{"id":126,"date":"2024-01-02T17:18:30","date_gmt":"2024-01-02T22:18:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-voices-audio-podcasts\/?p=126"},"modified":"2024-01-08T13:02:47","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T18:02:47","slug":"episode-1-is-networking-really-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-voices-audio-podcasts\/2024\/01\/02\/episode-1-is-networking-really-important\/","title":{"rendered":"BMCC Student Voices Podcast: Season 1, Episode 1 \u2013 Is Networking Really Important?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

What are the benefits of networking during college? How to overcome the challenges in creating community as a BMCC student? In this podcast episode, Kendice Marshall<\/strong>, president of the\u00a0Spirit of the Panthers Club<\/a>, gives us the answers by sharing her inspiring story.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Interview highlights<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Check out more information about the places and resources that Kendice recommends in her interview:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

BMCC Library<\/a><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Fiterman Hall Study Room<\/a><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Center for Career Development<\/a><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n

Interview transcripts<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Raquel:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

WELCOME TO STUDENT VOICES, A PODCAST THAT PRESENTS INSPIRING STORIES OF BMCC STUDENTS. IN THIS SEASON, WE ARE LAUNCHING A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS WITH ONE MAIN TOPIC: THE CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING A SENSE OF BELONGING AND CREATING COMMUNITY AS A BMCC STUDENT. IN THIS EPISODE, WE HAVE THE INSPIRING STORY OF KENDICE MARSHALL. KENDICE\u2019S MAJOR IS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE AND SHE\u2019S ALSO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SPIRIT OF THE PANTHERS CLUB. SO, NO MORE INTROS, LET\u2019S GO STRAIGHT TO HER INTERVIEW.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u2014<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Raquel:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It\u2019s a real pleasure to have you, Kendice, here in our interview. So, to start, in a few sentences, how do you describe yourself? You can share your greatest interests and also a fun fact.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kendice:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

First I would describe myself as a powerful leader, as a compassionate person as well. And, hum, what was the second question?\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Raquel:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A fun fact.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kendice:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

So, a fun fact about me is that I\u2019m trying to put together a BSU, which means a Black Students Union. So\u2026<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Raquel:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

That\u2019s nice! Well, what motivated you to become a BMCC student?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kendice:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Well, when I was in high school, I really wanted to go to college, obviously. Honestly, I couldn\u2019t decide where I wanted to go completely, but I looked at BMCC and I had a thing for libraries and I loved BMCC\u2019s library. So, as I graduated in 2021 during COVID, so, for what I could see in the virtual tour, I really liked what BMCC had to offer. I liked their extra curricular regarding leadership and things with that nature\u2026 and it seems to be something I really can get involved with and also I strongly believe that it is better to go to community college and get your associate degree and see what college is like for the first two years and then decide if you want to move forward and get your bachelors degree and continue to go to college. I feel that a lot of students, they just go straight to the four year and they drop out within the second year. So it makes a lot more sense to meet personally to come to a community college, get that experience a little bit and find out a deeper learning experience.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u2014<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Raquel:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

JUST A QUICK COMMENT: KENDICE SHARES HERE SOME VERY GOOD ADVICES. THERE IS NO POINT IN MAKING SUCH A BIG COMMITMENT WHEN YOU STILL DON\u2019T HAVE A CLUE ABOUT WHAT IS TO BE IN AN ACADEMIC ENDEAVOR.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

AFTER THAT, SHE SHARED HER EXPERIENCE IN CREATING COMMUNITY AND BELONGING AS A BMCC ESTUDENT.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u2014<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kendice:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

So, creating a community in BMCC is really hard at first. You come here and you don\u2019t know where to start. You go to classes but the thing about classes is that, especially in person classes, that you meet people, sometimes you make strong friendship with that\u2026 like, I\u2019ve met my first friend when I met here and we started to go around all the time, going to restaurants, eating, just having deep conversations overall\u2026 and you can make connections with many different people, like, I personally, I\u2019m a member the Brooklyn Branch and some of the people that are actually members of that, they work here as well. One of them, she works in the study abroad department and\u2026 yeah, also when I started to put together the Cheerleading club, it was kind of really, it was really hard to get people in the beginning, but I found people that I really got close to, that we hang out all the time\u2026 and we talk all the time, we talk everyday, whenever we need each other, we definitely connected to each other\u2026 and yeah, you\u2019ll always gonna meet people, you\u2019re always gonna find people that actually understand you, people that you can have deep conversations with\u2026ahn\u2026 this one, I met during this semester and I really like this friend because it\u2019s a friend that I can grow with and mature with as an individual. If you\u2019re gonna have friends, have friends that will influence you in a positive way and grow with you. So definitely, BMCC brought with me a certain level of maturity and BMCC brought me a level of understanding when it comes down to people, connections, networking and academics at the same time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Raquel:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Wow, nice, very nice. Actually, like, being part of a student club played an important role, like, in your experience creating community, right? And you\u2019re the leader of it\u2026<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kendice:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Yeah, I\u2019m the president of it. I\u2019m also in different clubs as well. I\u2019m in the Pre-law Society club, I just joined the Psychology club\u2026 obviously, Cheerleading club, and I\u2019m also a student representative of SGA.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Raquel:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

