A Thursday night event at Brandeis’ International Business School featured six speakers in the fields of business, finance and banking, from companies such as State Street Corporation, Santander Sovereign Bank and BYN Mellon Wealth Management, who came to speak to the Association for Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA).

These vice presidents, executive directors and CEOs spoke to both the graduate chapter of ALPFA and its recently-founded undergraduate chapter at the IBS Lee Hall before a “networking session” in which students interacted with the guest speakers, gathering “helpful hints in what companies are looking for in applicants” said ALPFA member Alberto Lalo ’14, who appreciated the opportunity to hand in resumes for internships and summer jobs.

The speakers had all apparently been helped or had previous encounters with ALPFA to which they attributed their success. ALPFA has grown during the past 20 years to include 40 chapters and has incorporated many other fields, including education, publicity and diplomacy, as well as other cultures. It was originally founded to assist Latino immigrants in obtaining jobs, internships and work visas.

The Brandeis chapter of ALPFA works closely with the Hiatt Career Center, and holds resume-building workshops, networking events and career fairs.

“The best way to get a job in this competitive market,” Lalo said, “is by having some sort of connection with people that can get you jobs. That is what ALPFA does through its networking events and career fairs.”