Keys to networking were hot topics during BHC’s Black & Bold Alumni Panel

Members of the Black Honors Caucus pose for a picture with the panelists from their Black & Bold Alumni Panel in the Adele H. Stamp Building on December 3, 2019. (Jasmine Boykin/Black Explosion)

Students from a variety of majors sat in the Grand Ballroom Lounge in the Adele H. Stamp building as the University of Maryland’s Black Honors Caucus (BHC) hosted a panel titled “Black and Bold”  to highlight five of UMD’s Black alumni.

Panelists spoke about topics ranging from networking to how to make the most out of college — specifically at a predominantly white institution.

BHC’s Co-President Lauren Frost, who is a junior communications and government and politics double major and Programming Director Alexys Still, a sophomore computer science major, were the moderators for the night.

“For people to hear all of the different career paths you can take and the different ways for success and networking because those things can be different depending on your background and experiences — I think it is really cool to be able to hear people who have similar experiences to my own,” Frost said.

As the night began, the panelists discussed the importance of extracurriculars and socializing as it helps to find your “in” at a large school like Maryland. It would also help gain lifelong friends.

“[UMD’s Black community] is very close-knit just given the fact that we were a minority population on campus. Especially as an engineering major, there were not a lot of Black folks on the engineering side — we worked together and we studied together,” said Derrick Frost, who studied electrical engineering and graduated in 1993.

Similarly, another panelist Tamika Still placed an emphasis on taking advantage of all the student-run organizations Maryland has to offer.

“Get involved as much as possible and take advantage of the clubs and extracurricular activities, which is something I did take advantage of — get involved early on in your studies here at the University of Maryland and avail yourself of all the endless opportunities that are here that are not around at other universities,” she said.

Still received her bachelor’s from the university in marketing in 1994 and is now the director of human resources at Omega Engineering.

When asked about networking, Leslie Baker Simmons, who received her bachelor’s degree in African American studies, said it is a skill that can be perfected over time. She mentioned how it should be used to gather information to help propel one’s career forward.

“As an undergraduate, some of your best networking links are your professors — these are the people who will give you your recommendations or hook you up with a grant. But every professor does not have your back, but you can sniff them out,” Simmons said.

She reflected on her time as a graduate student at Ohio State University, where she first began to network and spoke highly of its successes as she was able to land her first job through a referral from a woman she met at a networking conference.

Professionalism and conducting your behavior in a professional manner was another key to networking. Many of the panelists used their own experiences when expanding their networks, be it online or in real life.

Another panelist, Kacey Edwards, who received her bachelor’s degree in history and is now the owner of her own law firm, Gilman and Edwards LLP,  also mentioned the importance of human interactions and not just relying on social media. She believes that as young people spend too much time on social media, they forget how to talk to people professionally.

“Words have meaning on pieces of paper, but they do not have tone,” Edwards said.

“There is no one we hire today that we are not connected with in some way — your professionalism is key to upward mobility,” said Frost.

Joseph Drayton, who studied electrical engineering at the university, but soon found his passion in intellectual property and commercial litigation, knows what it means to expand his horizons and be a well-rounded candidate in a variety of areas.

“Maintain these relationships because the last thing you want to do is look back and say: ‘I know Tamika, but I don’t want to call her 15 years later because I haven’t talked to her, haven’t thought about her, she hasn’t seen me or what I am doing, but I actually want to connect because I want to do business with her’ — social media makes this much easier than before,” said Drayton.

The panelists also suggested ways not to “burn out.”

“If you are not in the mood and it is just not happening, take a break — take a step back. But you got to come back though,” Simmons said with a chuckle. “Just take a couple of hours at a time to just focus and grind and then stop.”

One panelist, in particular, Edwards, discussed her challenge of having expectations placed on her from family and friends.

“I don’t try to rise to some occasion that someone else created — And I think a lot of times we tend to get down on ourselves because we are trying to make everyone else happy ... You need to be setting your own goals and expectations and once you meet them that is when you will reach euphoria,” Edwards said.

This seemed to be a commonality as Still mentioned her ability to maintain a solid grasp on ethical and integral standards that guide her personal and professional roadmap. She diminished the thought that you have to live up to whatever society puts onto you.

“Do not let someone say, ‘this what you need to be’ or ‘this is what I expect you to be and try to live up to that’ because nine times out of 10, you will fail and you won’t be happy. Find your own ethical boundaries and figure out where you stand and that will help you in your expectations and goals,” Still said. 

Towards the end of the panel, Drayton left students with some wisdom about authenticity when conducting oneself in a professional manner.

“Be you, be confident and deliver — I want to be me and be authentic and I want to be confident — not overconfident— but confident and then you want to deliver, which means that you are going to put in the work it takes to deliver whatever the result or objective is,” Drayton said.