That\u2019s awesome!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kendice:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Yes, and I\u2019m creating another one, next semester, as well, with one of my friends at this moment right now.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u2014<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Raquel:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

DEFINITELY, KENDICE IS A VERY ENGAGED STUDENT, A REAL LEADER. THAT\u2019S A GIFT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT\u2019S ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ALL DEVELOP. AS A STUDENT CLUB PRESIDENT, SHE HAS THE CHALLENGE OF CREATING CONNECTIONS, ENABLING PEOPLE TO SHARE THEIR IDEAS AND VOICES, AND BE OPEN TO CREATE THINGS BASED ON STUDENTS PERSPECTIVES. BASED ON HER EXPERIENCE, KENDICE ALSO SHARED SOME VERY GOOD ADVICES.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

__<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Raquel:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

What advice would you give, Kendice, for new students, as they start their journey here at BMCC?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kendice:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I would definitely say be open-minded. I would tell them to be open-minded. Find a safe space for you. In my process of trying to put together BSU, which stands for Black Students Union, my objective, along with my friends, is to create a safe space with students where we can talk about black issues and things that affect them. So I want future students to find a safe space for them. Find a small family, you don\u2019t need a bunch of people to be your friends, to connect, you know. I think it\u2019s absolutely, find at least one person that can help you to grow as a person, that can help you get connections. College isn\u2019t just about getting a degree. It\u2019s about networking. Without networking, you\u2019re not gonna go anywhere. A lot of people, they come to college, and they spend all their money, especially with student\u2019s loans, they have all their money, and they didn\u2019t network, when they could have networked and have those connections to take them somewhere. Another advice that I would give them is to take advantage of the spaces that BMCC provides to them. The library is there for a reason. The study hall, which I\u2019m in right now, is there for a reason. The small areas, like empty classrooms, are there for a reason. Take that opportunity to sit there, get some work done, and really study, you know. Don\u2019t just sit there and do nothing. Study, learn, what type of learner you are. I\u2019m the type of learner that if I read something, I want to go over it again and try to analyze it and write it down with post-its and everything. You know, take that opportunity. And, in regards to, like, school and academics, don\u2019t pay for any books, because, BMCC library\u2026 I haven\u2019t paid for one single text book, I haven\u2019t paid for any time of a book. I go to BMCC library, and that\u2019s what it is. And if you want a study room, go to Fiterman. Fiterman is one that has many study places. They have a study, like, three floors of study rooms, and they have a bunch of private study rooms where you can go to study. Find a study room, don\u2019t pay for books, go to the BMCC library. On the website, they have virtual PDFs and stuff like that. Network, network is definitely key and also, mainly, be yourself, don\u2019t change for anyone and\u2026 academics have to be your number one focus. Because, even I, as much as I\u2019m involved as I am, sometimes I slack in my academics too, so number one for sure. And also, use the resources! They have a lot of advice, but use the resources the career and development\u2026 they are on the third floor. They helped me with my resum\u00e9e on multiple occasions. They helped me with my cover letter on multiple occasions. I\u2019ve recently got a call from the Mayor\u2019s office for an interview, and if it wasn\u2019t for, you know, that department, to help me with, like, my resum\u00e9, I wouldn\u2019t have had that. And also the internship office on the seventh floor. They helped me even get that possibility, so, use all of your resources, network, be yourself. Everything I said. You probably can\u2019t fit that into what into whatever you\u2019re gonna use this for\u2026<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Raquel: <\/strong>[laughter]<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kendice:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

But I definitely say use that, you know.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u2014<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Raquel:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

