Student LGBTQ Voices: Belonging in the Workplace

Career Level: Basic-, intermediate-, and advanced-level career services, university relations and recruiting, and business affiliate professionals
Competency: Working with diverse populations
Fee: FREE (member); $69 (nonmember);

Summary
Every person deserves to feel a deep sense of belonging in our work. Do you? What about your coworkers? And what does this look/feel like to the upcoming generation?

This panel, “Student LGBTQ+ Voices: Belonging in the Workplace,” is designed to create a place for NACE members, allies, and LGBTQ+ educators and employers alike to listen to our students, hear their stories, and understand their perspectives about belonging in the workplace.

Our student panelists will be discussing topics that include assessing an organization's culture and commitment, challenges and opportunities in the workplace setting for LGBTQ+ young professionals, and students’ personal experiences with equity and inclusion.

Following this program, you will be able to:
- Learn the opportunities and challenges LGBTQ+ students have as they navigate careers;
- Understand how LGBTQ+ students evaluate employers during the recruiting process; and
- Gain knowledge of resources that will help you advise LGBTQ+ students.
Presenters

Lyn Leis, Director, Career Education, Mercy University
Lyn Leis is a 14-year career development professional with significant experience in team leadership, program development, experiential learning, and career in curriculum. She practices holistic and equity-minded career counseling that is grounded in anti-racist, intersectional, and liberation-based frameworks. Leis is a first-generation college graduate and a queer and disabled professional. As director of career education, she oversees the career coaching, programming, curricular, and educational services and initiatives. Her mission is to provide student-centered service. LGBTQ+ activism has been a lifelong commitment for Leis, as the co-founder of her high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, a co-president of her college’s Rainbow Pride Union, and an advocate for LGBTQ+ issues in the workplace. She is the current chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force of the Division of Student Affairs at Mercy College, and the past president of NYSCEEA.

Kyla Botsian, Student, Simmons University
Kyla Botsian is a senior double majoring in public health and sociology. She is currently completing her capstone in public health where she is interning at both Fenway Health and Fenway Community Development Corporation. She is exploring master’s programs for next year and intends to pursue a career in community health where she will have the opportunity to hear directly from communities about the health disparities they are experiencing and work to develop programming that creates meaningful and lasting change.

Mariana Nava, Student, Florida International University
Mariana Nava is a student at Florida International University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a minor in economics, with concentrations in international political economy. This emphasis in international economics has allowed her to develop deep interests in the areas of finance and technology and the intersection of such areas known as FinTech. She is able to learn more about this in her current role as a partnerships coordinator at Ugami Inc, the FinTech startup for gamers, and will continue to pursue this interest in her upcoming role as an operations summer analyst at Goldman Sachs.

Joseph Recker, Student, University of Miami
Joe Recker (He/Him) is a senior at University of Miami double majoring in marine science and biology. He currently serves as the president and founder of oSTEM at University of Miami, Board of Director for Safe Schools South Florida, PR chair of Rho Rho Rho marine honor society, and chair on Dean of Students disciplinary board. He has completed independent research in DNA genomics and coral restoration. He has interned at Shedd Aquarium, Frost Science Museum, Mote Marine Laboratory, DNA Labs International, and National Consortium for the Study and Prevention of Terrorism. He was a semifinalist for the National Point Foundation Scholarship and Vivian Giller Impact Award and won the Mastriani award for excellence in biological research. Through his leadership, oSTEM was a 2021 nominee for the Toppel Student Group of the Year award.

Cinthya Vasquez, Student, New York University
Cinthya Vasquez is an industrial engineer specializing in product strategy and innovation. She is also an Afro-Amazonian queer community organizer, poet, and independent writer from Peru. Vasquez is currently based in New York City as a Fulbright Scholar pursuing a master's degree in Latin American and Caribbean studies focused in social justice and social innovation and a data science/machine learning boot camp at NYU. She is currently working on an innovation lab to incubate, launch, and amplify community-based innovation projects aimed at improving living conditions for Afro-descendant and Indigenous folks in Latin America.