“The career services office was essential to my job search.”
When a representative of Monroe College came to speak at her high school in Puerto Rico, Brendaliz Ruiz was hooked. Even then, she knew she eventually wanted to go into law. “I liked that I could study criminal justice at Monroe and have so many possibilities for internships,” she says.
While her criminal justice classes focused broadly on the law and social work, it was her internships that helped her focus on the work she wanted to do. Those internships ranged from working in the NY District Attorney’s office to a position in a corporate law firm in Harlem. She also became heavily involved in the criminal justice club while at Monroe, which introduced her to speakers and arranged trips to Riker’s Island and a crime lab.
Her advice to Monroe students: use all the resources of the Career Services Office. Not only were the counselors there available to help her with her resume, cover letters, and advice, the materials in the office opened her eyes to the range of job and internship opportunities in the area. “The career services office was essential to my job search,” she says.
