DEI Office Welcomes Panel for Students of Color in the Workforce

By Christian Grullon | Published by November 19, 2021

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the University’s Offices of Career Services & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion held a virtual panel, ‘Crucial Career Conversations…LATINX’, on Oct. 14. Led by Kean alumni and current students, the panel discussed the impact of internships on the LatinX community.

While the meeting was targeted towards the Latin community, Casey said that all students were welcome to attend. There were 5 panelists, and the speakers were 4 alumni and one student. 

“This event was created after being encouraged by the Office Of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to create events that would support their mission,” said Paul J. Casey, assistant director of Internships.

“People will learn how impactful internships are for their career paths, also people will learn about our personal experiences and see how it’s relatable to them,” said Joelle Francisco, Senior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Management.

Each of the panelists introduced themselves and gave background information on their education at Kean and what they’ve been doing since graduating from the university. Participants also learned about the panelists’ experiences as they gave their testimonies on their education and how career services helped them achieve their goals. 

“It’s about speaking your story and making it known,” Kean alumni Carlo Murillo said.

“If you’re going to work at Kean University for an internship, you really need to know about the university.” Sergio Granados, another Kean alumni, said.

During the meeting, the panelists had discussed internships and their own experiences with career services. 

“Being able to get that opportunity has led me to going back to school to get a master degree in Public Administration and more importantly with a concentration in Health Administration,” Granados said. 

The panel also discussed the importance of having a resume, which is an important part of someone’s qualification for any position in any field. 

“When you’re working on your resume, always make sure you talk about where you’re going.” Kean alumni Jessica Barzilay said.

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