A remarkable weekend with the 2024 Black Career Conference

From January 12 through 13, 2024, the fifth annual Black Career Conference (BCC) presented an incredible opportunity for young leaders to refine their entrepreneurial and critical thinking skills. Attendees also engaged in networking sessions with industry professionals, acquiring valuable insights into diverse career paths.

Organized by student group Black Rotman Commerce in collaboration with Rotman Commerce, the event achieved great success, drawing in a diverse range of students and industry professionals. Pierce Cushnie, the Executive Finance and Corporate Relations Lead at Black Rotman Commerce, shared, “This was my first time organizing and participating in the BCC, and the turnout was quite amazing and somewhat surprising to me; I did not expect that so many people would attend!”

The focus of day one was the pitch competition, featuring 10 finalists carefully pre-selected by the Black Founders Network, one of the platinum sponsors, from a pool of 58 applicants. The finalists passionately presented their innovative business ideas, contributing to an atmosphere charged with creativity and ambition.

Three Black professionals—Latanya Housen, Liban Abokor, and Michelle Musindo —were invited to judge the entries. They selected Roots to Routes, a non-profit dedicated to combating systemic inequities within the Black community, as the winner. This recognition included a prize of $5,000. The organization’s mission centres on providing access to educational programs that prioritize a global and Africentric curriculum, aiming to educate and instill confidence in young Black students.

An additional $15,000 was distributed among the remaining top four winning teams: Stubuddy, Ekogenie, Coding with Hania, and Graspr AI. At the end of the competition, Liban generously gifted $1,000 to each of the six other start-ups, ensuring that the efforts of every start-up were duly acknowledged.

On day two, attendees immersed themselves in a diverse range of panels featuring professionals from various fields such as entrepreneurship, creative and cultural industries, technology, accounting, law, and finance. As well as the panels, there were also three skill-building workshops which provided students an opportunity to develop their leadership capacities.

Adanna Nweke, a student at York University, shared her perspective: “My favourite panel was the entrepreneurship panel. I am not particularly interested in being an entrepreneur. But seeing a group of Black women and people of colour as entrepreneurs was motivating and encouraging. It’s more than just coming up with a business idea, and as a first-year student, it was a very welcoming environment.”

Evidently the purpose of the Black Career Conference goes beyond just creating a supportive community; it serves as a catalyst for exposing individuals to innovative thinking. Through insights and advice from industry leaders, the conference not only fosters a sense of community but also contributes significantly to personal and professional growth.

Many left the conference infused with a wealth of inspiration and a fresh perspective. Attendee Tania Dodo revealed, “My favorite piece of advice from this conference is that you don’t need to put yourself in a particular industry or box. You can pursue multiple different industries or creative fields and merge them together and create your own personalized career path”.

Black Rotman Commerce has showcased its lasting impact on the Rotman community and beyond, affirming its commitment to diversity, innovation, and personal development. It will be exciting to see how the Black Career Conference will evolve in the future, continuing to have an enduring influence on attendees as it did this past weekend.

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By Sonia Singh (BCom ’25) | January 24, 2024