Coffee With Convery

Students, New Grads and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. On today’s podcast, I have invited Joze Piranian to join me. Joze is a lifelong stutterer turned Forbes featured Global TEDx Speaker on Inclusion and Resilience. Born and raised in Lebanon, Joze avoided speaking for more than 25 years out of the fear of being judged for being different. Then, everything changed. He has delivered 5 TEDx talks and performed stand-up comedy in 3 continents and 4 languages. Having graduated from McGill University with a Bachelors in Organizational Psychology, from Queen’s University with a Master of International Business and from Cornell University with a certificate in Diversity & Inclusion, Joze has since delivered hundreds of stand-up comedy and speaking engagements about Inclusion and Resilience at the United Nations, Google, Tesla, Meta, Dell, TikTok, Deloitte and BCG. With more than 3 000 000 views on Goalcast, Joze has also been featured on TEDx, ABC, Forbes, Some Good News, NowThis, CBC and now #CoffeeWithConvery! I had the chance to sit down with Joze to discuss Perseverance, Stand Up and Guacamole (his favorite snack) and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. On today’s podcast, my guest is Alyssa Nurse. Alyssa is a 4th year student at the University of Toronto, St. George campus where she is studying for her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science with an expected graduation date of June 2023. Alyssa is currently a Commuter Don for the University of Toronto, Victoria University and is the Co-President of the Caribbean Studies Students’ Union and Editor-in-Chief of the student-run group’s Caribbean Quilt which is an an editorial journal that provides an interdisciplinary medium for expression and critical thought focused on the study of the Caribbean and its peoples. Alyssa is also Co-President of Connections. A nonprofit organization focused on offering Black self-identifying women at the University of Toronto and surrounding areas a safe space in which they can communicate without their voices being policed. The group also offers members direct access to professionals by inviting diverse workers to speak at our gatherings in order to provide members with actionable information and tools to begin their professional journey. Most recently, Alyssa received the CEWIL Canada 2022 Work-Integrated Learning Student of the Year Award as well as the 2022 Experiential & Work Integrated Learning Ontario Student of the Year Award for her internship and exceptional work with the NATO Association of Canada (NAOC). During her internship she worked to provide timely written articles and organize public events and political conferences. I had the chance to sit down with Alyssa and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. On today’s podcast, I have invited Joe Henry to join me. Joe Henry is the Dean of Students at King’s University College. Founded in 1954, King’s University College at Western University is a Catholic, liberal arts university college affiliated with a large, world-class university. As a Catholic university, King’s emphasizes the value of each individual and the importance of social justice. Students from all faiths and backgrounds are welcome. Offering degree programs in the arts, social sciences, management and social work, King’s is home to approximately 3500 full- and part-time students from across Canada as well as 35 other countries. As Dean of Students, Joe supports the academic mission through the provision of programs that enhances the quality of student life and learning outside the classroom at King’s University College. He oversees the direction of student support services, facilities and student co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. He is also responsible for the operation of the residence facilities and residential life programming and administers the Student Code of Conduct at King’s. As member of the senior administration at King’s he advises the college on a variety of issues that impact the student experience on campus and also act as an advisor to the King’s University College Student Council. I had the chance to sit down with Sam and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #Listen #Learn #BeInspired #WorkIntegratedLearning #WIL #WILMonth

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. On today’s Careering Talk, my guest today is Sam Demma. Sam Demma is a 2-time TEDx Speaker, Author, Podcast Host and Youth Speaker. He is the youngest board director of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and co-founder of PickWaste, a volunteer organization that mobilizes youth to pick up litter in their communities. He has interviewed and showcased over 230 educators through his multi-media platform, The High Performing Educator, and his High Performing Student Program has made an impact on youth in six countries. Sam is routinely invited to share his work through news outlets like Breakfast Television, CBC, CTV, Global News, and CityNews. As a result of Sam’s keynote presentations, students and educators often commit to performing more acts of kindness, taking small, consistent actions toward their personal goals, and proactively looking for ways to serve others. I had the chance to sit down with Sam and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. On today’s podcast, I have invited Wahab Owolabi to join me. Wahab is a Washington & Jefferson College graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. Wahab is the Founder of OneReq a community for talent acquisition professionals passionate about DEI. He has worked as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader at facebook in San Francisco, California and is the founder of the URx Conference which was created for and organized by recruiters and developers of early career talent. Wahab also is a lot of things — he is an entrepreneur, a product manager, a recruiter, and a marketer, to name a few. He has worked at Startups, universities, and in Venture Capital. He loves building diverse communities of talent and scaling programs to achieve a common goal to bring a sense of community and belonging. I had the chance to sit down with Wahab