CMC Career Services

Meet the rest of the Career Career Services Mentors Team!

Now that you have gotten to know the CSMs, don’t be shy to wave hi when you see them on campus! Drop by the Soll Center to get feedback on your resumes and cover letters!

The CSMs are available for drop-ins 9AM-5PM Monday through Friday!

(1/2) Meet the Career Services Mentors Team!

Featured in this post include: Jasmine Perales, Camille Fortes, Abizer Mamnoon, Samantha Manywa, Scarlett Liu, Carol Nobili, Cindy Burga-Romero, Brianna Roldman, Matthew Ho and Christina Zogopoulou!

Meet our Assistant Director of First-Year programming, Jesal Patel!

Why should students be actively utilizing the SOLL center?

“To help figure out what career options are available, gain access to valuable resources, and build relationships.”

Meet Garineh!

Garineh is the Assistant Director for the Sponsored Internships and Experiences Program.

One thing she wants students to know about her:
“I love listening to podcasts/audiobooks and am always looking for new ones so if you have any you particularly enjoy, I'd love to hear about them!”

Everyone meet the Administrative Associate, Mia Trugerro!

What is something you would like students to know about you?
“I have a passion for helping others and I am excited to help students get closer to their career goals.”

What is your favorite resource/opportunity at the SOLL center?
“You can come in anytime and a Career Service Mentor can provide feedback and tips on how to improve your resume/ CV. (No appointment needed)”

Meet Freya!

Freya is a career coach specializing in Accounting & Financial Services; Government, Law & Public Policy; and Non-Profit & Social Enterprise

One thing she wants students to know about her:
“I struggled a lot with self-doubt in my first year at CMC and seriously considered transferring elsewhere. I was fortunate to find my community and support system that helped me give CMC another chance. And now look at me, an alumna-turned-staff!”

Meet our Director For Student Opportunities, Ursula Diamond!!

Ursula works with graduating seniors to help them achieve their post-graduate goals with confidence.

Why should students be actively utilizing the SOLL Center?

“Because they don’t have to figure everything out on their own. We offer individual advice, resources and connections to help each student explore their career options. If we don’t know the answer to a question, we help the student find the answer” - Ursula

Meet our Director For Student Opportunities, Ursula Diamond!!

Ursula works with graduating seniors to help them achieve their post-graduate goals with confidence.

Why should students be actively utilizing the SOLL Center?

“Because they don’t have to figure everything out on their own. We offer individual advice, resources and connections to help each student explore their career options. If we don’t know the answer to a question, we help the student find the answer” - Ursula

Meet our Associate Director, Grace Park !

Grace is the Career Coach working in the following cluster: Creative & Entertainment, Technology & Entrepreneurship.

Favorite Memory of Working with Students
"My favorite moment with students is watching them walk away after a coaching session less anxious than when they walked in, more inspired, more confident and armed with new techniques and tools to help them in their career development”- Grace

Meet our Employer Relations Coordinator Charlene!

Favorite Memory From Working With Students: “One of our alums working at Deloitte was on campus interviewing students. She came up to me and told me that if it wasn't for me she wouldn't have gotten the job at Deloitte. She had missed the application deadline and I emailed her resume to the recruiter asking them to still consider her. She ended up getting the job.”

Meet our Employer Relations Coordinator Charlene!

Favorite Memory From Working With Students: “One of our alums working at Deloitte was on campus interviewing students. She came up to me and told me that if it wasn't for me she wouldn't have gotten the job at Deloitte. She had missed the application deadline and I emailed her resume to the recruiter asking them to still consider her. She ended up getting the job.”

The Soundtrack to Charlene’s Life:
I Will Survive — Gloria Gaynor

Meet our Assistant Director Gary!

Gary is the Career Coach working in the following interest cluster: Medicine, Biotech & Health Services; Consulting; and Science & Environment.

Favorite memory from working with students:
“The moment when I see that my help is having an impact and the student feels empowered to move forward on their own.”

The soundtrack to Gary’s life:
When Legend Rise (or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star if Gary’s kids chose)

Swipe right to read about Camille ‘23 and Charlene's ‘25  experience in The Creative and Entertainment Trek, which took place in fall break! During the Trek, students had the opportunity to network with CMC alums and professionals and learn about various career paths in the media/entertainment space.

CMC Career Services updated their website address.

CMC Career Services updated their website address.

Johnson Lin ‘21 accepted an offer of admission to Harvard Business School’s 2+2 MBA deferral program. This opportunity allows him to spend 2-4 years pursuing his career interests before matriculating to Harvard’s MBA program, of which he is currently leaning towards the 3-4 year window.

