On April 19th, a group of 8th graders participated in the virtual Novartis Multicultural Teen Corporate Mentoring Program. This program has been running for over twenty years, and provides 8th - 12th grade students from schools in the area with the opportunity to hear from inspiring speakers and network with executives and successful professionals. During the morning session, scholars met a director of human resources, a DEI coordinator, and a professional radio host. They spoke about overcoming obstacles and how mentors helped them get to where they are today. During the afternoon, students explored a variety of careers by selecting breakout sessions including communications, finance, oncology, hematology, and human resources. Marc Gautier provided the following reflection: “It was a fun and educational experience. I learned that negatively speaking to yourself doesn’t do any good. Positive self-talk makes the mind believe in itself and when the mind believes in itself, you can do anything. Also, taking risks is better than not doing anything at all.” A huge thank you to the Newark School of the Arts for providing a classroom for our Linkers so they had a special place to participate in this program.
