Many Columbia students and affiliates are interested in working on the African continent but do not know where to begin. Since many Columbia alumni already work on the continent working in governments, international organizations, companies, and NGOs, their expertise could benefit many of our members seeking to work on the continent in various capacities. Bridging the gap between the African diaspora and those working to solve the continent's challenges is one of the main goals of the African Development Group, and this event would allow Columbia students to see where they could be after graduation. Learning from alumni is essential to determining paths after college because they went through many of the same challenges we are now in determining what to do after graduation what programs to apply for, among many other issues. The relationships developed in these interactions could be invaluable to our future.
At the end of the webinar, Columbia students and affiliates left with a concrete understanding of where they could end up after graduation and the paths to follow to get there. They also had the added asset of the contact information of alumni working in influential positions on the African continent. Careers can be very overwhelming, but the goal of this event was bring the challenge down to the personal level. These personal interactions gave students a better idea of life after college and hopefully made the prospect less scary.
You can find the recording HERE.
