Q&A with Neal Wesloski, Sr. Campus Recruiting Specialist, CareFirst

Tell us what made you decide to volunteer with Building STEPS?

A colleague and friend of mine made the introduction to the team at Building Steps with an opportunity to meet with high school students from Baltimore City Schools. The event was a career expo called Tour de Workforce aimed at providing an opportunity for the students to meet with business professionals and ask questions about future educational goals, learn more about our company and just get some experience interacting with business leaders. I immediately jumped at the opportunity to connect and assist with this organization. I always enjoy working with early-stage talent to pass along what I’ve learned throughout my career and what others have shared with me throughout the years. These opportunities also fit right into our mission at CareFirst to give back to the community that we serve – it was a perfect match!

What was your first impression of working with the Building STEPS students?

I was immediately impressed by how engaged the students were and all of the great questions that they brought with them to the career expo. They were very well prepared and had a very strong willingness to learn and interact with the volunteers from many different businesses. The students were very thankful and many of them shared how important the event and opportunity was to them. I left the event reflecting and thinking about the direct impact that Building STEPS was having on so many students that they are working with.

Was there anything in particular that made an impact on you as you volunteered during the Tour de Workforce Career Fair?

I had so many meaningful interactions with the students, but there was definitely one that made an impact on me. I asked one student what his future goals were. He shared that one of his goals was to be the first person in his family to graduate from college. We had a great discussion, and I was able to give him some ideas on future career goals and potential majors to think about especially in the Human Resources field. The doors that Building STEPS is opening and connections they are making will go a long way in shaping the future of so many of these students in the future.