How UF’s chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America connects students to professional development opportunities

As co-presidents of the University of Florida’s chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), we’re proud to help Hispanic and LatinX students at the UF Warrington College of Business prepare for their professional careers through connections to the national ALPFA chapter, professional chapters across the country and initiatives we provide right here at the Warrington College of Business.

We both joined UF’s ALPFA chapter early on in our time here at Warrington – Ysa as a freshman and Anabella as a sophomore. For both of us, the idea of joining a nationally recognized organization that would help with our career and professional goals and connect us with a strong network was a great opportunity. Ysa’s mom, who had been a member when she was in college, also touted the value of the organization’s workshops and conferences with helping her find an internship.

Overall, the purpose of our chapter is to emphasize all the resources that the national organization offers and provide those resources to our members. At the national level, students can attend regional symposiums, company specific office hours and workshops, CPE courses and trainings, apply for scholarships and attend the ALPFA national conference were over 50 employers come to recruit.

In our leadership roles of UF’s ALPFA chapter, we are currently working on one of our biggest goals for the club – to increase awareness and opportunities for international students within Warrington’s undergraduate business school, the Heavener School of Business. We are also working to provide new opportunities for diversity and inclusion at Heavener by partnering with the student organizations Latin American Women in Business and the Hispanic Student Association to host diversity events and provide more professional development opportunities for Hispanic/Latino students on campus.

Specifically, we’re helping prepare our members by critiquing their resumes, hosting practice interviews, and giving presentations on topics like how to network with recruiters and how to brand yourself. We also host recruiters to speak directly to our members about their current opportunities, the company’s culture, and provide interactive activities to engage students.

Our efforts have resulted in us being named ALPFA’s “Best Chapter in the Southeast Region” as well as “Most improved Organization of the Year” and “Best Organization of the Year” by the Heavener School of Business.

For Ysa, being involved with ALPFA at the chapter level and at the national level have helped her immensely. When she first joined ALPFA as a freshman, she was very shy and unsure of how to navigate the professional development and career mapping process. However, ALPFA was a family of Hispanics/Latinos at Warrington that provided her with much reassurance and assistance on how to navigate the recruiting process.

Thanks to Anabella’s involvement, she has been able to gain professional skills that she applied in her last internship at JPMC, like learning how to lead meetings to talking to recruiters. Overall, ALPFA has given her the opportunity to learn inside and outside of the classroom by being involved in national activities such as ALPFA’s Symposium and National Convention.

For both of us, feeling proud of the work we’re doing with ALPFA is an understatement. Ysa’s passion for helping other Hispanic/LatinX students on campus stems from her personal understanding of how difficult it is to adjust to university life. She’s proud that ALPFA has created a familia on campus and helps members prepare for their lives after UF.

For Anabella, it’s seeing the organization grow in the last three years, from being a club with 12 members to having over 50 active members attending our general body meetings. Everyone who has been part of this organization has worked so hard to offer students high-quality moments and experiences, and it is finally paying off! Having won 3 awards this year reflects all our hard work and commitment to this club.