Ten students from Fairfield's School of Engineering had the opportunity to attend the National Society of Black Engineers Convention in Anaheim, California.
This March, students from ¶¶Òô»ÆƬapp’s School of Engineering attended the 48th Annual National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Convention. During the three-day convention, engineering students Kafo Bagagnan ’23, Kameron Reynolds '24, Kareem Fridaus '23, Kobi Okpoti ’23, Prince Addo '22, Morwan Abbe '23, Aniyah Pettway '24, Aaron Banson '24, biology major Mario Williams '23, and public health major Philomena Appiah '24 met representatives from other engineering schools, attended empowering speeches delivered by prominent industry professionals, and participated in a variety of career networking opportunities.
Said Okpoti ’23, a junior in the School of Engineering, “I appreciate getting the opportunity to network with different companies as well as connect with other NSBE chapters. Being here, I got the chance to interview with a few companies that I hope to work for in the future.”
A highlight of the trip, the networking opportunities offered Fairfield students a unique opportunity to interact with industry professionals from Toyota, SpaceX, GM, Tesla, Goldman Sachs, and more. Bagagnan ’23 commented on the experience, “The presence of so many African American professionals in representing those companies was at the same time thrilling and inspiring. Navigating through the NSBE convention has taught me branding skills, networking skills, and other skills used by representatives in these corporations.”
Reflecting on his experience, Bagagnan said “What makes the NSBE convention unique is the community built around this convention, the reassurance that there are many others with whom I share the same experience. Although the main goal of the convention is to network and find jobs/internships, the connections my chapter members and I have made with the regional and global NSBE community are unique and sure to last.”
