College of Liberal Arts Helps High School Students Hone Interview Skills

As we learn what our graduating students will accomplish, we find cause to celebrate the ways in which we can help future students achieve their professional potential.

This spring, Jillian Furiga, Career Services, and Outreach Coordinator, and Victor Casas, Learning Specialist for our Computer Science programs, volunteered for the LA Promise Fund’s Virtual Mock Interview Day.

The event connects high school students participating in the LA Promise Fund internship program with professionals in various fields for networking and professional development opportunities. Students get a chance to put their interviewing skills to the test and get feedback and advice about how best to represent themselves during interviews.

Furiga and Casas worked with about 12 students from Foshay Technology Academy in South Los Angeles to help review their resumes so they could effectively communicate all they have to offer. Many students had strong job qualifications and experience but needed assistance articulating their accomplishments, such as identifying keywords that could express interpersonal and other competencies.

The volunteer work was also an opportunity to introduce high school students to Woodbury’s programs. Many students with whom Furiga and Casas worked are involved in computer coding, which would interest them in CoLA’s new Computer Science in Data Analytics major. “I was thrilled…to share my insight and experience with students and hopefully inspire them to persist in their studies in STEAM+CS,” Casas said. Casas is hopeful we may see some Foshay Technology Academy students at Woodbury in the near future.

When asked why she enjoyed doing this work, Furiga said, “The LA Promise Fund works with young people from communities of color and low-income communities who don’t always have the same networking or preparatory opportunities as those with more privilege. This opportunity allowed me to help give them a leg up so they could succeed.”

Dean Reuben Ellis concurs: “Jillian and Victor’s volunteer work is typical of the kind of community outreach that represents the best of Woodbury. We expect that some of the students they worked with will one of these days continue their studies at Woodbury”

Last Updated on May 6, 2022.