USE RESOURCES, MAKE CONNECTIONS, BE OPEN-MINDED, BE YOURSELF. THESE ARE SOME GOOD ADVICES, ESPECIALLY FOR NEW STUDENTS. IN OUR CONVERSATION, IQRA SHEIK, RESPONSIBLE FOR STUDENT OUTREACH IN THE OPENLAB TEAM, ASKED A FINAL QUESTION FOR OUR INTERVIEW.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u2014<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Iqra:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

What are your future steps after you graduate BMCC? Are you going to a\u00a0 four year college college, and what is going to be your major\u2026<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kendice:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

So, I currently major in Political Science at BMCC which is actually a new major and actually it has always been my major choice from even before I reached BMCC, so\u2026once I heard that their major was in process, I jumped from major to major so that\u2019s where I wanted to be, so\u2026 After this, I want to go to Howard University, which is in HBCU in Washington DC. I want to still study Political Science, and after that I want my masters degree. I\u2019m still deciding where I want my masters to be, but I want to major in Political Science and Minor in Legal Communications in Howard University. After I get my masters, my bachelors, I want to get my GAD and my LLM at Law School. JD is Jurist Doctorate and LLM is Masters of Law, but it\u2019s like, hum, the exact acronym, is something in line, I forgot what it stands for, but, I want to get that, so.. The only last name I worry about is JD [ laughter ]. Hum, and after that I want to become a civil lawyer, civil rights lawyer, then a politician, and after politician I want to go ahead and start a non-profit that will help in creating better jobs. A lot of times in our economy we have jobs that would only fit the price of living but in New York is like, three thousand dollars, and fifteen dollars an hour, which isn\u2019t enough so, I would create jobs, I would create better affordable housing, because that the cost of living is too much, we want it to be affordable, and the housing, it would be actual houses so that the people can get that and I\u2019ll be creating my own school so that way we can teach that financial literacy that a lot of schools do not teach. And I was fortunate enough because when I went to high school they actually had a class with taxes and stuff like that but that was only my freshman year, so by the time I graduated, I didn\u2019t remember anything. But yeah, I want to be able to create change in America, create change in my world and do all of that. My mission is really long, it\u2019s gonna be hard, but as a leader, I feel like I\u2019m a leader, I\u2019d say, I would leave with compassion and that\u2019s my whole thing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Iqra:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I feel like you\u2019ll do all of those things that you have said\u2026<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kendice:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Thank you.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Iqra:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I look forward to your future endeavors and also I look forward to seeing you. This is an awesome start. You\u2019re so passionate and filled with so much light and joy and, you know, you are already doing this, you\u2019re obviously gonna do more. I feel like you are so young too, like\u2026 awesome. Thank you so much for taking the time to be in this interview with Raquel and I\u2026<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kendice:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

No problem, no problem. And don\u2019t take time for granted, because there\u2019s only 24 hours in a day. Honestly, honestly, and it goes by fast. Everything closes at 5pm, so you have to get up early, early, early and make sure you get there. Do what you have to do.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u2013-<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Raquel:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

DON\u2019T TAKE TIME FOR GRANTED, FOCUS ON YOUR GOALS, DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO. THESE STATEMENTS HELP US THINK ABOUT HOW WE ARE USING THE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE IN LIFE.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

THIS WAS THE FIRST EPISODE OF OUR PODCAST SERIES ABOUT THE CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPING A SENSE OF BELONGING AND CREATING COMMUNITY AS A BMCC STUDENT. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS INSPIRING STORY AND PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT IT. IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCES REGARDING THIS TOPIC, WE ARE MORE THAN HAPPY TO INTERVIEW YOU. YOUR VOICE IS IMPORTANT.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

THIS IS RAQUEL NERIS FROM THE OPENLAB TEAM AND SEE YOU IN THE NEXT EPISODE OF THE STUDENT VOICES PODCAST.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are the benefits of networking during college? How to overcome the challenges in creating community as a BMCC student? In this podcast episode, Kendice Marshall, president of the\u00a0Spirit of the Panthers Club, gives us the answers by sharing her inspiring story. Kendice Marshall Interview for the Student Voices Podcast Interview highlights Check out more… Read More »BMCC Student Voices Podcast: Season 1, Episode 1 \u2013 Is Networking Really Important?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5555,"featured_media":124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":70,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bmcc-student-voices-podcast"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-voices-audio-podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-voices-audio-podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-voices-audio-podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-voices-audio-podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5555"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-voices-audio-podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-voices-audio-podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":195,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-voices-audio-podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126\/revisions\/195"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-voices-audio-podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-voices-audio-podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-voices-audio-podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/bmcc-voices-audio-podcasts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}