Western Union recently participated in the National Black MBA Association’s (NBMBAA) 50th annual conference and virtual career fair at the end of September. This year’s conference theme was Celebrating Visionaries.
The NBMBAA is the largest Black professionals network in the United States, with 39 local chapters and 20,000 members. Active members grow personally and professionally by attending year-round programming and events to be exposed to new topics, ideas, and training.
This year, we had a handful of Western Union employees attend the breakout sessions throughout the week, highlighting powerful voices from the Black community. Our favorite sessions included:
“Leading with Heart and Soul” – a powerful and inspirational session with Jemele Hill and Emmanuel Acho. Emmanuel is the author of the series “Uncomfortable conversations with a black man.” Jemele Hill is an American sports journalist. The two sat down to have an “uncomfortable conversation” to help educate and inform the attendees on racism, systemic racism, social injustice, rioting, and the hurt African Americans are feeling today.
LinkedIn – the experts from LinkedIn shared how to build a stronger personal leadership brand in a virtual world. They spoke about how at even the largest tech companies, communities of color are notably absent. Professional networks akin to LinkedIn are setting out to help solve the tech industry’s long-standing diversity problems, starting with its most underrepresented groups.
“Celebrating Visionaries” – this session was hosted by Iyanla Vanzant, an accomplished and well-known author, and inspirational speaker. As a spiritual healer, fixer, and teacher, Iyanla spoke about her dedication to human consciousness’s growth and evolution and how to be influential and socially engaged.
Yolanda Larkin, a Western Union Recruiter based in Denver, and some of her teammates, hosted a booth during the virtual career fair, engaging with more than 500 candidates looking for internships and full-time work. Candidates asked questions about the company, scheduled interviews, and network with our recruiting team.
The Western Union virtual booth space during the NMBMAA career fair
Yolanda notes, “I was happy to see several qualified MBA students with 5-10 years of work experience looking for full-time employment and MBA internship programs in 2021.”
If you haven’t heard about the NBMBAA organization, we encourage you to get involved, review the event recap, or even consider joining a local chapter. Learn more here.
As always, we hope you will explore our available opportunities and Western Union for your next career move!
