garlow CEO, Ford Office Technologies  Johnathan Garlow says Ford Office Technologies’ customer-centric mindset is in its DNA. Since his appointment as CEO in 2018, Garlow has boosted the staff to 150 team members, increased revenue by 117% and pursued his passion for volunteerism through philanthropic involvement in the community. He also aims to boost workplace relationships and show appreciation for clients through office golf outings and an annual client Christmas party. Garlow has...Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0100https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/2024-40-under-40-honoree-johnathan-garlow/https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/2024-40-under-40-honoree-erica-lamar-motley/Erica LaMar Motley Manager of Scholastic Outreach & Educational Services, Allegheny County Sanitary Authority Born and raised in the Hill District, Erica LaMar Motley is now devoted to keeping her hometown’s rivers clean and educating local youth about the importance of STEM and sustainability. During her 17 years at Alcosan, Motley has created new and innovative educational programs that focus on water quality and environmental stewardship. When schools shut down during the pandemic in 2020, Mo...Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0100https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/2024-40-under-40-honoree-erica-lamar-motley/https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/2024-40-under-40-honoree-paul-purdy/Paul Purdy National Director, Endurance Events & Network Fundraising, American Cancer Society After 17 years at the American Cancer Society, Paul Purdy is personally responsible for raising more than $24 million for cancer research annually. Purdy’s advocacy work began in college, and he brought his passion back to his hometown of Pittsburgh in 2015. Purdy pours his time into several ACS fundraisers, namely Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Men Wear Pink and Coaches vs. Cancer. His passion f...Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0100https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/2024-40-under-40-honoree-paul-purdy/