The Health Care & Science (HCS) Career Community wants to introduce students to a wide range of careers. Students may be familiar with popular clinical roles (e.g., nurse, physician, veterinarian), but less familiar with jobs like healthcare data analytics, health administration, or biotech research.
HealthJoy is an app that aims to improve the healthcare experience by guiding users to accessible professionals and resources. In this interview, Debbie Kaltman (HCS Employer Engagement Specialist) spoke with Michael Reynolds (MPA ‘21) to learn about his educational and career journey, his insights to students about making career changes, and his current role as a Customer Success Operations Manager.
Michael’s passions for learning as much as he can, building relationships with people, and supporting others have helped him grow in his professional goal of being a public servant. His career journey brought him to different professional industries — including theatre (fun fact: Michael has a BFA in Playwriting!), retail sales, and healthcare — and they all allowed him to explore his broader passions. As a Customer Success Operations Manager, Michael analyzes customer data and feedback to solve problems, improve their services, and help build the platform. This data-centered role is a professional pivot from Michael’s previous work in customer relations and success, but he views it as an opportunity to continue learning. Michael continues to seek experiences where he can build meaningful relationships and help others.
Michael’s advice to current students: “What you study in undergrad does not dictate what your career will look like. Taking advantage of the communities around you can be helpful. Volunteer, network… see what’s going on in the world around you, and see where your passions take you!”
When choosing where to apply, it’s important not only to find a role you’d enjoy, but also a company where you feel welcome and represented. At May 7th’s “Culture & Careers: A Job Search Summit for Underrepresented Students,” Career Center advisors and ambassadors shared lists of the top diversity employers, diversity job boards and some of the top ranked companies for diversity in Illinois. Explore the lists and maybe find the next step in your career path while you’re at it!
Forbes partnered with market research company Statista to survey 50,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees and pinpoint the companies they identified as being most dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion. The final list ranks the 500 employers that not only received the most recommendations, but also boast the most diverse boards and executive ranks, as well as the most proactive diversity and inclusion initiatives. Features of the list include searching nationally or by state and links to company profiles.
Diversity Jobs has compiled a list of employers who value diversity and inclusion in the workplace. These organizations have shown consistent outreach and dedication to recruiting and hiring from all diversity groups. The list is categorized into 25 industries.
Fortune’s list of best workplaces for diversity provides detailed information on 100 companies. Details include percentages of various underrepresented groups including minoritized groups, women, people with disabilities and lgbtq. Other features include links to company profiles and “Great Places to Work” reviews.
We are excited to share our May 2021 programming schedule below! These regularly scheduled virtual events and workshops will help you stay on top of your career goals, gain new skills, and navigate the ever-changing job market.
Mark your calendars: The Virtual Spring Interview Day is on May 21st!
The Health Care & Science (HCS) Career Community wants to introduce students to a wide range of careers. Students may be familiar with popular clinical roles (e.g., nurse, physician, veterinarian), but less familiar with jobs in healthcare data analytics, renewable energy, or biotech research.
Invenergy is a private renewable energy company that focuses on power generation development and operations. In this interview, Debbie Kaltman (HCS Employer Engagement Specialist) spoke with Double Demon Erika Arias (Sustainable Management ‘18) to learn about her educational and career journey, her current role as a Senior Analyst at Invenergy, and her insights to students on exploring different opportunities.
Erika’s background in environmental studies, economics, and sustainability led her to find a job at Invenergy that aligns well with her qualifications and interests. As a Senior Analyst, she collaborates with different teams and assesses projects to make them possible from a realistic, applicable perspective. She is involved with renewable energy projects throughout the Midwest, primarily focusing on solar and wind. Erika views the ability to learn on the job as the most challenging (but also rewarding!) aspect of her role. There are always opportunities to learn and grow as a leader and a team member, making every work day a new adventure.
Erika’s advice to current students: “Be engaged as much as you can. Find student organizations, internships, and scholarships. Build your network! DePaul is a really good university that helps and gives students a lot of opportunities to take advantage of.”
This year has been full of unexpected twists and turns and has required our student employees to adapt in unexpected ways. Now, more than ever, they have stepped up to the plate to do what must be done.
This year, during National Student Employment Week #DePaulNSEW2021, we’d like to take a minute to acknowledge and thank all the student employees who have continued to work on campus this past year to keep DePaul’s essential services running. Here are just a few examples:
Sid Maurya Front Desk Receptionist in the Housing Department
As a Front Desk Receptionist in the Housing Department, Sid Maurya has regular contact with students living in the residence halls while he checks their IDs and enforces housing policies. However, with the masks and Plexiglass partitions, Sid is able to complete his job safely.
“Thankfully, DePaul Housing Operations has been able to successfully carry out in-person work by taking proper precautionary measures and making a safe work environment for its employees.”
Meg Moore Lab Specialist at the Idea Realization Lab
As a lab specialist in the Idea Realization Lab, Meg plays a key role in developing and conducting equipment training and authorization sessions. She also hosts craft workshops for students and visitors to the Makerspace. In addition to her normal responsibilities, Meg helped the alumni relations team this year by making custom masks for DePaul alumni.
“Working on campus gave me a sense of normalcy that I needed this year. I was excited to see my coworkers again. Even though the campus overall was quiet, I had great interactions with the building staff and other student employees.”
Ally West Entrance Attendant at The Ray
Ally West has been working in Membership Services and as an Entrance Attendant at The Ray for a year and a half now. She helps with membership sign up and providing information to patrons as well as checking people in and checking out equipment. Cleaning responsibilities have also been added to Ally’s role due to COVID-19.
“I transferred to DePaul at the start of my Junior year, so I have been so thankful to be working at the Ray because it has given me on-campus experience that I would not have gotten otherwise during the pandemic. Our student employees and professional staff are just amazing and I don’t know what I would have done without those friends and community at The Ray.”
Rachel Stansberry Fitness Floor Supervisor at The Ray
At The Ray, Rachel Stansberry works as an Entrance Attendant and a Fitness Floor Supervisor. Though she started there as a freshman, she moved into her current roles after the first pandemic-related shutdown of the facility. Part of her job is to make sure the patrons of The Ray are following COVID-19 policies, like reminding them to wear their masks properly.
“I’ve found that working on campus this past year has been refreshing. It provides me with a social life that I am unable to achieve elsewhere during a pandemic, so it was definitely nice to be able to talk to people in person again. While at times it can be stressful because of the random closures or new policies, I am glad I have been able to work in the past year.”
Hector Cervantes Facilities Assistant in the Housing Department
Hector has been working as a Facilities Assistant in the Housing Department for two years now for which he facilitates residence hall move-ins by providing residents their keys once they move in. Due to the pandemic, move-ins were contactless this year for residents who needed to quarantine. For Hector’s team, this meant appointment-only move-ins and key pick-ups with masks and social distancing.
“I feel safe working on campus with all of the measures that are in place for safety and having some sense of community on campus with the team.”
We are excited to share our April 2021 programming schedule below! These regularly scheduled virtual events and workshops will help you stay on top of your career goals, gain new skills and navigate the ever-changing job market.
Mark your calendars: The Virtual Spring Career Fair is on April 8th!
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