By Cierra Jackson
For The Diamondback
The University of Maryland’s career center and Asian American Alumni Association hosted a career panel Wednesday for Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American Heritage Month.
The goal for this event was to connect students with opportunities through networking, with three panelists speaking to students about their careers and experiences.
Matthew Adjodha, the external affairs vice president for this university’s Asian American Student Union, facilitated the panel.
The panelists included Marilou Tablang-Jimenez, the chairperson of Medstar Montgomery Medical Center’s psychiatry department and an instructor at Georgetown University medicine school; Michael Suh, a web manager for National Geographic Society; and Ruchica Sinha, a human-computer interaction graduate student at this university.
Adjodha, a junior biology and public health science major, started the discussion by asking the panelists to tell audience members about their career journey and what inspired them to pursue their current field.
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Tablang-Jimenez said she realized she wanted to pursue medicine during her time as an undergraduate psychology student at this university.
“When I registered to be a psychology major, the thought wasn’t about going to medicine,” Jimenez said. “The thought was, I want to do something that I really like, and I think that’s most important.”
She realized she loved being able to care for people, which influenced her decision to go to medical school.
Suh also discussed how his time as a linguistics major at this university helped him figure out what he wanted to do.
Suh’s current job combines some of his interests, like writing and creating unique websites, which he’s developed since high school and college, he said.
“It’s important to be open to new things,” Suh said, “I’m at a place now where I enjoy what I do, I enjoy where I am.”
Adjodha also asked panelists how their Asian identities intersect with their professional decisions.
Sinha said she uses her role as a human-computer interaction designer to try and help underrepresented groups in product designs.
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“It’s not just putting something out there which I feel could deliver results,” Sinha said. “It’s also making sure that people who don’t have a say in that are represented.”
Suh, who was the first person in his family to go to college, said he was often the only Asian student when he was with a group of peers in the arts and humanities college.
It was an interesting journey to navigate the differences between himself and his peers, Suh said. He’s also dealt with the intersectionality between his LGBTQ+ identity and his Asian identity, he added.
Suh discussed the importance of having a workplace that is welcoming and where you feel accepted. In a career where he spends a lot of time at his job, it makes a difference when he has relationships with his coworkers, he said.
The panelists ended the event by emphasizing the importance of self care by balancing awareness of current events while limiting exposure to overwhelming news.
Suh highlighted the necessity of maintaining connections with people who will provide emotional support and help manage stress.
“[Surround] yourself with people who have your back,” Suh said.
