BCC held a Lunch & Learn event for students and staff in the IT programs, IT Work-Ready, and Accelerated IT Credentials. A total of 77 attendees listened to Angel Piñeiro, VP of Strategic Academic Relationships of CompTIA, deliver keynote remarks along with other invited industry experts who spoke about the newest skills needed in the IT industry.

Funded by New York State’s Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) grant program for unemployed and underemployed populations, the event was organized by Dr. Ruby Chua, Director of Business & Industry Solutions, Workforce and Economic Development.

BCC Alum David Mesa, who graduated from the CFA program last spring after completing his AAS in Cybersecurity and Networking and acquiring his IT credentials, was one of the event’s attendees. “It’s always motivating as someone new in their career to hear people in the field talking about how they got where they did,” said Mesa, who, through the CUNY Research Foundation, taught Bronx high school seniors how to mitigate risks of using the internet. His passion lies in the IT field, and he hopes to eventually transition from hospitality to the IT industry.

Student attendees shared training experiences, including skills and practice-based knowledge gained from their studies at BCC. Testimonials were provided by previous graduates who are currently employed through this program.

Representatives from two companies who regularly hire BCC students, Agilant and Nagarro, also participated; they gave students the schedule for their interviews for upcoming job openings beginning in December.

“I spoke to an excited and large crowd of future cybersecurity leaders about my career journey,” Piñeiro said. “We had a great time and shared many laughs. Look out, cybercriminals! These folks in training will soon possess the expertise to thwart your dastardly efforts to cause chaos.”