Yesterday, I moderated a panel for an event hosted by Trojan Alliance and USC Career Fest. The panel, called “Coming OUT in the Workplace” featured LGBT professionals from Yahoo, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and NASA who talked about their experiences being out and open in the workplace and how that can be a benefit in a work environment. I was pleased that around 25 students showed up for event! While I moderated the panel at the start, by the end of it the students themselves were participating and asking the panelist questions. The topic of discussion ranged from how to include LGBT leadership on a resume to how to get involved in a company’s LGBT diversity groups.
This panel was actually the first ever event for Trojan Alliance, a student organization I co-founded at the end of last semester that seeks to provide LGBT students with professional advice and networking opportunities. I learned a lot in the process of starting an organization from scratch and the rest of the executive board and I spent a lot of effort making this first event a success. We reached out to a number of other LGBT organizations on campus to advertise the panel as well as used our professional contacts to put together a diverse panel. I now serve as president of Trojan Alliance and we are planning a number of exciting events for the rest of the semester. Check out some photos from the panel below:
-
- The “Coming OUT in the Workplace” panel
-
- Students listening intently to the panel
-
- Randy Herrera talking about his experiences at NASA
-
- Someone made a joke
If you’re interested in learning more, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on twitter @TrojanAlliance.
Until next time,
Will