We hope you enjoyed learning from our senior student panels these last two weeks! Please feel free to reach out or let us help you make that connection.

Welcome back! We hope your first week is off to a great start! While we might be hybrid for this month, Career Services is **fully operational.**

If you have any questions, please send us an email at [email protected]. We always love hearing from you!

Vanessa Romo '19 is pursuing my master’s (Ed.M.) in Education Policy and Analysis at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. After working in an education non-profit/afterschool program for about 1.5 years, she knew she wanted to enact educational change on a larger, systemic scale through policy. Her career shift from the non-profit field to the policy field naturally prompted her to apply to a graduate program that would equip her with the skills and knowledge to make educational policy change. It’s her goal to ensure that marginalized students are given the educational access, opportunities, and resources they deserve. With the tools she gains from her program, Vanessa aims to advocate for educational policies that empower marginalized youth and communities, and advance equity and justice.

A senior, Neyda (she/hers) has interned in Guatemala as a teacher assistant and a project lead with Sacred Generations - a non-profit aimed at empowering tribal communities by addressing the intersection of mass incarceration, education inequity, and climate injustice. Recently, she worked as a teacher's assistant with Sadie Nash Leadership Project, an initiative to empower young women and gender-expansive youth of color through the teaching and learning of leadership, social justice, feminism, and community building.

Although she characterizes all of her experiences as being impactful and meaningful, her roles as a teaching assistant were the most valuable. Not only was she a teacher but also a student. Neyda learned so much from her students, whether pineapple belongs on pizza, how to reimagine the future, or how to be patient and adaptable. Through both experiences, she confirmed she wants to work with youth post-grad.

Do you know the differences between the various types of interviews? Learn about informational interviews to ensure you are preparing accordingly!

During her time at CMC, Laura Vences ‘22 has interned for a variety of places, including the U.S. House of Representatives, Latina Republic, the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC), and Octagon.

This summer she is working at the BHAC as the lead in launching We Got Next!, a sports broadcasting and social justice program for BIPOC youth. Since the sports broadcasting space is heavily white and male dominated, the goal is to empower LA’s youth and create pathways for those underrepresented in sports. This internship has been especially meaningful for Laura as she has been able to work and connect with people in the larger sports industry (Converse, Dodgers, and LAFC), as well as practice community outreach and learn about the different needs of low-income BIPOC communities throughout LA.

“Securing an internship is difficult and sometimes exhausting, so my advice is to not be afraid to try something new! Even if you feel like an internship is unrelated to your major or your plans after college, summer is an opportunity to explore and learn about careers you may have never considered. Regardless of what you do, you will gain valuable experience that can go on a resume and will hopefully even give you insight into what you like, what you don’t like, and what you’re passionate about!”

Have you updated your Handshake? Remember that Handshake is a readily available tool that connects students and employers when looking for opportunities.

Thank you for joining us at our open house this last week! We hope you were able to learn something new and get all of your questions answered. Remember our doors are always open to stop by for a quick chat and some coffee!

Before deciding on what you want to do, it’s important to explore your options! Have you done your research?

Welcome back everyone! As you settle in, don’t forget to stop by and say hello, especially to our new members. And if you haven’t met him already, meet Jesal, assistant director of first year programming.

Jesal is a Claremont Colleges alum who recently received his Masters in Higher Education. As a first-generation, low income student, Jesal understands many of the struggles students are expected to navigate on their own. Now that he’s working in higher education, Jesal wants to be a support for students who are limited from many resources and opportunities, changing the current system in place.

During his time at CMC, Jesal hopes to foster love, laughter, and community amongst students. Additionally, as someone who now works in Career Services, he wants students to know that they are so much more than their “productivity” which can often drive society.

Networking can be intimidating, but a good place to start is by simply knowing who’s accessible!

In the summer following her first-year of college, Milagros Romero ‘22 helped her mom out with a catering business that she started from home. While it wasn’t an internship, she was able to learn about budgeting. She also picked up some of her mom’s staple Mexican food recipes. During this summer, Milly has been working as a Summer Intern Manager at CMC’s Kravis Lab for Social Impact where she completed a variety of projects ranging from data analysis and reports to creating surveys to working on KLab’s for this upcoming year.

Though the work she's been doing with KLab is completely remote, Milly loves her internship experience for the range of work she'd been exposed to. She learned how to clean and code data to input into Tableau; how to use Qualtrics as a survey tool; and how to edit and design websites through Wordpress. Milly never thought she would be able to gain so much from just one internship.

“It’s very important to communicate with your manager/supervisor. It’s very easy to just want to keep your struggles to yourself, but if you communicate you can receive advice and if you end up being behind in your work at least they know what’s going on with you.”

