A dozen Shippensburg University alumni were welcomed back to their alma mater last Tuesday to discuss their diverse professional experiences with current students.

The event, titled “Working while Black,” was sponsored by the Career Center and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA). WITF on-air host and producer Marquis Lupton served as a facilitator for the evening’s discussion. 

After a delayed start, the night began with opening remarks from MSA associate director Kapri Brown and Alix Rouby, the Career Center’s director of internships and experiential learning.

Lance Hines-Butts, a 2022 graduate of Shippensburg University, spoke about his entrepreneurship. Since graduating, he has become a real estate agent and launched several real estate related ventures.

Serena Felix ’21 told attendees that she had launched a freelance marketing agency. While she works with businesses in the Lancaster area, she is pursuing an MBA in marketing analytics. “I’ve been really passionate about those projects, working individually by myself,” Felix said. “It’s been really fun.”

The panelists spoke about their experiences entering the workforce and finding their place in careers. Kevin Delacruz, a 2022 graduate spoke about the difficulty of realizing that he needed to move on from a job. “I realized it wasn’t for me, and I had to pivot,” Delacruz said. 

Two alumni, Trey Paul and Ruben Bourdeau, work together as engagement financial advisors at the accounting firm Deloitte.

Bourdeau spoke about the difference in how you are evaluated as an employee versus as a student. “When you go into the real world, you really don’t understand that there is no letter grade for it,” Bourdeau said. “Your performance is your performance.”

Aven Bittinger, who graduated in 2020 and received a master’s degree in 2021, spoke about the stability that comes with a career. Bittinger said that as a student, he had several beater cars. “When I got this new job just two years ago, I was finally able to make some good money, and I said ‘I’m going to buy a car for my first time,” Bittinger said. “I was really thankful for that little small moment.”

On the importance of taking whatever opportunities come your way, Tyron Grant spoke about his internship experience. 

His first internship was in Kansas City, a 15-hour drive from his home in Pennsylvania.

“I would have never got my dream job if I didn’t take the opportunity to drive and take that internship,” Grant said. 

Networking is also important though. Rashawn Johnson gave an anecdote about going to a professor’s office, where she had a rolodex full of contacts for internships. The contact she gave him led him to a meeting and then an internship.

While some panelists spoke about mentors, Malik McCall explained that at least for his career, he did not see himself as having one. “I believe that a mentor will present himself when a student is ready,” McCall said. “Maybe my goal is to be a mentor versus to have a mentor.”

At that, both Lupton and Brown spoke up, telling McCall that they would connect him with someone. Brown, having spoken with Rouby, said she knew of someone in his field that would be perfect. “We’re going to make that happen,” Brown said.

On networking, Bourdeau argued the most important thing is to “Be you.”

“You being yourself and being your true, authentic self will put you in a different area than others because there’s only one person that’s you,” Bordeaux said. “State your name, state your credentials, but after that, be you. I got my job not because of what was just on my resume, but because of how I presented myself.”

Nayely Pena told the audience about her experience jobsearching right out of college. “I had all these flyers and little business cards from networking events, and I just started calling people.” 

According to Pena, these calls helped build her network and explore different fields and industries. 

Working through your mistakes is also an important lesson to learn, the panelists agreed. “You can work your way out of most situations,” Delacruz said. “Don’t beat yourself up too much about it.”

The importance of knowing where you fit in a company was brought up by Jessica Bridges. “Wherever you go, whatever you decide to do, take time to learn your role,” Bridges said.

Rouby finished off the event with a pitch for the Career Center. “Use your resources. The Career Center is here to help you.”

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