soon or you could use
more professional clothing
for an internship or inter-
views). FatWallet is a
phone app that can create a
shopping list by store or
category to keep track of
your wish list.
Seek out deals relevant
to your inventory list by
browsing through depart-
ment and electronic stores’
preview specials. Click on
this link for Black Friday ad
leaks.
Load electronic cou-
pons on Apple’s Passbook.
Click here for more infor-
mation.
If you are going to
brave the crowds and lines
at the store, you should
arrive much earlier than
(Continue on page 2)
Orange leaves, cooling
temperatures, and pump-
kins galore don’t only mean
Thanksgiving is around the
corner. It also means Black
Friday and Cyber Monday
deals are near! As you may
know, Black Friday is the
day many retailers give
amazing deals on the Friday
after Thanksgiving, the kick
-off to holiday shopping.
Cyber Monday is similar
only instead, companies
offer the deals online on
the Monday after Thanks-
giving. While this is a great
time to shop for holiday
gifts, it can also be a great
time to stock up on profes-
sional attire and electronics
for school and work.
Here are some items to
consider seeking out:
Computer gear such as
monitors, external hard
drives for more storage,
USB drives, keyboards,
speakers, cables, and DVDs
and CDs
WiFi All-In-One print-
ers, scanners, and copiers
Personal computers or
Laptops
Tablets and accesso-
ries
Business casual cloth-
ing and shoes
Here are some tips to help
you seek out just what you
need:
Take inventory of sup-
plies you need or may need
soon (i.e. your computer
looks like it’s going to die
HOW TO NAVIGATE BLACK FRIDAY & CYBER MONDAY
THANK YOUR MENTORS THIS SEASON
This
Thanksgiv-
ing season,
consider
sending a
note of
thanks to your Mentors.
Thank them for the lessons
they taught you and the
time they took to advise
you. This would also be a
great time to update them
on how you’re doing in
school or at work. Click
on this link for a sample
Mentor thank you letter.
Try not to copy it verbatim
but instead, use it as inspi-
ration when drafting your
own note. Lastly, don’t
forget that a neatly, spell-
checked, handwritten note
puts a personal touch on
your note rather than
sending an email. You
should be able to find your
Mentor’s office mailing ad-
dress by contacting his/her
workplace or by looking it
up on the jobsite’s website.
Reaching out to Mentors
now might make asking
them for a favor or an in-
ternship later much easier.
Inside this issue:
Meet Jack Corcoran 2
Upcoming Community
Service Events
2
Alumni Spotlight 3
Baltimore Meet & Greet
Rescheduled
3
UA in Pictures 4
DC Meet & Greet Recap 4
Special Points of Interest:
Don’t forget to thank your mentors!
Call to action: Community Service Events
Meet the new Baltimore Alumni Services Coordinator
Alumni Spotlight: Dauryl Belle ‘09
THE ALUMNI
CONNECTION
NOVEMBER 2012
VOLUME 7, I SSUE 1
The Urban Al l iance
This year’s Black Friday will be held on Friday, November 23rrd.
Introducing, Baltimore Alumni Services Coordinator
Jack Corcoran! Jack joined the UA Family this October
and is already planning the upcoming Baltimore Alumni’s
Meet and Greet, community service event, and more. A Maryland native and graduate from Towson University
with a B.A. in Geography, Jack is thrilled to be serving Bal-
timore Alumni while pursing his Master of Public Admini-
stration degree from Troy University. Jack brings an array
of experience, including leading AmeriCorps members in
completing a variety of service projects. These experi-
ences have allowed Jack to connect with young adults and guide them towards
personal and professional growth. Jack is looking forward to getting to know
UA Alumni and serving as a resource for them as they continue their paths. Baltimore Alumni can contact Jack by phone at 410-366-5780 and via email at
[email protected]. DC Alumni can reach DC Alumni Ser-
vices Coordinator Shanita Conley by phone 202-459-4300 and via email at
issues of hunger and nutri-
tion. RSVP here.
