News  Aishea Henry Participates in Career Panel

On Wednesday, January 19, MRC's Aishea Henry, a Mental Health Specialty Counselor from the Somerville-Malden office, took part in a panel discussion that educated current students on the "Opportunities for Emerging Professionals of Color in Public Sector Careers."

The Boston chapter of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA-Boston) and the Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Boston hosted the virtual event to share experiences from current professionals to those interested in seeking jobs in public service.

"It's honestly amazing, and I had to jump at this opportunity," Aisha said. "I'm trying to make a difference in terms of diversity and inclusion, and this was a great event to help reach that goal."

The panel also included Donna Davis, the EOHHS Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion; Michael Ward, the Executive Director of the Edward J. Collins Center for Public Management at UMass Boston; and Austin Faison, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Director and Senior Transition Advisor for the city of Somerville.

"It's an honor to be able to sit among these folks. These are important people. It's a great opportunity for me and a great learning opportunity too," Aishea said. "I'm doing my part to make the changes I want to see."

"Aishea Henry has been a valued and successful recent addition to the MRC Malden counseling staff," said Karen Sampson-Johnson, the Area Director of the MRC Somerville-Malden Office  "I recommended Aishea for the NFBPA panel because she is invested in the MRC mission and puts consumer achievement and satisfaction first in the exemplary work that she does on behalf of MRC consumers every day." 

Aishea thinks an event like this will help young students choose a career in state and municipal government because it can help them positively impact people's lives. "I'm going to appeal to the person who is looking to make a difference in a person's everyday life. Recently, one of my consumers called me and told me he had two job interviews this week. For him, it's huge," she said, thinking about their interaction. 

She added, "It's what makes me want to do this job every day. And I want to promote to people interested in MRC, and that's what makes the job special."