The Mississippi Link Newswire
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Partnering with 100 Black Men of America, Nissan North America hosted its fourth annual Resume Challenge for African-American high school juniors and seniors from six U.S. cities including Jackson, Miss.
The Resume Challenge is just one important way the automaker recognized Black History Month. “While celebrating African-American history is an integral piece of Nissan’s Black History Month observances, helping to prepare tomorrow’s black history makers is equally important to us,” said Jeffrey Webster, Nissan’s director of Diversity and Inclusion.
The Jackson students who participated in the Resume Challenge first participated in a two-day developmental workshop during which they received career coaching from Nissan employees who worked with the teens on such things as writing a resume and a cover letter, and how to prepare for a job interview. The students were then tasked with creating their own resume.
Nissan invited the 10 Jackson students whose resumes stood out to its headquarters office in Franklin, Tennessee, where they joined teens from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville and Washington, D.C., where Nissan also hosted Resume Challenges.
Over two days, the students toured Nissan headquarters, met with Nissan employees from different departments as well as Nashville community leaders, and visited the company’s Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant for an inside look at the facility that produces the Nissan Rogue, Altima and LEAF among other models.
“It’s a really special partnership we’ve forged with 100 Black Men of America that allows us to expose black teens to the inner workings of a major corporation,” said Webster. “These students also get invaluable career readiness training from seasoned professionals.” With the tagline of “What they see is what they’ll be,” 100 Black Men of America is a men’s civic organization founded in 1963 to educate and empower African-American children and teens. Since then, it has formed more than 100 chapters around the country including the 100 Black Men of Jackson. The local organization recruited the students who participated in the Resume Challenge.
“We’re proud to partner with Nissan, an organization with a significant presence here in the Jackson area,” said Donnell Lewis, president of the 100 Black Men of Jackson. “Our youth all came away from this experience with invaluable knowledge to help them on their way in life.”
Also during Black History Month, Nissan produced three video vignettes featuring prominent African-American entertainers and change makers. Lance Gross, Laz Alonso and Jurnee Smollet-Bell all shared their mission to help other African Americans realize their full potential.
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