October 30 / 12-1pm / Join Program HERE!
Interested in a major, but unsure about career prospects post-graduation? Did you know that some academic pathways can lead to a wide variety of career opportunities?
With over 30+ years of experience supporting students in career development, kickoff speaker Alana Klass will challenge attendees to rethink some widely-held beliefs about choosing a college major. Additionally, UMBC alumni, either raised in Baltimore or currently working in the area, will share how their unique academic pathways led them to the careers they hold today.
You may be interested in this program if…
- you want to commit to a major, but are concerned it will limit your career opportunities
- you’d like insight into how to navigate the career world post graduation
- you want to learn about how to pursue a career in business
- you want to hear from and connect with Baltimore-based alumni
2023 Kickoff Speaker
Alana Klass
Senior Associate Director & Coordinator for Access, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives
Lafayette College
Alana is passionate about helping students acquire the language needed to tell their story as they prepare to enter the work force after graduation. As a first generation college student, Alana strives to ensure that all students have access to the resources and support they need to successfully navigate college and career preparation.
Alana has experience working with traditional and non-traditional aged students at public, private, and community colleges. She has developed and delivered programs and workshops for students with disabilities, student athletes, students of color, LGBT+ population, and Greeks and is experienced in academic advising, graduate school planning and advising, and pre-professional advising. She has presented professionally at state, region, and national professional associations.
At Lafayette, Alana serves as the liaison to the Office of Intercultural Development and Campus Life, she supports the Team Success program, supports the Posse program, and an identified campus ally for DACA and undocumented students and members of the LGBT+ community. She develops and facilitates programs and workshops to support students in all aspects of the career development process. Alana holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Office Administration from Bloomsburg University, where she is the Advisor for New Member Education and Alumni Transition for Alpha Sigma Alpha National Sorority, former member of the Alumni Board of Directors, and a Master of Education degree in Student Affairs from Kutztown University.
2023 Panelists
Austin Vong
Hometown: Cockeysville, MD
Majors: B.A Biology & B.S. Environmental Science, Class of 2019
Employer: Biohabitats Inc.
Austin Vong is a native Marylander, having grown up and worked around Baltimore his whole life. After graduation, he first worked for the Baltimore City Department of Public Works, helping to test and monitor the health of the streams and rivers within the city. Currently, he serves as an Environmental Scientist at Biohabitats, a multi-disciplinary environmental consulting company headquartered in Baltimore. There he primarily assists with ecological restoration projects by conducting natural resource inventories, inspections, and other related tasks.
Jordan Baruch
Hometown: Ellicott City, MD
Major: B.S. Mathematics / Minor in Statistics, Class of 2019
Employer: Chegg, Inc.
Jordan worked as a Systems Engineer at Northrop Grumman for roughly a year before pursing a Master of Business Analytics (MBA) at MIT Sloan School of Management in Cambridge, MA. She studied analytics and data science and became fascinated by the product management domain. Jordan always had a very strong interest in education, particularly STEM education, and felt fortunate to have landed a product management opportunity at the largest Ed tech company in the US, Chegg. Jordan is currently based in NYC and her product management responsibilities are closely tied to the new generative AI technologies permeating our worlds. Jordan spends her free time on the Pilates reformer, hanging with her two precious labradoodles Penny and Lulu, and drinking many iced oat lattes in NYC.
Monét Stanford
Hometown: Mitchellville, MD
Major: Health Administration & Public Policy, Class of 2011
Employer: Association for Accessible Medicines
Monét Stanford is Director, Policy, of the Association for Accessible Medicines. She works with leadership to identify and respond to key policy issues affecting AAM members. Monét develops and manages research opportunities and writes testimony, public comments, policy papers and other materials in support of those positions. She also collaborates with AAM’s communications team on content that advances the strategic goals and mission of AAM. Prior to joining AAM in May 2021, Monét managed government relations and regulatory affairs for Kaiser Permanente. There, she delivered pharmacy-based expertise during the pre-enactment evaluation of legislation and regulation; authored testimony to federal regulatory agencies, elected representatives and national advocacy organizations; developed a comprehensive regulatory analysis index; provided senior leadership with budget forecast projections in response to passed proposals; and served as the external contact for pharmacy issues. Before that, she served as a Policy Development Specialist at Centene Corporation. That role included developing and revising clinical algorithms to support formulary placement of specialty medicines. Monét holds a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and a Bachelor of Arts in Health Policy and Administration from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She completed her clinical residency training at Purdue University and formal policy training at the National Association for Chain Drug Stores.
Mike Shelah
Hometown: Somers, NY
Major: B.A. English, Class of 1995
Employer: Insperity
Mike Shelah began his sales career, shortly after graduation in the fall of 1995. In that time, Mike has met with and spoken to the owners/executives of over 1,000 companies in the United States. Mike currently resides in Westminster with his wife Denise (Retriever class of 97) and his two children, Taylor & Mikey and their two dogs Sasha & Bruno. When not working with customers, Mike spends his free time: reading, podcasting and advocating for the rights of people on the Autism spectrum.