to discuss Black history always, tech and endless opportunities and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #BHM #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. On today’s podcast, I have invited David Ojeyinka to join me. David is a graduate of the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University with Master of Management Innovation & Entrepreneurship. He also holds a Associate Degree in International Business Management from Mohawk College and a Bachelor’s Degree, Psychology and Business from Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. He has worked held many positions at RBC and he is currently the Manager, Workplace Experience at Deloitte Canada. He also the founder of the Freshstart Hub, a career advancement platform for Internationally Trained Talents and International Students. The hub provides career support to internationally trained talents and assist companies with their diversity recruitment & marketing efforts. As a public speaker, David empowers his audiences with practical insights and tools they can immediately apply to solve challenging problems in their businesses or careers. He has spoken about navigating uncertainties for immigrants, effective networking, and strategies to close the underemployment gap for skilled new Canadians at numerous corporate and college events. As a community builder, David is board member of Horizons for Youth where he provides strategic advice to advance the mission of the organization. I had the chance to sit down with David to discuss Black History Month, patience and compassion and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #BHM #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. On today’s Black History Month Talk, I have invited Noel Abingwa to join me. Noel is a graduate from Sheridan College with an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration Finance and has held positions as a Student Union Board Chairperson and an Enactus Project Director while attending Sheridan College. Noel also holds a Bachelor of Technology, Environmental Engineering from the University of Bamenda in Cameroon located in west central Africa. He is currently employed at BMO as a Business Analyst in Wealth Management Operations, he serves as a volunteer Communications co-lead for the BMO Black Professionals Network and a BMO Wellness Champion. Noel will be starting an Investment Banking Secondment role in BMO Capital Markets in May of 2023, a role he always coveted. Noel also has his own YouTube channel, @NoelAbingwa where he shares tips and tricks on how to immigrate to Canada and live the Canadian Dream! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #BHM #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. On today’s Black History Month Talk, I have invited Betsy Danso to join me. Betsy is a Honors Graduate of the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Labor Relations & Communications, Media & Film. Betsy is a passionate leader in all things involving people, strategy & technology and she has a knack for problem solving. She is a champion for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and she has an outstanding track record across Banking, Program Management, and strategic initiatives at RBC and now at BMO. Betsy also is an entrepreneur and owns her company RICH For Him For Hur — a one stop shop for Organic Luxury Skincare. You can find her products at richskinfh.com. I had the chance to sit down with Betsy to discuss Black History Month, confidence and acceptance and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #BHM #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. On today’s Black History Month Talk, I have invited the one and only Hugh Lawson to join me. Hugh is a Wilfrid Laurier University (go hawks) graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. While school, Hugh was busy with his studies and with his athletics and community involvement. He was the Resident Don for the C.H. Little House Men’s Residence and while on the Varsity Football Team he was CIAU All Canadian, 3-Time OUAA Conference All Star, Captain Of National Championship Winning Team, JP Metras Award Nominee – Top Lineman, Ontario Conference, Team Defensive MVP Award, Draft Pick: Toronto Argonauts Football Club (CFL) and the WLU Athletics Hall Of Fame Inductee in 2016. Hugh has over 25 years of experience helping clients drive business results by designing, executing and managing effective B2B solutions for Enterprise size clients. He has worked for Staples for most of his career and supported other organizations along the way. Most recently, Hugh joined EHN Canada Home to the country's largest network of industry-leading mental health and addiction treatment centres as the Head of Business Development. Hugh and I met each other through the Black Talent Initiative in 2020 which focuses on equity in career access for Black Canadians and we have never looked back. I had the chance to sit down with Hugh to discuss Black History Month, social justice, and sports with Hugh Lawson and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #BHM #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. On today’s Black History Month Talk, I have invited Troy Elleston to join me. Troy has a Bachelor of Science, Honors Degree, in Biology/ Biological Sciences from Ontario Tech University and an Advanced Biotechnology Diploma from Centennial College. Full-time, Troy currently functions in a virtual Fintech Operations space, aiming to navigate 21st century technical IT/SaaS tools to drive real-time financial solutions processes, which will transform the ways several companies adopt B2B digital payments. Part-time, Troy has remained involved with young people aged 15–25 in both a teaching & mentoring capacity, in order to promote continuous learning and suggest logical ideas for effective learning habits. As a professional/private educator, he aims to successfully optimize today’s social tools to enhance the virtual (cognitive) learning experience(s) of BIPOC youth. I had the chance to sit down with Troy to discuss Black History Month, tech and emotional intelligence and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #BHM #Listen #Learn #BeInspired