2025 CSUMB Accounting Networking Event

Alex Black (Advisor), Cynthia Guerrero (Paraplanner), and Robert Hood (Paraplanner) recently attended the 2025 CSUMB Accounting networking event to speak with local students exploring career opportunities in accounting and finance.

Approximately 130 students from CSUMB, Hartnell College, Monterey Peninsula College, and Cabrillo College networked with over 30 firms for internship and employment opportunities.

Many students had limited prior exposure to wealth management and were curious about the differences between financial planning and accounting. Alex, Cynthia, and Robert spoke to the students about their own roles at Integris and answered questions about the Integris internship program and career pathways in financial services. They also spent their time speaking about the various skills needed to succeed in wealth management.

Reflecting on her experience, Cynthia said, “One memorable conversation I had was hearing a student tell me he made the switch to studying financial planning after hearing me speak at a CSUMB networking event. It’s exciting to see that more students are becoming interested in financial planning careers.”

Robert, our most recent college graduate, was able to speak about his experience of identifying a career path, interning at Integris, and making the transition from school to work. “Sharing about our internship program was a full-circle moment for me, having started as an intern in 2023,” said Robert. “My experience was so impactful that I transferred to a university with a financial planning program, much like the one at CSUMB. It’s encouraging to think that I might now be opening that same door for someone else.”

“One of my biggest takeaways, and a trend I am seeing at CSUMB, is that the University is working to tailor its education around career paths with high demand and strong salary potential. I want to call specific attention to the Financial Planning and Accounting programs. Both majors are needed and are thriving career paths, not only in the community, but nationally. With a lot of people nowadays questioning the value of higher education, majors like Financial Planning and Accounting are giving students real skills that are attractive to employers in the job market,” said Alex.

Alex, Cynthia, and Robert enjoy supporting CSUMB’s mission to prepare students to contribute responsibly to California and the global community by providing transformative learning experiences in an inclusive environment.