Monday, Nov. 26th from
6pm - 8pm: Prepare and
pack meals in the Food and
Friends kitchen. Food &
Friends is the only organiza-
tion in the Washington, DC,
area providing specialized,
nutritious meals, groceries,
nutrition counseling and
friendship to people living
with HIV/AIDS, cancer and
other life-challenging ill-
nesses RSVP here.
DC Area Community
Service Events
Tuesday, Nov. 20th from
1pm - 4pm: Sort and pack
food at the Capital Area
Food Bank (CAFB) ware-
house. Capital Area Food
Bank's mission is to feed
those who suffer from hun-
ger in the Washington
metro area by acquiring
food and distributing it
through its network of part-
ner agencies; and educating,
empowering and enlighten-
ing the community about the
Baltimore Community
Service Event
Tuesday, Dec. 11th from
5:30pm-7:30 pm:
Baltimore Alumni are invited
to join Alumni Services to
participate in the Salvation
Army Christmas Gift Sort.
Each year the Salvation
Army receives hundreds of
donated toys to give to chil-
dren for the Christmas holi-
day. Alumni interested in
attending can get more in-
formation and RSVP here.
WELCOME JACK CORCORAN!
UPCOMING COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENTS
BLACK FRIDAY & CYBER MONDAY CONTINUED
Volunteer this holiday season with fellow Alumni
Page 2
THE ALUMNI CONNECTIO N
ReturnGuru app, take pic-
tures of your receipts, and
get alerts about when return
dates expire.
when the doors open on
Black Friday. **Note that
many stores opened in the
late evening on Thanksgiving
Day in 2011 and may do the
same again this year.**
Remember to take a
backpack with books to
read, music to listen to,
great company to enjoy the
experience, snacks, warm
clothing, and a blanket to sit
on.
Compare retail deals to
get the best bang for your
buck.
www.NerdWallet.com
gives information on stores
and online sites and
www.Decide.com helps to
analyze different prices and
provides each product with
a number rating to show
you how great the deal is.
Sign up for
www.Zaarly.com to ask
other users for items that
might be sold-out or are
gently used products.
Subscribe to
www.blackfriday.info receive
e-mail alerts.
Organize your receipts
on your smartphone in case
you need to return any
items. Simply download the
2012 Alums Wendy Portillo and Edwin Musi-
bira spoke to DC Interns at the Deloitte
Young Professional event on October 19,
2012. Both Wendy and Edwin reflected on
their internship experience and shared
words of wisdom to the Class of 2013 as
they prepared to begin their internship jour-
ney. The Alumni Services Department would
like to thank Wendy and Edwin for partici-
pating in such a great event.
THANK YOU TO DC ALUMNI
North Carolina Agricultural
and Technical State Univer-
sity Senior Dauryl Belle
’09 is an Information Tech-
nology (IT) major. From the
beginning of his professional
career, Dauryl has focused
on interning at sites that
would allow him to get
hands on experience in IT.
One of his many internships
was with Cisco Systems
where he was an IT Engineer
and also worked in a non-
productional technical ser-
vices lab environment. His
internship experience al-
lowed him to focus on IT
skills while improving his
communication and net-
working abilities.
Dauryl is involved in a pro-
gram called Management
Leadership for Tomorrow
that has allowed him to
travel to various company
headquarters. Recently, he
attended a seminar in Min-
neapolis, Minnesota where
he had the opportunity to
have lunch with the human
resources manager of the
General Mills Information
Systems (IS). They dis-
cussed both IT and IS career
opportunities at the com-
pany. Recognizing that this
individual was a great re-
source, Dauryl made sure to
remain in contact with him.
This connection eventually
led to a job offer for Dauryl.
He will be an Infrastructure
Analyst for the General
Mills, and participate in a 5-
year rotational program
within the Information Sys-
tems Department where he
will be able to experience a
taste of various roles.
Among many duties, Dauryl
“will be assisting with the
implementation and evalua-
tion of new technologies
that support the web infra-
structure, deploy YouTube-
like video storage solution
for use across the organiza-
tion for collaboration, train-
ing, and communication.”
