Southern Connecticut State University welcomed hundreds of students, faculty, and industry leaders to campus on Wednesday, March 26 for the fourth annual Connecting Students and Professionals of Color, a signature event aimed at empowering scholars from underrepresented backgrounds to explore career pathways in STEM and bioscience fields.
More than 175 students have secured jobs and internships in STEM through the work of Southern’s Innovation Hub since 2021, and 40% of those students identify as people of color.
Connecting Students and Professionals of Color is a key initiative of the SCSU Innovation Hub, designed to ensure that students have access to the awareness, experiences, and skills they need to thrive in the bioscience and technology sectors.
“This is a truly amazing event, whose sole focus is helping our scholars navigate the successful pursuit of promising career paths among STEM and bioscience companies,” said Dr. Dwayne Smith, interim president of Southern Connecticut State University. “The mission of this series dovetails beautifully with that of the university, as Southern is committed to identifying and addressing systemic barriers to equity, access, and success for all members of our community.”
The event featured a dynamic panel of industry professionals from Boehringer Ingelheim, the Global Black Community at Pfizer, and other major organizations, joined by current Southern students.
Breakout sessions with high schoolers from across the state explored a wide range of topics, including the impostor phenomenon, mentoring networks, job search strategies, and personal storytelling from professionals of color navigating the corporate world.
