2022 2022: Tribe Academy breaks barriers into tech & business careers on UMassD campus

UMass Dartmouth, leading corporations, and Tribe Academy came together to sponsor the first-ever Tribe Academy Diversity & Career Conference to impact diverse students eager to break into business and tech careers

On Thursday, October 6, UMass Dartmouth hosted Tribe Academy’s Diversity & Career Conference, one of the region's most dynamic and engaging diversity-focused career events for college students and early career professionals.

The event was free for participants and took place in the newly renovated Marketplace conference hall, connecting more than 150 diverse students with top corporations in tech, finance, insurance, and more. Dell Technologies, Wayfair, Fidelity Investments, Amica Insurance, CyberArk, IGT, Hanover Insurance, and CrowdStrike sponsored the event and sent representatives to engage students.

“Tribe Academy felt like it gave us students of color a chance to shine and show what we can bring to the table and how we can impact corporations,” said Jayden Betances, a 2022 UMass Dartmouth alum and current graduate student in the Charlton College of Business. “This was an extremely important event to be at due to the opportunities and network that was put in front of us, giving us the chance to open doors we would not have access to if it was not for Tribe Academy! Personally, it was a blessing to be able to meet such amazing people and surround myself with them.”

The session included keynote addresses from experienced corporate leaders who have advanced their careers, remarks from UMassD senior leaders Chancellor Mark Fuller, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Kimberly Scott, and Chief Diversity Officer and Title IX Coordinator David Gomes (all pictured below), and a panel featuring early career professionals of color (including UMass Dartmouth alumni).

Students were awarded $2,000 in prizes via the student business technology competition, scholarships and raffle, opportunities to connect in personal and meaningful ways with industry volunteers, and an exclusive Dell Technologies post-conference reception hosted in the Frederick Douglass Unity House. More than 20 highly recommended students had the chance to meet for one-on-one personal screenings with companies looking to hire for internship and full-time roles.

“This event was truly handcrafted for students and was more than the traditional career fair,” said Laodecia “Lala” Fevrier, a class of 2018 UMassD alumna, Sr. Associate of Influencer Marketing at Wayfair, and moderator of the early career panel. “Students had hands-on help with résumés, interview prep, and a chance to connect with genuine leaders who see diversity as a key function of their business. I'm grateful to have had a chance to hear and support these future leaders.”

“I was able to find what it means to be in a place where you see people who think like you and do what you do even better!” said cybersecurity Ph.D. student and President of UMass Dartmouth's National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE) chapter, Gaspard Baye. “This event connected us UMassD students with experts in various fields, who were open and ready to share their experiences and hire us. I felt a true sense of belonging.”

October’s conference is an example of Tribe Academy’s multi-faceted programming and measurable impact. Since its launch in 2019, the start-up, which accelerates STEM and business talent diversity, has engaged 450+ students and professionals from 25+ colleges and universities across the U.S. through its immersive training and programming, unique events, and mentorship opportunities, aiming to serve as a bridge between talent and 30+ leading companies. Tribe Academy alumni have gone on to work in roles at top corporations, including Microsoft, Amazon, Dell Technologies, and Fidelity Investments.

“Tribe Academy’s return to campus post-Covid was critical, as it allowed industry leaders to come face-to-face with UMassD students of color who demonstrated their grit, energy, and understanding of the unprecedented access and genuine possibilities of internships or full-time roles with companies committed to DEI,” said Peggy Dias, Tribe Academy Campus Lead and Executive Director of IT Services at UMassD. Dias also expressed her gratitude for Tribe Academy’s co-founders Nishita Roy-Pope and Florcy Morisset’s longstanding commitment to UMassD BIPOC students.

To learn more about Tribe Academy’s work, visit TribeAcademyDiversity.com or connect on LinkedIn. To learn more about how Tribe Academy is partnering with UMass Dartmouth, contact peggy.dias@umassd.edu.

"Tribe Academy was very instrumental in my development and establishing a belief in myself that my color cannot and will not hold me back. This was very instrumental in receiving my internship, and ultimately my full-time role. When the team reached out to me to volunteer, I knew I had to do my part in instilling that same confidence in students."