On Monday, March 18th, the school welcomed back 44 of its alumnae, ranging from the graduating classes of 1984 to 2018, for the annual Career Fair, which aims to provide opportunities for students to connect with alumnae who are currently working in their interested fields of study. This year’s event offered 20 distinct career interests, making it the largest Career Fair to date.
“The purpose of this event is to leverage the power of our sisterhood so we can build those connections and transfer that wisdom and knowledge now, which will be useful later on,” Dean of Enrollment and Engagement Ms. Olga Martinez said.
To start off the event, this year’s keynote speakers were revealed. Sandra Perez Vasallo, a graduate from 2006 and current Corporate Human Resources Manager, took the floor first and captivated the whole gymnasium as she shared her tips on how to create one’s personal brand.
“Believe it or not you are establishing your personal brand today, whether you are part of a club, whether you are part of a specific team or practicing sports, or whether you are on student council,” Perez Vasallo said. “Through all of these you are starting to develop a skill set that you will take with you that will help you establish who you are and what your brand is going to be.”
The subsequent featured speaker was Carmen Manrara Cartaya, a career attorney from the class of 2000 and current board member of the Alumnae Networking Sections. Her speech focused on encouraging girls to join the Linked-In networking sections and on promoting its importance.
“The Linked-In networking sections are an incredible tool available to the whole Lourdes community that can allow current and future bobcats to connect with their fellow Lourdes sisters in search for internships, mentorship, and networking opportunities in almost all fields imaginable,” Manrara Cartaya said. “The sections include: OLLA ARTS, OLLA COM, OLLA ED, OLLA FAB, OLLA LAW, and OLLA MED.”
Prior to the event date students had the choice of selecting their preferred career interests. This allowed them to hear about it from someone with first hand experience on Career Fair day.
“My speaker was Carilis Felipe Di Donato, from the class of 2004, and I loved her presentation,” junior Caterina Arner said. “I was very curious when I saw Hospitality/Travel as an option on the google form and I wasn’t sure what to expect from that breakout session, but I was so pleasantly surprised. Besides explaining what her job is actually about, she really made me feel okay about not knowing what I want to do right now, since she went through something similar in college.”
The whole student body participated in two breakout sessions, during which they were exposed to the realities of their potential future careers. In each of the two sessions, they received advice not only on the best paths to achieving success in their chosen fields but also on what they can start doing now, as high schoolers, to start moving in that direction.
“The field, journalism and media, needs young Latina woman, like the ones graduating from Lourdes, who are determined and mission-driven,” SVP for Social Impact and Sustainability at TelevisaUnision Teri Arvesú said. “That’s why I really like what the school is doing now, hosting these career fairs, giving the students such great advice and an opportunity to ask the questions that are otherwise difficult to answer. Because the reality is that not everything can be learned from a textbook and sometimes the most valuable lessons come from someone else that has that experience.”
As the Career Fair concluded, the impact on the students was evident. Armed with new connections, valuable insights, clearer vision of their future careers, and even their speakers’ contact information, the students embraced the power of the school’s sisterhood and the importance of networking.
