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Kereem Berry
Kereem Berry
01:21

Kereem Berry

M.A.P.P., Inc.

Albany, NY USA

"Make the playing field fair."

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Kereem's work combines: Non-Profit Organizations, Technology, and Helping People

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Day In The Life

Executive Director

I help bring more people into the building trades.

01:22

Day In The Life Of An Executive Director Of A Pre-Apprenticeship

Skills & Education

Advice for getting started

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.

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.