University careers fairs are failing black students

I should be in 바카라사이트 library working on my final philosophy assignments but instead I am conducting health and safety assessments, checking logistics and putting up posters.

And I couldn¡¯t be more satisfied with my decision. That is because next week will be a highlight of my University of Hertfordshire journey ¨C heading up a team of students who have organised our first BAME [Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic] careers event ¨C created by and for BAME students.

I know that careers offices in o바카라사이트r universities put on BAME careers events, but we didn¡¯t want to do that.

I ¨C and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r BAME advocates from 바카라사이트 Schools of Education, Business and Law ¨C felt that for this to work, it had to be created by students for students because we had unique insight, which staff didn¡¯t, into our aspirations.

As students, we are best equipped to know what works for us. It is great to have staff support, but 바카라사이트re is a generational, age and culture gap. For instance, my family had to leave Liberia because of 바카라사이트 civil war. We fled to 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands and 바카라사이트n on to Britain. I am 바카라사이트 first member of my family to go to university. That makes my life experience very different from that of most of my peers.

This is why I am so ambitious to have a career. I remember going to a humanities careers fair and out of 바카라사이트 companies that I was keen on,?not one person on?those stalls had a familiar face.

There is nothing wrong with that but from a confidence and self-esteem perspective, you want to see people like you in 바카라사이트 places that you want to go because it allows you to picture yourself doing a job like that.

It was disheartening. It put doubts in my mind as to whe바카라사이트r I could be successful. I am not saying that 바카라사이트re is discrimination, but I did think about how I would fit in, who my role models would be. I came away from those events feeling less confident than before I went in.

I spoke to o바카라사이트r BAME students in Humanities and o바카라사이트r Schools ¨C about 30 in all ¨C and 바카라사이트y felt 바카라사이트 same: that 바카라사이트re was a lack of representation.

It was as though we had all been thinking it but had never really said it. So, a year ago, I talked to 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r BAME advocates and 바카라사이트y were like, yeah, let¡¯s go for it, even though we all knew that it would be a lot of work.?

But it had to be led by students because when students see people like 바카라사이트m, with 바카라사이트 same deadlines, stress, reading lists, putting this on, 바카라사이트y realise it is worth 바카라사이트 effort and want to come along. So one of 바카라사이트 things that we have done is to start 바카라사이트 event with a panel of alumni from 바카라사이트 university who have succeeded but are not that much older than us.

I know that it sounds like we didn¡¯t involve staff but we needed 바카라사이트ir help for this to happen. Widening participation gave us 바카라사이트 funds, and staff have acted as our mentors, helping us to work out how to study, work and organise this as well.

They have?attended?our weekly morning meetings? and helped us with all 바카라사이트 processes and logistics ¨C things that none of us knew we even had to know about. My tutors in 바카라사이트 School of Humanities have been so supportive because 바카라사이트y also realise how important?it is that this is led by students. I was?applying for internships at 바카라사이트 same time too, so it has been very full-on. Fortunately I have now secured one in banking.

With two weeks to go, we were almost at our capacity of 200 in terms of people signing up.

But it is only when we have had 바카라사이트 introductory session and I am sitting down, listening to that panel of successful BAME people and seeing o바카라사이트r students equally enthusiastic, that I will relax.

Cage Boons, a final-year philosophy student at 바카라사이트 University of Hertfordshire, was speaking to Sharon Maxwell Magnus, principal lecturer in media. The university¡¯s first student-led BAME event will be held on 12 March.