Group Honored for its Growth and Activities
From left, ALPFA members Edwin Naranjo, Christopher Nunez and Michael Ortiz share the UMass Lowell chapter's award in Dallas.
08/29/2016
By David Perry
When Edwin Naranjo traveled to Dallas in early August, the future seemed in his hands.
Naranjo, about to begin his senior year as an accounting and finance major, is the new president of UMass Lowell’s student chapter of Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA). He joined fellow senior Michael Ortiz and past chapter president Chris Nunez ’16 for ALPFA’s 44th national convention.
They were there to collect UMass Lowell’s trophy for best student chapter in the Northeast region, recognized for growing membership, and a mix of student activities, events and meetings more frequent than those of other chapters.
Founded in 2013, the university’s chapter offers students first-hand lessons on the art and science of business, including networking opportunities with local business people. Naranjo says he has gained insight into the professional world through the mentoring he’s received as a member of the organization. The national convention, whose theme was Latinos Driving Growth in the U.S. Economy, offered more opportunities for learning over three days.
For Nunez, networking through ALPFA led “directly” to his new job as an account manager at Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Conn. “I also had multiple job offers from major corporations during the convention,” he says. “It is networking that pays off.”
“I had a great time, we all did,” says Naranjo. “The activities were great, and I attended a lot of workshops and met with professionals who gave good advice.”
While in Dallas, the UMass Lowell trio met with Charlie Garcia, ALPFA’s CEO. “He told us leading is not easy and a leader isn’t someone who does something to get credit for it or put it on his résumé,” says Naranjo. “A leader is the one who has the passion.”
The university’s ALFPA chapter consistently draws an average of 25 students to its regular meetings and 60-plus to events, says Nunez.
Naranjo joined his freshman year.
“It was really empowering, and I want to be a leader,” he says. “The thing was, I didn’t know how. I had to build my skills, get the knowledge I could from others who had become successful. And they have helped me, showed me how to do things. And it makes me want to share that with others.”