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| Mary Myers (left) and Verna Rivers (Right) were two of many speakers at the first ever Buccaneer Empowerment Seminar (BES) on the St. Thomas Campus |
January 28,
marked the first ever Buccaneer Empowerment Seminar (BES), a forum aimed to
inform students of the dynamics of professional development.
The
three-hour seminar took place on the University’s – St. Thomas Campus. Thanks to the combined
efforts of the Golden Key Honor Society, the National Society of Black
Engineers (NSBE) and the Student Government Association (SGA), who were able to
have experienced professionals from a number of different fields speak to UVI
students.
Each
presenter offered tips and advice from their own experiences. Topics ranged
from how to dress for an interview to getting your first credit card. The seminar
also included, an hour-long résumé workshop – a time where students could talk
one-on-one with a career service counselor on ways in which they can
restructure, or enhance the quality of their résumé.
Opening
Ceremony
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Patrice Harris
talks about how to make
a good first impression and how it can
help you land a
job.
|
The afternoon kicked off with
Patrice Harris, the news director at WUVI – UVI’s student radio station. Harris
said in the past, she has had to persuade bosses on why she should get a
position, whether it is a full-time job or a summer internship.
Harris
then had a student (voluntarily) give her a 20-second speech introducing
themselves and stating why they would be the best fit for their dream job. After working with the student for about two
minutes, the student developed a great 20-second speech. Harris said that making
an introduction to an interviewer comes down to two key components: having
confidence and being persuasive.
Harris
also expressed how important it is to make a good first impression. She
emphasized that in a tough job market you need to make sure you nail your
interview and capitalize on every opportunity you get
Career
Services and Résumé Fundamentals
Mary Myers,
a programs specialist for UVI’s Provost’s office, and Verna Rivers, the dean of
students at UVI, hosted the second speech of the day which was broken down into
two parts. Part one focused on acing the interview and dressing the part, while
the second half focused on building your résumé.
In the
first half of the presentation, both mentioned that everyone should have a
professional email and not have anything inappropriate or tasteless on social
networking profiles. On the contrary, they mentioned how “Thank you” notes are
a gesture that can increase your chances of landing a job.
Myers and
Rivers also talked about what to wear for an interview. They both recounted
experiences where interviewees have dressed inappropriately or they have
features that draw the interviewers away from the substance of the
conversation.
“You don’t
get a second chance to make a good first impression,” Rivers said, as she
recounted interviewing someone with bad drawn-on eyebrows.
The second
half of the presentation focused on re-tooling and improving one’s résumé.
Rivers and Myers shared tips such as not putting your high school education
information on your résumé if you are in college. Moreover, they said to make
sure you are showing future employers the skills you gained, and not just
summarizing the duties of your previous positions.
“I got a
lot of great tips from both of them [Myers and Rivers]. I realized that there
are definitely some things I need to change on my résumé,” said Mackenzie Lewis,
an exchange student at UVI.
Following
the hour-long presentation was a résumé workshop, which allowed students to sit
down with faculty members from career services to ask questions or fix problems
on their résumés.
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Students work
one-on-one with professionals from career services on ways to fix their
résumés.
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Becoming
an Entrepreneur
The third
presenter of the day was Albert Richardson, who is currently a financial manager
at Scotia Bank, but is a former entrepreneur. He spoke about finding startup
money, risk management, insurance options and even dealing with landlords, and
how well all those things correlate with owning a business.
“The
things I am telling you today are things I learned on the street and through my
experiences. These are not things you will learn in school,” Richardson said.
He reflected
fondly on his days as a business owner, and he recommended it to anyone who is
willing to work long hours and make sacrifices.
“At the
end of the day when it comes to owning a business, you cannot doubt yourself. You
have to believe in yourself and what you are doing, if you want to be
successful,” Richardson said.
After the
presentation, The UVI Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Association
(UVIDEA) and the University Innovation Freshmen (UIF) sponsored a 30-minute
event on generating and improving quick business pitches and ideas.
Creating
a Financial Plan
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| Shayla
Solomon, a projects coordinator at Banco Popular, discusses steps students should take now to plan for life after graduation. |
Shayla
Solomon, a Projects Coordinator at Banco Popular, rounded out the day with a
presentation on financial planning. Solomon touched on how to open a checking
account or a savings account, while also discussing terms such as APR,
interests rates, and IRA’s and what they mean and how they affect personal
finances.
Solomon
offered a number of tips on budgeting and how to build credit early in your
life. She also assured students that credit cards are not a bad thing – if used
properly.
“From this
age, I want to make sure you are making smart financial decisions to help you
in the future,” Solomon said.
Conclusion
Each
presenter at the seminar shared experiences and tips that are sure to stick
with students as they prepare for life after university. From strengthening
résumés, to developing a financial plan, students were given valuable insight
on what it takes to be successful in the outside world.
The
majority of the students at the event were members of the Golden Key Honor
Society, the Student Government Association or the National Society of Black
Engineers – the three organizations that put this event together. Next year, they
are hoping the seminar will attract all students from UVI, so everyone can
obtain guidance from professionals.
“I feel
like all students would benefit from opportunities like this,” said Mary Myers
from the UVI Provost’s Office. “There were some great speakers at this event.”
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Students receive a
certificate after staying for the three-hour-long seminar.
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At the end
of the conference, all those who attended the seminar were awarded
certificates. One student in attendance was Lisa Marie-Hodge, a junior at UVI
and a member of the UVI SGA.
“BES was a
great event. I learned so much from all the speakers. I’m thankful that these
three organizations were able to come together and create such an awesome
conference. It proves that UVI cares about their students even after they
graduate,” Hodge said.
