Intersectionality 2.0: Public session with Choose Action Network

Chris Kosakowski delivered a compelling presentation during a session of SUNY ESF’s seminar FOR 797: Perspectives on Career and Gender that took place on April 2, 2024. The discussion centered on feminism and environmental justice, with a particular focus on how intersecting identities can compound marginalization.  

The presentation generated conversation among attendees about the complexities of engaging with environmental activism.  One particularly compelling topic of discussion revolved around how it is often easier to focus on the negative consequences of marginalization and injustice, rather than their solutions. During the conversation, attendees discussed the reasons for this. One student expressed how this is a matter of logistics, in that it is often necessary to diagnose a problem before one can address it. Michael Mikulewicz, a co-instructor of the class, observed that people who offer solutions then need to be accountable for the consequences of those solutions, which is an immense responsibility. Ultimately, the severity of environmental degradation may feel unapproachable to address at the individual level, which poses a significant barrier toward making meaningful change through environmental activism.

The conversation also centered on how the consequences of environmental injustice are not born evenly across identity categories. Socioeconomic status is the primary driving force determining one’s vulnerability to environmental injustice, and marginalized identity categories across gender, sexuality, disability-status, citizenship status, and race can compound such vulnerabilities. Chris Kosakowski insisted that individuals in positions of relative privilege have a duty to advocate on behalf of those who are the most marginalized.

Lia Figurelli, a campus educator and advocate, also provided an overview of the resources available to students through Vera House.   

 Chris Kosakowski earned a Master of Social Work from Syracuse University. He presently serves as the Coordinator of Student Inclusion Initiatives and is the Project Director for ESF's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Grant. For more information about his work, please visit https://www.esf.edu/student-affairs/index.php. Follow esf.edu/calendar to stay updated on all public programs.

As part of the requirements for FOR 797, Perspective on Career and Gender students share  responsibility of reporting on a subset of class discussions, including this public session with the Choose Action Network. The preceding was prepared by Taylor Wegner, MS student in the Department of Sustainable Resource Management

A New View on Interviews, ESF’s Dr. John Turbeville Gives Advice

Dr. John Turbeville, the assistant dean of Student Affairs and director of Career Services and Corporate Engagement at SUNY ESF, met with ESF’s Perspectives on Career and Gender class to discuss interview statistics and provide advice on interviewing. Dr. Turbeville also discussed the resources offered by the Office of Career Services, and an overview of the career services offered at ESF.

Coaching students on careers and coaching men’s golf, Dr. Turbeville helps drive ESF students to success in the job market and the green. Dr. Turbeville, Meredith Chase, and the Peer Career Ambassadors provide a variety of services to ESF students, helping with resume building, Linkedin profile development, job search strategies, graduate school applications, internship fairs, networking with employers, and a broad range of other programs and resources. 

75% of employers ask Behavioral Based interview questions, which focus on how a candidate responds to situations that highlight skills related to the position. These questions can ask about past experiences, such as when you faced a difficult situation with a colleague, or what you did when a project didn’t work out well. When faced with a behavioral based interview question, Dr. Turbeville suggests describing the situation and context, what your goal was in that situation, what you did to achieve that goal, and the result of the situation. 

Dr. Turbeville’s advice for a successful interview is to “Take any opportunity to make your skills tangible and connected to the position”, and to remember that interviews are a two-way street, where you are interviewing the company just as much as they are interviewing you. “The interview starts the moment you send in your resume” he adds, citing that 79% of HR professionals have denied candidates due to social media content, making it important to keep your online presence moderated. For more interview and career advice, the Office of Career Services provides print career guides outside of their office in 105 Bray Hall, as well as online resources on Handshake, Big Interview, CareerShift, GoinGlobal, and on the ESF career services website. Appointments with career services staff can also be scheduled through Handshake at https://esf.joinhandshake.com/edu using your esf.edu email and password. 

As part of the requirements for FOR 797, Perspective on Career andGender, students share the responsibility of reporting on some of the in-class discussions. The preceding was prepared by Jacob Olichney, Ph.D. student in the Department of Sustainable Resource Management