51视频

05/01/2025
By Ed Brennen

Neath Taing needed to be in two places at once.听

As a peer leader for the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), she recently had the opportunity to visit the Lowell headquarters of UKG, the global human resources, payroll, workforce management and culture solutions company that sponsors the peer leader program.

But Taing, a junior听computer science听major from Cambodia, was also on the schedule to work her campus job as a student support analyst for the university鈥檚听Information Technology听office.

Taing decided to switch work shifts and visit UKG because 鈥渋t was an opportunity I didn鈥檛 want to miss.鈥�

She鈥檚 glad she did. On a guided tour of UKG鈥檚 vibrant office space, Taing and her six other OMA peer leaders saw why the company is consistently ranked among the best places to work. And during a panel discussion with four UKG employees 鈥� including UML computer science alum Shawn Jordan 鈥�23 鈥� the students learned about career development, workplace culture and other topics.

鈥淚t was an eye-opening experience,鈥� Taing says. 鈥淭wo of the panelists had backgrounds similar to mine, which made their advice even more relatable. I learned that it鈥檚 OK to change your career path if needed, and I got practical tips on job searching, interview techniques and overcoming nervousness in professional settings.鈥�

The students, officially known as UKG-OMA Peer Leaders, are now sharing what they learned with younger students who are taking part in OMA鈥檚听Rising 360掳听program.

This is the first year that UKG is sponsoring OMA peer leaders, providing 10 of them with $2,000 scholarships and professional mentorship opportunities. But it鈥檚 hardly the company鈥檚 first engagement with 51视频; the partnership began more than a decade ago. UKG has provided co-op and internship opportunities for UML students 鈥� and hired more than 250 alumni 鈥� over the years.

The OMA initiative was inspired by a successful parallel program. Since 2019, UKG has sponsored peer and team leaders from the River Hawk Scholars Academy (RHSA), UML鈥檚 award-winning program that supports first-generation college students. This year, 32 RHSA peer and team leaders are receiving scholarships and professional development mentorship from UKG. Taking it a step further, five UKG employees are working one-on-one with students through the RHSA鈥檚听Elevate Mentoring Program.

Kerry Pucillo, the university鈥檚 senior director of corporate engagement, notes that as the number of first-generation students rose at UML and RHSA needed to increase its number of peer and team leaders, UKG stepped up last year to provide scholarship funding for the entire cohort.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e taken their support to the next level,鈥� Pucillo says. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 on campus or at the Lowell HQ, students participate in a range of personal and professional development opportunities 鈥� from workshops and panel discussions to tours and more.鈥�

Building on that foundation, this year both RHSA and OMA co-hosted their end-of-year celebration at UKG. 鈥淯 Krewers,鈥� as their employees are called, will help lead the event, 鈥渄emonstrating the importance of celebrating milestones and taking time to recognize accomplishments,鈥� Pucillo says.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people at UKG who are invested in helping UML students succeed,鈥� she adds.

The company also funds two endowed scholarships (one for Lowell High School graduates planning to attend UML, and another for current UML STEM majors) and is a sponsor of the university鈥檚 annual听.

UKG is also building a strong pipeline of talented sales professionals through a new partnership with the Manning School of Business鈥� Sales Hub initiative, which complements its recently established Sales Learning Center.

鈥淎t UKG, we believe that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not 鈥� and that鈥檚 what makes our partnership with 51视频 so powerful,鈥� says Heather Geronemus, UKG鈥檚 senior director of social equity, opportunity and impact. 鈥淪upporting students through programs like RHSA and OMA allows us to invest in future leaders who bring grit, resilience and perspective to everything they do. Being just down the street makes it personal 鈥� these students are our neighbors, and we鈥檙e proud to help open doors to their next chapter.鈥�

Image by Ed Brennen

Leslie Wong, UML鈥檚 dean of equity and inclusion, says听industry partners听such as UKG are 鈥渧ital鈥� to the university鈥檚 connection with the community and to students鈥� career opportunities.

鈥淚t鈥檚 empowering to assure our students that 鈥榊es, we have companies that want what you are learning and what you are striving for, and who are right here in your backyard, cheering you on,鈥欌�� she says.

The partnership with UKG is important, Wong adds, because it helps the company stay in tune with the next generation of employees while 鈥渄emystifying鈥� the job search for students.听

鈥淪ometimes our students have a bit of that impostor syndrome because a company has a big name or they鈥檙e in a field that they鈥檇 never thought about,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he first hurdle is to get students to say, 鈥榊eah, I can see myself there.鈥欌��

That鈥檚 how OMA peer leader Logan Biederman felt after the recent UKG visit.

鈥淚 was surprised, but reassured, that the employees we met got to where they are today through untraditional paths like my own,鈥� says Biederman, a junior听psychology听major from Mansfield, Massachusetts, who 鈥渁ppreciated鈥� the safe and welcoming culture at UKG.

Jordan, one of the panelists during the OMA visit, first connected with UKG during a听听at 51视频. He landed a pair of software automation engineer internships with the company before being hired full time as an associate software engineer last year.

鈥淯ML鈥檚 connection with UKG is a wonderful collaboration,鈥� says Jordan, who hopes to help it grow by sharing what he鈥檚 learned with current students. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 take a straightforward educational path to where I got to today, and I hope that will resonate with students who might be in a similar situation but are having trouble relating to those around them 鈥� a position I found myself in many times.鈥