Career Roadmap
Kereem's work combines: Non-Profit Organizations, Technology, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I’m from Harlem, New York.
2.
After high school, I went to the New York Institute of Technology but didn’t finish.
3.
I left New York City and moved up to Rochester, New York, where I joined the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers).
4.
I became a journeyman wireman and have been working in the field ever since.
5.
When the founder of M.A.P.P. wanted to get more diversity into the trades, he asked me to head those efforts as executive director.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
What if I don't fit in? What if they don't like that I'm Black?
How I responded:
A lot of people in the industry are afraid to be themselves because they don't think the foremen or other more senior colleagues will appreciate that. This is especially true with Black people in the trades. I do the opposite. I don't put effort into assimilating and I double down on who I am. I've noticed that people respect you more when you stand on who you are rather than trying to pretend to be something else.