Taking the time to prepare is only the first step of any application. Start by reviewing what you might or might not know!

Tatiana Amaya ‘23 is currently interning with The Center For Black Educator Development where she serves as Servant Leader Apprentice. This is her second year working with The Center educating rising third graders and teaching them literacy and community activism. Her favorite experience thus far has been teaching her scholars the structure of Philadelphia’s government and seeing them grasp the concept of its functions. She is eager to involve her scholars in societal issues and prepare them for the leadership roles they will all partake in very soon.

“Find an organization/company/business that you actually enjoy. It is very important to be doing the work that you find purposeful, fun, and rewarding.”

Being more in tuned with what gives us energy can help us prevent burnout. How are you making sure you're being mindful with your energy levels?

Shanil's '21 best internship experience was when she interned at the Canadian Embassy as an International Development Intern in the Economic and Trade Policy Department. This opportunity allowed her to attend panels, hearings, and events around the city. Her internship supervisors did an excellent job of enhancing her professional development through sessions with the Ambassador and Ministers as well as sending her to events such as the IMF and World Bank annual meetings, where she represented Canada.

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions and ask for feedback! You may feel like you're bothering your supervisor or more senior co-workers, but more often than not they are more than happy to set aside the time to help you and will respect you more for wanting to improve!”

Be proactive and professional from the first step. Your actions will make a lasting impression…hopefully for the best!

In the past, Wally Brostrom ‘21 has interned with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a political organization working to end partisan gerrymandering, and the City of Los Angeles’ Climate Emergency Mobilization Office (CEMO), a pilot office focused on Climate Equity and Environmental Justice within LA’s Green New Deal policy work. He was able to obtain his current internship with CEMO through the California Climate Action Corps, a first-year program that connects fellows with climate-based projects and initiatives for the summer.

Both of Wally’s internship experiences have had their highs and lows. However, from both opportunities, his favorite experiences have been the connections he made within the organizations, allowing him to learn more about his colleagues on a personal and professional level. These interactions highlighted the fact that everyone has unique career paths, taking very different turns than anticipated.

“When looking for an internship, cast a wide net. Don’t be afraid to pursue a role or career cluster that you do not know much about or isn’t right along your career path. Even if you find out it’s not the right area for you, you are certain to learn a lot, meet interesting people, and find out more about opportunities that you never knew existed. In the internship itself, don’t be afraid to ask questions and make mistakes. It’s not always an easy thing to do, but it has been one of the most valuable tools for my own professional and personal growth!”

For the past three summers, Katherine (she/her) ‘22 has been attending a pre-law program at Harvard Law School, researching industrial and organizational psychology at the METRICS lab of CMC, and participating in a public policy graduate program at Carnegie Mellon Heinz College.

However, her best internship experience has been at the Metrics Lab with Dr. Feitosa because she's being challenged to learn about the science behind diversity at organizations. Additionally, she enjoys the empowering all-women team dynamics, their mid-day yoga breaks, and the opportunity to even publish a paper in a journal! Without any prior scientific experience, Katherine contributed ideas from her personal experiences, community organizing, and trainings as a CARE fellow. Ultimately, this internship allowed her to strengthen her leadership skills while at CMC and beyond.

“My advice for underclassmates seeking internships is to 1) make sure your values and passions align with the organization’s mission and 2) internships are learning opportunities; feel empowered to learn in the job. Your personal experiences add value to the organization!”

Unlike most students, last summer, Lateshia Peters '22 did not work completely online. Instead, in order to get enough photos for her portfolio, she visited secluded areas in her area and went out of her way to explore places. However, whenever she did sit in front of a computer, Lateshia made sure to take breaks from editing photos or the website to check in with herself and reduce eye strain.

Through Lightroom, YouTube, and Ucraft, the internet served as a resource for her to further pursue her plans. Lightroom allowed her to edit photos; Ucraft taught her how to make her own photography website; and YouTube provided her with tips and tricks from well-established to amateur photographers. Lateshia also used FaceBook to find a mentor and purchase equipment for her project. Given the restrictions in place, Lateshia had to think outside of the box to accomplish the goals she set for her project, allowing for it to come to life in a new way.

In times of uncertainty, it can be difficult to focus on the positive. However, sometimes, that may be what you need to realize what it is you truly want to do.

"Don’t feel obligated to pursue a carer just because it’s what everyone else around you is doing. Allow yourself the flexibility to try different opportunities, speak to alums from a variety of industries, and dip your toes in everything. You’d be surprised by what career ends up being the fit for you. You also don’t have to find what’s right for you, right away. Finding the right career can sometimes take a lot of trial and error, and that’s ok."