Date And Time
Wed, June 19, 2019
5:00 PM – 8:30 PM CDT
Location
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
2200 North Pearl Street
Dallas, TX 75201
Minority women are extremely important to the Future of Work, and we want to share an amazing opportunity that our Colaberry Mentors and Alumni had to meet other professional women of color at the Black Women in Science and Engineering (BWISE) Tech Talk Mixer, which took place at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and was organized by Erika Jefferson of BWISE.
The BWISE event provided a rare, behind-the-scenes peek into the world of banking and offered attendees the opportunity to learn about open career opportunities and hear from industry leaders at this iconic institution. Of course, Colaberry mentors and alumni Addie Wright, Keba Frederick, Josiane De Biyong, Mika Hopson, and Chantel Togbe attended the event! Here is a first-hand account of the event from Mika Hopson, one of our successful alumni:
“It was such an amazing event and a wonderful experience. We did enjoy it. We were the last to leave the event!
When we first arrived, we had to present our driver’s licenses to get into the Federal Reserve Bank building and receive our badges for the event. We were then welcomed by the welcome staff and offered light refreshments including fruit, cheese, and crackers. We also received light cocktails of wine and beer.
We then had the opportunity to introduce ourselves to other women who were arriving. Just a brief and small conversation, we talked about where we work and how long we’ve been there. It was great getting to know other leaders in the area.
We were then broken up into two large groups and got the opportunity to do the “cash tour” where we got to see all the money that comes in from all banks and credit unions, along with the cash vault (which was bigger than my first apartment lol).
Fun Fact: The Federal Reserve Bank balances about 46 trillion dollars a day.
We were then taken to the second floor where the discussion panel took place. We had the opportunity to meet and listen to women of color talk about their journeys, how they arrived in the position they were at and their struggles to get from where they started. The discussion then ended with questions from the group.
Following that interesting discussion, we moved to another room next door, where dinner was served. The Colaberry Ladies
had the opportunity to share a table with a group of students who attend another school where they are learning A+ development. They were very interested in Colaberry, and we had a great conversation.
Before dinner was served, the Federal Reserve Bank shared a video with us about their banks and locations including testimonies from their current employees. They held an interesting contest where they gave prizes if we answered a question correctly based on facts about the Bank. We were then served dinner.
After dinner and conversation, we went to one more room where they served us delicious desserts and coffee. It was located in a quaint lounge area with tall tables and couches. This allowed us to speak to the panelists one-on-one and directly with the Vice President of IT about critical issues facing our industry. We also networked with other inspiring women.
At about 8:30 PM, we wrapped up and said our goodbyes and were given a gift bag on the way out as we returned our name badges.
It was just so fun, exciting, and inspirational… I am so thankful to be a part of the Colaberry community and look forward to more amazing events in the future.”
If you’d like to learn more and see more photos of this interesting event, check out our Facebook page.
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