Student Success Stories

My journey with The MITRE Corporation started as an Intern! I did such a great job that they offered me a part-time position while completing my master’s degree. Once I finished my master’s degree, I was presented with a full-time offer as a Systems Engineer. The best part of this role is that my work directly impacts the general population, and I am improving the quality of peoples’ lives throughout the United States!! If it was not for the career guidance and resume help that I received from the CCD I would not be in this position at all.

How did your experience at Morgan prepare you for your career/internship/graduate program?

The CCD taught me the importance of obtaining internships and how to properly create a resume. They also have great tools such as Big Interview which helped me prepare for the different types of interview questions, how to properly respond to such questions, and how to use the STAR method.

What advice do you have for students who are seeking opportunities in your field?

Internships are KEY!!!

The best part of my position is derived from my ability to assist both my organization and the human capital within it, to reach both our corporate and profession goals. I have the pleasure of utilizing my legal skills and abilities in partnership with my business knowledge to assist in developing the strategic plans for my business groups while managing the employment and labor law requirements of the Human Resources Department.

How did your experience at Morgan prepare you for your career/internship/graduate program?

My experience at Morgan State University was pivotal to my career success. As a student at the University I was challenged academically, and nurtured personally this combination was essential to my success. As I entered Law School at the University of Baltimore, I was fully confident in my academic capabilities and had developed enough confidence in myself to withstand the rigor of process.

What advice do you have for students who are seeking opportunities in your field?

I would advise students to utilize all the resources that the University makes available to them, to broaden their skills and their exposure in their chosen career path.

I got an opportunity to intern at Cisco Systems, Inc. as an IT Engineer from an NSBE (National Association of Black Engineers) Career Event in Pitts-burg. A month later, I received a call from HR who gave me a thirty minutes phone interview to know how intentional I was to work for Cisco. Then, after a couple of weeks, I had to take a video interview which was centered on my technical skills, personal strengths, and weaknesses. After successfully going through these interviews, I received an offer from Cisco and Corning. I decided to go with Cisco due to several suggestions and searches on my own.

When the Spring Semester was over, I departed to RTP, North Carolina where the internship took place. The first-two weeks were not very easy as I had to get to know new people, get use to the hot weather, and cook on my own, again. Another important discovery I made was that I had to find a place where I could live around other students and find someone who could drive me to work daily. As for a place to live, prior to my departure for the internship I found that NC State University offered short term housing for a convenient amount and, in turn, shared this info with another intern I had networked with , so we could be in the same apartment. Not to mention that he agreed to drive me to work every day.

As for the best part of the internship, I would say it was the opportunities when interns went to different events such as dinners, games, beaches, pool parties, and showcases mostly sponsored by the company.

Being at Morgan was a great driving force to understanding the impact that diversity can have in an environment as I was the only African in my cohort. At Morgan, not only did I learn how to understand oneself but also to understand other people irrespective of their race, religion, color, or any other factors.

How did the Center for Career Development assist you with the internship search? What was the best part about using the Center for Career Development?
The Center for Career Development was the pioneer in all my internship research as I still recall the many times I received not only multiple resume optimization feedbacks from LaLonnie Travenia, Administrative Assistant, but also the non-failing support and opportunities from Earlene Goodson, Associate Director/Recruitment Coordinator, which kept my head on task. Also, I would like to give special thanks to the CCD for the book entitled "Backpack to Briefcase" which eased my mindset transition into the corporate world.

What advice do you have for students who are seeking opportunities in your field?
There are several pieces of advice I would like to give my fellow students seeking opportunities;

• Do not underestimate the value of getting involved in the community as a member of a club. My experience as an executive in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Society enabled me to grow faster and to learn people skills which is necessary to ace an interviews.
• Do not fail to connect with companies online in social and professional media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to get informed on openings in both Internships and Full-Time jobs.
• Do not undervalue the help provided by internship placement companies such as INROADS which can readily assist to boost your interviewing skills.
• Finally, it is an investment to go for National Association Career fairs especially those related to your major such as NSBE for Engineers. 
• Although, I got my foot to Cisco's booth in the NSBE Career fair, I utilized the CCD's Optimal Resume program, to talk as a leader which I learn from my club, to answer intelligently with the information received on the media, and to persuade them to hire me using the interviewing skills learn from INROADS. 

Your Time is Now, Get Started!

I completed both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Morgan. During my time as    an undergraduate student I was extremely active within my major of  telecommunications.  My sophomore year I resurrected the department newsletter, In  Focus, for which I received an award for Outstanding Contributions in Writing upon  graduation.  Additionally, I was a scholar athlete and active member of the Student    Athlete Advisor Board.  The ties and relationships that I built with administrators  proved useful when I decided to return to Morgan for graduate studies.  I was offered  a position within Intercollegiate Athletics as a graduate assistant for academic  advising.  Although I initially viewed this as a means for paying for school, it opened my eyes to the field of student affairs.  Upon completing my degree I no longer wanted to pursue a career in business, but instead decided to grow as student affairs practitioner.  I went on to serve as an Internship Advisor at Towson University while maintaining a part-time Life Skills Coordinator position within Morgan’s Intercollegiate Athletics Department.  Currently I am the Director of Student Development and Activities at the University of Maryland, Baltimore where I oversee student groups, student leadership development, the writing center and diversity initiatives.  I absolutely love what I do and I know that I would have never stumbled into this career had it not been for the relationships that I formed while I was attending Morgan State University.  I was privileged enough to be surrounded by administrators who honestly cared about me and offered me countless opportunities that propelled my success in student affairs.

As an undergraduate student I was offered an internship at the Baltimore Sun through a connection that I made at the Center for Career Development’s annual career fair.  This internship later turned into a part-time job which lasted for nine months.  Although it did not lead to anything permanent, the opportunity exposed me to non-traditional marketing in the newspaper industry and helped set me apart from other students in my field.  I know that this experience would not have been possible if it was not for the extensive relationship building that Morgan’s Center for Career Development has established with area employers.

What advice do you have for students who are seeking opportunities in your field?

I would suggest that students interested in Student Affairs conduct informational interviews with practitioners in various areas of the field.  I would then advise them to carefully select one or two to serve as professional mentors.  This should help them as they are navigating the field, weighing opportunities and considering academic programs related to their interests.

I got an opportunity to meet the Exelon recruiting team in a Career day held at Morgan State. I went prepared to company's designated kiosk and made an instant connection with the Exelon representative. After an on-site interview, I was offered a full-time position of Business Analyst. The best part of my career at Exelon is that I have a lot of opportunity to grow. One of Exelon's priorities is to invest in Employee development. There are various opportunities to learn and gain experience in the company. Since Exelon is a big company, it gives you an opportunity to find what you are really passionate about and carve your career accordingly. There is always a positive energy and great environment to work. My experience at Morgan prepared me for my career. Going to Morgan helped me understand and respect multiple cultures which is an essential part of working in a diverse company such as Exelon. Morgan also helped me develop analytic and problem solving skills that I use in my everyday duties at Exelon.

What advice do you have for students who are seeking opportunities in your field?

As a recent graduate, it can be sometimes difficult to land a job right away. The advice I have is to keep searching and researching about the companies where you would like to work. Align your passion with the companies that offer you the positions that you are most interested in. Develop the skills that you may need in the role you would like to work. Participate in events and seminars such as Career Day and Company profile day, this helps in creating meaningful networking where the mentors can help and guide you to a successful career.