Marines team up with National Society of Black Engineers to present career opportunities

Photo By Vanessa Jimenez | Sgt. Courtney Swinney, a Marine recruiter from Recruiting Station Orange County, observes as a National Society of Black Engineers career fair attendee participates in a Pull-up Challenge at the Marine Corps booth during the 2015 NSBE Convention March 27, 2015. Investing in a diverse and representative officer corps will help generate and sustain a future force that has cultural expertise, language skill sets and a variety of philosophies needed to meet operational requirements in the Marines. It was also an opportunity to reinforce the idea of the armed forces as viable career option within the African-American community.  

ANAHEIM, CA, UNITED STATES

03.28.2015

Story by Sgt. Vanessa Jimenez 

12th Marine Corps District

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Marines from 12th Marine Corps District and Marine Corps Recruiting Command joined with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) to generate and increase awareness of Marine Corps career opportunities during their 41st annual convention March 25-28, 2015.

“A variety of high school seniors, college students and even some middle school students are here for NSBE asking me what (the Marine Corps) does and how can they get involved,” said 2nd Lt. Rose Campbell, a Marine Corps communications officer. “We're basically trying to tell them how we can benefit them.”

NSBE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the academic and professional success of African American engineering and technical students and professionals. NSBE offers its members leadership training, professional and academic development, mentoring opportunities, community service outreach programs and scholarships. The organization is one of the largest student-run societies, comprised of 394 chapters and more than 30,000 members nationwide and overseas.

The Marine Corps is in its fifth year of teaming up with NSBE and used this opportunity to reach the approximately 8,000 highly qualified and diverse young men and women in attendance. The convention provided an opportunity to educate potential future Marine officers about the wide array of career opportunities available in the Marine Corps and how the Marine Corps’ values of honor, courage, and commitment relate to long term success.

“We discussed what he felt was important as a Marine officer, more specifically we talked about combat arms and what he felt about that aspect of the Marine Corps,” said Lonnie Richardson, a Chester, Penn. native and United States Naval Academy student, referring to a conversation with a Marine during the career fair. “Ultimately we came to the conclusion that you want to make yourself marketable in the future and you want to find something that fills you personally. It was a good conversation.”

Investing in a diverse and representative officer corps will help generate and sustain a future force that has cultural expertise, language skill sets, and a variety of philosophies needed to meet operational requirements in the Marines. It was also an opportunity to reinforce the idea of the armed forces as a viable career option within the African American community.

“Diversity is important because we don't ever want something to be one sided,” said Campbell. “We always want new ideas coming in, if we can have different backgrounds and different mindsets come in and change that up a little bit, it’s good for everybody.”

• Date Taken: 03.28.2015
• Date Posted: 04.03.2015 13:19
• Story ID: 159089
• Location: ANAHEIM, CA, US