2020 Bloch Magazine

From left: Kevin Flores, Ignacio Pardo, Advisor Frank Garcia-Ornelas, Victor Michimani and Hannia Zavala lead Bloch’s ALPFA chapter, the first in Kansas and Missouri.

An on-campus presence means new workforce training and opportunities

By Mike Plunkett

The Fall 2019 semester saw the launch of the Association of Latin Professionals for America (ALPFA) at the Bloch School. About 40 students from Bloch and other UMKC academic units came togethe r to start the professional development organization on campus.

ALPFA president Victor Michimani said there was a pressing need for the new chapter.

“Kevin [Flores, ALPFA’s vice president] and I said [the fall] was meant to be a planning phase but this is a time that we should be getting out as a lot of companies are looking at students,” he said. “We said, ‘Let’s see where it goes, even though we were organized but not established. Let’s try to make a presence now.’”

Michimani, a former Conservatory student who now majors in Accounting said that as a Kauffman Scholar, he has been immersed in learning the ins and outs of launching a career. But he saw that development was needed on a broader scale.

“UMKC needed an organization like ALPFA to expose the many gifts and talents Latinx students possess,” said Ivan Ramirez, staff advisor for ALPFA. “This new organization will be able to highlight the talents of our Latinx students, and focus on enhancing professional skills and opportunities to grow.”

ALPFA was started in California in 1972 to provide professional development programs and support to Latinx students. ALPFA helps connect students to major companies and build a national network of student and professional chapters.

There are more than 150 student chapters in the United States but before the Bloch School chapter, none in Missouri or Kansas. That lack of presence on Bloch was something many in the Latinx community at campus saw was needed.

Michimani said ALPFA’s aim is driving professional development “for a group that typically needs that extra push at times.”

Many are first-generation college students who need extra support in navigating the changing realities of the workforce. For example, one of their events included a panel discussion of Bloch alumni and locally-based executives on navigating careers and the workforce as a Latinx professional.

“The goal is to balance the scales and bridge the gap providing support for Latinx students so that they can be more competitive at UMKC but most importantly in their professional careers,” said Ramirez, student services coordinator with the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs.

The ALPFA team has many plans. Partnering with Enactus, they seek to empower artisans in Mexico while creating sustainable alternatives for the youth keeping them from joining drug cartels.

The year-long project will research and create ways to help the border town with its water filtration, as well as create financial technology services and help local artisans sell their products in the United States.

They also want to inspire other universities in Kansas and Missouri to start an ALPFA chapter, using their experiences in getting started at Bloch to help them. The leaders of ALPFA have a lofty goal for the Bloch chapter. Even though Michimani and Flores will graduate in spring 2021, Flores said they want to build something that will last in the Bloch School.

“We want to leave a legacy here, so continuing members know what’s expected and companies can recruit from UMKC that aren’t already here.”

If you are interested in donating to ALPFA, please contact Alfredo García, Ph.D., director of major gifts for the Bloch School at a.garcia@umkcfoundation.org.