Regarding the move, Dauryl
admits, “Coming from the
Washington, DC area and
then moving to North Caro-
lina for school was not that
big of a change. Now moving
from North Carolina to the
Midwest may take a bit
more getting used to. Also
moving away from my family
may be a bit hard, but I will
never forget DC as my
home and I will visit often.”
Still, Dauryl has put so much
effort and made sacrifices to
achieve a position like this
one and thus realizes he
cannot turn down this great
opportunity to start and
eventually grow in the com-
pany.
How is it that Dauryl was
able to attain a job offer
before graduation you might
ask? He shares, “I acquired
this job offer months before
graduation by staying proac-
tive within my job search
and interviewing early. The
goal I had set for myself was
to have and accept an offer
by late November or early
December. When interview-
ing, I made sure to submit
applications early and stay
above the minimum require-
ments for companies.”
Dauryl shared three pieces
of advice to his fellow
Alumni. 1. “Never feel that
you cannot attain your
goals.” He admitted that
this virtue and his faith was
tested, but he persevered
regardless. 2. “Never give
up on yourself.” He confided
that he wanted to give up
from being overwhelmed
with school all the while job
searching, networking, and
interviewing. 3. “Be proac-
tive in your job search.
Don’t settle for, ‘We will
contact you.’” He advises
that Alumni send a courtesy
email to the representative
showing your appreciation
for the time they spent to
talk to you and voice your
interest in the company be-
cause that email can go a
long way.
Congratulations to you
Dauryl! We are not one bit
surprised that you have par-
ticipated in the Dean’s Cir-
cle, currently serve as the
President and Founder of
P.R.I.D.E. Leadership Or-
ganization, a youth serving
organization, balance your
participation in a wealth of
affiliations while making time
to volunteer for UA, and
complete your studies. We
trust you will to impress
your colleagues at General
Mills. Many blessings!
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: DAURYL BELLE ‘09
“Be proactive in your job search. Don’t settle for the ‘We will contact you.’”
Page 3
VOLUME 7, ISSUE 1
The Baltimore Alumni Meet and Greet has been rescheduled to Wednesday, November 7th due to Hurricane Sandy. Recon-
nect with fellow Alumni and UA Staff at Inner Harbor’s Uno Chicago Grill on 201 E. Pratt St. from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
RSVP here ASAP. Don’t forget there’s a raffle to win an iPod Shuffle!
Dauryl’s new position will be at General Mills Headquarters located in Minneapolis, MN
DC MEET & GREET RECAP
Urban Alliance Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) organization and our mission is to empower
under-resourced youth to aspire, work, and succeed through paid internships, formal training,
and mentoring. Founded in 1996 by a small group of business leaders to create employment
and educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged youth, we serve youth throughout
the District of Columbia and since fall 2008, Baltimore City. Through three distinct programs,
the High School Internship Program, Alumni Services, and Curriculum Outreach, we provide
resources to our youth to successfully transition from high school to college or career training,
and ultimately to the working world. To learn more about Urban Alliance, visit
www.theurbanalliance.org.
THE URBAN ALLIANCE
FOUNDATION
Employing Youth. Inspiring Excellence.
**Address Change**
Urban Alliance Headquarters
2030 Q. St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 202-459-4300
Fax: 202-459-4301
E-mail: [email protected]
UA IN PICTURES
UA Staff celebrated DCPS’ College Awareness Day on Oct. 10th. Do you see your school represented?
On October 16, 2012 DC Alumni gath-
ered at Vapiano to catch up with UA
staff and fellow Alumni. The conversa-
tions ranged from previous internship
experiences to the presidential debate
that would air later that night. At the
end of the event Jazmyn Singleton,
Director of Alumni Services, shared UA
updates and Shanita Conley, DC
Alumni Services Coordinator presented
LaShawn McConnell ‘10 with the
iPod Shuffle raffle prize. A big thanks to
all Alumni who attended!
Congratulations to the Annual Alumni Survey winners! Anthony Biddiex (DC ‘09) won the Kindle, Tylee Price (Baltimore ‘11) won the iPod shuffle, and Shanell Williams (DC ‘10) won the gift card. Thank you to everyone for completing the survey!