Congratulations CareerReady! Spring Graduates
by Susie Schainost
IMPACTability sends huge congratulations to nine CUNY LEADS (Linking Employment, Academics, and Disability Services) students who graduated on May 9th from our Spring 2023 CareerReady! program. CareerReady! embodies IMPACTability’s mission to fight for equal access to employment opportunities for college students with disabilities. We empower students to break through workforce barriers and open doors through our intergenerational career readiness and mentoring certificate program.
Two graduating participants shared final thoughts:
“I want to thank everyone in this program. I didn’t know most of the things that you taught me. I want to thank my mentor for the time and for teaching me professional skills that I will use in the future.” F.S.
“The resources from Bottomless Closet and LinkedIn – the experiences were so insightful and just the resume, especially, was. I’m probably not the only one who was nervous about it - I think that was a tremendous experience for us all to do together.” M.A.
Mentors also shared their insights:
“…being nervous – that is perfectly fine! Try to get used to or comfortable being uncomfortable and nervous with interviews and in life – it’s just going to help you. You need to be uncomfortable every now and then.” Yousef Darwish
“A take-away for me is being able to listen to your mentee and almost take on whatever their goals, their dreams are, and even their aspirations. Embody those as your own, because there is no way you will think of solutions that fit them unless you try to put yourself in their shoes – my mentee taught me that!” Camilla Ozada
The ceremony began with Program Coordinator, Elaine Rogers, welcoming attendees, introducing IMPACTability’s President, Pam Judd, and thanking IMPACTability’s Board of Directors.
Mentors and Advisors play an important role as people who guide students to be successful in school and life. Susie Schainost, IMPACTability’s VP of Education and CareerReady!’s Mentor Coordinator, conveyed thanks and appreciation for CUNY LEADS Advisors, this session’s mentors, CareerReady!’s guest speakers and instructors, and IMPACTability’s Education Committee for the time, energy, and efforts that contributed to this semester’s CareerReady! collective.
Reflecting on their own experiences, mentors eloquently put in perspective how the mentor’s role focuses not only on the preparation for entering the career world but also on the development of confidence for student mentees. One mentor offered:
“We’ve been working together on various skills in alignment with the CareerReady! weekly schedule – working on resumes, interviewing skills. But most of all we are working on confidence building and speaking up for yourself. We’ve been working on job readiness skills as she pursues another level in her career.” Chanae Richards
After the recognition of mentors, guest instructors, and CUNY LEADS Advisors, attendees enjoyed testimonials from speakers reflecting on the impact of the CareerReady! program. Speakers included Director of Accessibility Services and Children’s Center Services at John Jay College, Nadia Griffith-Allen, who declared:
“Just to see how [the program] has grown, and how during the pandemic Pam said, ‘this is not going to stop us! We’re just going to find a new way to reach our students,’ and to see that now this is actually THE way to reach our students: to pivot when we need to pivot, to change when we need to change, and to look at what will make the students actually come, stay, and thrive. Pam and her team have done that!”
Led by Program Coordinator, Elaine Rogers, CareerReady! has been a premier career-preparation certificate program working in collaboration with the City University of New York (CUNY) since 2018. The program provides lessons in career readiness, interview skills, and pre-employment preparation to emergent college students enrolled in CUNY’s Disability Services and LEADS Departments. With instructors and mentors, CareerReady!’s team acts to provide an individualized, person-centered approach in preparing students for entering the workforce and gaining meaningful employment.
We wish all of this Spring’s Career Ready! graduates long-term success in their professional endeavors and thank them for the opportunity to share their unique journeys with each of us!
Two graduating participants shared final thoughts:
“I want to thank everyone in this program. I didn’t know most of the things that you taught me. I want to thank my mentor for the time and for teaching me professional skills that I will use in the future.” F.S.
“The resources from Bottomless Closet and LinkedIn – the experiences were so insightful and just the resume, especially, was. I’m probably not the only one who was nervous about it - I think that was a tremendous experience for us all to do together.” M.A.
Mentors also shared their insights:
“…being nervous – that is perfectly fine! Try to get used to or comfortable being uncomfortable and nervous with interviews and in life – it’s just going to help you. You need to be uncomfortable every now and then.” Yousef Darwish
“A take-away for me is being able to listen to your mentee and almost take on whatever their goals, their dreams are, and even their aspirations. Embody those as your own, because there is no way you will think of solutions that fit them unless you try to put yourself in their shoes – my mentee taught me that!” Camilla Ozada
The ceremony began with Program Coordinator, Elaine Rogers, welcoming attendees, introducing IMPACTability’s President, Pam Judd, and thanking IMPACTability’s Board of Directors.
Mentors and Advisors play an important role as people who guide students to be successful in school and life. Susie Schainost, IMPACTability’s VP of Education and CareerReady!’s Mentor Coordinator, conveyed thanks and appreciation for CUNY LEADS Advisors, this session’s mentors, CareerReady!’s guest speakers and instructors, and IMPACTability’s Education Committee for the time, energy, and efforts that contributed to this semester’s CareerReady! collective.
Reflecting on their own experiences, mentors eloquently put in perspective how the mentor’s role focuses not only on the preparation for entering the career world but also on the development of confidence for student mentees. One mentor offered:
“We’ve been working together on various skills in alignment with the CareerReady! weekly schedule – working on resumes, interviewing skills. But most of all we are working on confidence building and speaking up for yourself. We’ve been working on job readiness skills as she pursues another level in her career.” Chanae Richards
After the recognition of mentors, guest instructors, and CUNY LEADS Advisors, attendees enjoyed testimonials from speakers reflecting on the impact of the CareerReady! program. Speakers included Director of Accessibility Services and Children’s Center Services at John Jay College, Nadia Griffith-Allen, who declared:
“Just to see how [the program] has grown, and how during the pandemic Pam said, ‘this is not going to stop us! We’re just going to find a new way to reach our students,’ and to see that now this is actually THE way to reach our students: to pivot when we need to pivot, to change when we need to change, and to look at what will make the students actually come, stay, and thrive. Pam and her team have done that!”
Led by Program Coordinator, Elaine Rogers, CareerReady! has been a premier career-preparation certificate program working in collaboration with the City University of New York (CUNY) since 2018. The program provides lessons in career readiness, interview skills, and pre-employment preparation to emergent college students enrolled in CUNY’s Disability Services and LEADS Departments. With instructors and mentors, CareerReady!’s team acts to provide an individualized, person-centered approach in preparing students for entering the workforce and gaining meaningful employment.
We wish all of this Spring’s Career Ready! graduates long-term success in their professional endeavors and thank them for the opportunity to share their unique journeys with each of us!
