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Leavey School of Business Santa Clara University

2024-25

Leavey Represented at AfroTech

Leavey represented at AfroTech
AfroTech Conference
Mathias Teklemariam '25, MIS major and Computer Science minor, represented Leavey School of Business at AfroTech.  We asked him to share his experience and answer a few questions:
What is AfroTech? 
Afrotech is the largest annual conference in the US for black students, professionals, and executives who work in tech and business, and this year’s conference in Houston Texas had about 35,000 in attendance. Its purpose is to “explore enterprise innovation, shape the future of work, build essential skills, and champion tech for good” and provides attendees with incredible opportunities for networking, recruiting, and learning through workshops/events.
Why did you want to attend?
I wanted to attend Afrotech for a few reasons, the main ones being the opportunities for personal growth, networking, and job recruitment. I observed the opportunities and strong learning experiences Afrotech provided students and professionals last year and knew that it would be important to find a way to attend. Throughout my time at SCU and through extracurricular fellowships and internships I’ve learned the importance of networking. I also was reached out to by a recruiter to have an on-site interview for a full-time role before the conference, which only added additional motivation to attend the conference in-person and take advantage of the opportunity.
What were some of the highlights for you? 
The highlight of the event for me was my interview with American Express for a role as a Product Manager post-grad in their NYC office. I had a couple rounds including a behavioral interview and a technical interview on-site. I ended up killing my interviews and receiving a full-time job offer!