This episode is part of the DEI Symposium Series, developed from the DEI Symposium presented at the 2025 NCDA Global Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Alicia Monroe and Ruben Britt share highlights of their conference session -- No Barriers! No Disruptions! SOLUTIONS!: Empowering Underrepresented Students for Today's Workforce -- which addressed intergenerational workplace conflicts, validating students’ narratives, self-reflection on culture and barriers, and inclusive career-preparation strategies. They note shifting U.S. workforce demographics and distinguish race as a social construct from culture as identity. Emphasizing communicative action and active listening, the discussion includes how social identities, stereotyping, and micro/macroaggressions can negatively impact hiring and student development. Recommended solutions include cultural competency and implicit-bias training, mentoring and shadowing, inclusive internships, partnerships with student groups, and highlighting alumni success. Ruben Britt, Jr. is an educator, author, lecturer, and nationally certified career counselor with over 49 years of experience in education as both a teacher and career planning counselor. A nationally recognized expert on career coaching and educational issues, Ruben has served as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Education, the Educational Testing Service, the New Jersey Department of Higher Education, and several colleges and community organizations. He is the author of five books and has written numerous articles on career development, education, and social issues for publications such as Diversity in Education, Upscale Magazine, Black Enterprise, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Black Collegian Magazine. Ruben is the former Assistant Director of the Office of Career Advancement at Rowan University and the former host of Career Talk on WGLS-FM, a radio show offering tips and advice on career planning and job searching. Alicia S. Monroe, EdD, is a PK–20 experienced educator, international education consultant, and career development practitioner. She serves as Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives at Rowan University, where she designs and implements equity-centered, high-impact college-to-career initiatives in collaboration with campus partners and employers. Her work includes sustained partnership with the Office of Accessibility Services, supporting collaborative planning, mentoring, career coaching, and internship and employment pathways for students with disabilities. Dr. Monroe is a 2025 inductee of the NACE Academy of Fellows, the CEO and founder of Solutions for Sustained Success, LLC, and national faculty for the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). An esteemed scholar-practitioner, she has co-authored an academic text and published multiple scholarly articles focused on creating inclusive learning environments, career readiness, equity, and student engagement. She is one of the original architects of the Whole Child Framework, a trademark of ASCD, and her professional service includes active leadership within NACE and the National Career Development Association (NCDA).
