Eight Mary Baldwin University student leaders attended the 10th Anniversary National LGBTQ & Ally College Student Career Conference from September 26–28 in Washington DC.
Career Services Director Julie Chappell spearheaded the trip, during which Mary Baldwin students participated in breakout sessions, workshops, and keynote speeches presented by companies, organizations, and individuals leading the way in LGBTQ workplace inclusion. Students met and networked with several national leaders, such as, the Rev. George B. Walker Jr., manager of diversity and inclusion at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Joe Solmonese, former president of the Human Rights Campaign; Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color Of Change; and Amanda Simpson, who works in the U.S. Department of Defense and is the executive director of the Army Energy Initiatives Task Force.
The conference gave students an opportunity to discuss being out and open in various industries, organizations; being out on resumes; being out in interviews; and being out on social media. The PRIDE Career Fair at the conclusion of the conference included more than 30 companies from a variety of industries promoting their career and internship opportunities, giving every student leader the chance to interview for potential jobs and internships.