Alumni Career Volunteer Story: Mayra Mercado '19

For alumna Mayra Mercado '19 getting involved is what she's always done.

As a student, Mayra was involved in Multicultural Greek Life, academic and co-curricular programming through the Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business, worked at the Center for Career Readiness, participated in various cultural events across campus, and interned for her future employer as she prepared to graduate from UNC. 

So when the recent alumna was invited to represent 1STBank at the two-day Fraternity & Sorority Life: Alumni & Employer Networking event, she jumped at the opportunity to come back to campus and network with current UNC students. 

The event connected around 350 current students participating in UNC's Fraternity & Sorority Life with alumni and employers through a speed networking format. As students prepare to launch into their careers after UNC, alumni like Mayra often come back to share industry knowledge, company culture, and tips on successfully applying to the company or industry they work in. 

In speaking to her experience at the recent event, Mayra shared: "I graduated less than a year ago, but coming back to UNC and seeing the excitement of freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors sparked those same feelings of anxiety I once felt as a student."

Mayra also shared how privileged she felt to work in a career-focused office. Because of her job at UNC, she had greater access to alumni and employers as a student, and understands how much of an advantage the UNC Bear Network can provide for current students. 

"Participating in this event brought back memories of how excited I felt for the next part of my journey. I felt very honored to share my student and industry experience. I can’t wait to come back again to support future generations of UNC students."