Sharing Career Advice at CSUMB

CSU Monterey Bay’s (CSUMB) College of Business professors were hard at work during the month of September hosting career events where Integris and other guests from diverse backgrounds were invited to share their knowledge and experience with students.

Integris Managing Partner, Allison Barrientos, CFP®, CPA, had the privilege of speaking as a panelist alongside three other speakers during CSUMB’s annual Diamond Key “Careers in Financial Services” event on Monday, September 19th. During the hybrid in-person and virtual panel discussion, she answered questions from the audience on topics ranging from what she learned throughout her career journey to her advice for students heading out into the career world.

When asked what skills she recommended students acquire, she encouraged students to focus on curiosity. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Aim to understand and connect to the work you’re doing or class you’re in. When first starting out we often shy away from asking questions for fear of appearing inexperienced or uneducated, but that lack of experience brings along with it a new perspective that can be invaluable.”

Panelist Speakers

Allison Barrientos, Ken Cranstone (Associate Advisor), and Katherine Woolever (Investment Associate) also had the opportunity to attend CSUMB’s Accounting Networking Event on Thursday, September 22. During their visit, Allison, Ken, and Katherine shared information about career and internship opportunities to many eager college students interested in financial management and financial planning.

Katherine said, “The event had a great turnout! I attended quite a few when I was student so it was nice to be on the other side. I grew up locally and had a lot of friends that went to CSUMB. It is impressive to see the effort CSUMB puts in to cultivate career opportunities and networking events so that their students can come out prepared to enter the workforce.”

“This was personally meaningful for me because I didn’t know what I was interested in as a student, but I was the beneficiary of a financial planning program that started up right as I was beginning my college career. Any opportunity for me to give back to students like me and nudge them into financial planning is worth it,” said Ken.

CSUMB student networking

“We want our community to know that we are a local firm supportive of hiring people from local schools,” said Allison, “Many people in school think about the major careers like being a doctor or a lawyer. Financial planning isn’t something that first comes to mind for a lot of students, but it would really fit a lot of students’ personalities and values. Being involved with the university means we have the opportunity to create knowledge around our line of work as a career track and eventually create job opportunities for those local students.”

In addition to her engagements with campus students, Allison Barrientos speaks frequently on Financial Literacy panels to help members of our community achieve financial independence. Allison, Ken, and Katherine 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.