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

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.

About our Guest:

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 this 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, Episode 170

“Learn how to be flexible in terms of how you communicate with people.” - Cherise Bernard, Episode 170

“Be careful how you present yourself to the outside world because it matters.” - Cherise Bernard, Episode 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, Episode 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, Episode 170

“Follow your internal compass and be ready for that next step even when you don’t know what it is.” - Kevin Y Brown, Episode #170

“I really love engaging with students because of their hope.” - Cherise Bernard, Episode 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, Episode #170

“Traveling, seeing the world, learning other cultures is creating your best life.” - Cherise Bernard, Episode 170

“What motivates me is the fact that it’s bigger than me.” - Kevin Y Brown, Episode #170

Resources mentioned:

Budget app through Bank of America

Favorite book:

The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer

Favorite quote:

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” - Maya Angelou

3 keys to Create Your Best Life:

   Focus on self love; make loving yourself a priority

    Get used to change

    Become okay with forgiving yourself often

Stay Connected:

Show Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/cylseries/

https://www.instagram.com/cylseries/

Kevin Y Brown:

www.kevinybrown.com

www.instagram.com/kevinybrown

www.twitter.com/kevinybrown

www.facebook.com/kevbrown001

Cherise Bernard:

www.cherisebernardphd.com

https://twitter.com/drCBernard1

www.instagram.com/docshortcut

Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on  iTunes, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify.