The UNH CEPS Mentor Program & Recruiting Information Session (held at the UNH InterOperability Lab and catered by Bella's in Durham, NH) last month included introductions by Diversify Thinking's founders, presentations from our sponsors and testimonials from mentors and mentees participating this spring. Among our incredible sponsors GreenPages Technology Solutions, Raytheon, C3 Metrics and Oracle were 30 undergraduate and graduate students from the University of New Hampshire.
Candice Benson, CEO of Benson Consulting, Inc and Co-founder of Diversify Thinking, kicked off the event by sharing the vision of the Diversify Thinking initiative and how the mentoring program is crucial to its mission.
Our wonderful sponsors were informative and inspiring with their messages to students.
GreenPages Technology Solutions
Ron Dupler, CEO at GreenPages Technology Solutions, emphasized why diversity of thought is so important for his organization and the world. It was great to hear how they are committed to diversity and the opportunities that are available for everyone in an effort to create a diverse workforce.
Raytheon
Maribeth Kelley, Talent Acquisition at Raytheon, surprised everyone when she told the story of how Raytheon created the microwave! In addition to being such an innovative organization, they offer great flexibility to their team allowing them to have every other Friday off, all while contributing to products that change the world.
C3 Metrics
Jeff Greenfield, COO and Co-founder at C3 Metrics defined the key to success to be diversity of thought by explaining how different perspectives are critical to solve problems and building innovative products today. It was touching to hear how they treat their team as family and create such a strong support system for them - example: unlimited Uber trips for anyone who needs to get home after a night out so they don't risk driving.
Oracle
Saverna Ahmad, Senior User Experience Designer at Oracle, shared her experience as a mentor in the program and how rewarding it has been to give back to her mentee. She described the amazing opportunities at Oracle and encouraged the students to look for ways to get involved in the industry. She left us with the reminder of how important it is for us to pay it forward to create something unstoppable.
Our favorite part of the night was hearing from Olivia Dube, Ocean Engineering student at UNH, who shared her experience as a mentee in the program. She shared how she wasn't sure what she was getting into when it all began but that the experience has been life changing. She encouraged the attending students to take advantage of the opportunity to have a mentor in the future.
Melissa Jurkoic, Senior Solutions Architect at Amadeus and Co-founder of Diversify Thinking, closed the event reminding all who attended to ask for help and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who will challenge you to think differently.
“Diverse companies with diverse thought innovate much better and bring more ideas to the table to solve problems.” - Ron Dupler, CEO at GreenPages Technology Solutions
It was rewarding to see the students have an opportunity to network with our sponsors and to discuss opportunities at their organizations. We know the evening helped create valuable future connections for the students and employers alike.
For more information on participating as a sponsor in a future round of the program, please feel free to reach out to us at Candice@bensonconsultinginc.com
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