CYLS 169: Redefining the College to Career Pipeline with Dr. Cherise Bernard

2019-05-14

Episode Summary Cherise talks about her educational experience and her pivot from the biomedical field to media and technology through working for Spotify. She describes how her passions and experiences came to coalesce around her current job, and why she finds it fulfilling to work at Spotify and with students and universities. Kevin Y. Brown Kevin Y. Brown is a National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Center For Public Trust (CPT) “Being A Difference” award recipient, international speaker, entrepreneur, and author. The former MTV Networks host ...

Episode Summary

Cherise talks about her educational experience and her pivot from the biomedical field to media and technology through working for Spotify. She describes how her passions and experiences came to coalesce around her current job, and why she finds it fulfilling to work at Spotify and with students and universities.

Kevin Y. Brown

Kevin Y. Brown is a National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Center For Public Trust (CPT) “Being A Difference” award recipient, international speaker, entrepreneur, and author. The former MTV Networks host and NYC fashion marketer has created an international following as a speaker on personal excellence, effective communication, and leadership. Kevin has been featured by Black Enterprise magazine as a “Modern Man of Distinction” and highlighted in various publications for his self-help speaking work and helping students graduate college debt-free. Recognized for his commitment to empowering foster care youth and as a foster care system alumnus, he has also delivered the keynote address at the International Foster Care Organizations Conference in Sydney, Australia and Osaka, Japan. Kevin is currently the creator/host of Sirius XM’s “Create Your Life” series, a fellow in the New York Chapter of the Startup Leadership Program, and an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Cherise Bernard

Cherise Bernard is a senior talent acquisition partner at Spotify, overseeing the outreach strategy and management for all undergraduate business, MBA, and PhD research internships in the United States, Canada and South America, especially those with a focus on diversity initiatives. She also leads the creation of Spotify’s new academic relations division with the goal of initiating and managing partnerships between spotify and us universities to amplify research in artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language processing for new product development. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Spelman College, an MBA from Rutgers University and a PhD from Rutgers in cellular and molecular pharmacology.

Insights From the Episode

How having a spiritual anchor can offer support in your life
Strategies for showing up every day in the midst of grief and hard times
How to use self reflection in your work life
How to use your strengths and experiences to make you flexible along your career path
Strategies for securing internships as a student
Secrets to becoming your best self
Strategies to taking initiative of programs at work to new levels

Quotes From the Show

Something Cherise took away from her experience at an HBCU: “We [African Americans] can do more than what was originally slated for us.” - Cherise Bernard, Create Your Life Series, 170
“Learn how to be flexible in terms of how you communicate with people.” - Cherise Bernard, Create Your Life Series, 170
“Be careful how you present yourself to the outside world because it matters.” - Cherise Bernard, Create Your Life Series, 170
On what she took from her PhD experience: “Really how to own something and lead it out on your own is really what I took from that whole experience which is I think the most valuable thing ever.” - Cherise Bernard, Create Your Life Series, 170
“If we were aware of the whole staircase, we wouldn’t want to take any steps, because it would be scary. I’m a person who focuses on one step at a time.” - Cherise Bernard, Create Your Life Series, 170
“Follow your internal compass and be ready for that next step even when you don’t know what it is.” - Kevin Y Brown, Create Your Life Series, #170
“I really love engaging with students because of their hope.” - Cherise Bernard, Create Your Life Series, 170
“You don’t have to be in control to make greatness happen. When you are great it just happens for you and with you when it’s supposed to.” - Kevin Y Brown, Create Your Life Series, #170
“Traveling, seeing the world, learning other cultures is creating your best life.” - Cherise Bernard, Create Your Life Series, 170
“What motivates me is the fact that it’s bigger than me.” - Kevin Y Brown, Create Your Life Series, #170