CSMFO Students

2021 CSMFO STUDENTS

BY JOAN MICHAELS AGUILAR, COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE SENIOR ADVISOR

One of the cool things about the recent 2021 virtual conference was the option to reach out to colleagues, friends, vendors, and even some of our student attendees via the messaging feature on the platform. I found it a great way to welcome a few of the students and ask about their involvement in CSMFO and willingness to answer a few questions about the conference and municipal finance. Cesar Armas, a student at Cal State Fullerton, noted that this was his first CSMFO conference experience, as he had not had the chance to attend the in-person in Anaheim in 2020. While I know chapters are embracing student outreach, Cesar has not yet attended any chapter meetings. Of all the outreach I undertook, I received a lot of answers to the questions I had presented to Rene Anita Chombeng, from Cal State Northridge or CSUN (Go Matadors! I am an alum myself). In today’s world, I was curious to know whether municipal finance is her chosen field or just something she is exploring. She noted that given the opportunity, public sector finance is of interest to her. Our own David Cain, make that with a Professor in front of his name, had talked about CSMFO and the Student Engagement Committee during one of his courses. As a result, Rene is now a member of that committee! Once the scholarships were announced for the 2021 conference, she applied and was selected as a recipient. Rene shared that she enjoyed most of the session topics, and found the opening keynote session, Rabia Siddique, the most interesting. Other sessions that she highlighted included the 21st Century Internal Audit, the Benefit of Internal Audit and Get Noticed: Make your Resume Stand Out. The experience has helped broaden Rene’s network and she appreciates that there are people she can reach out to for assistance. In her own words, “The members are welcoming and always ready to help. I feel like I am at home.” For our student members, CSMFO has revamped and improved our portal in order to access valuable resources geared towards students. Students can now connect with the student network and link with possible intern positions, available in many or our local agencies. CSMFO committee members are proactively reaching out to students via email and the student portal. During the CSMFO annual conference, students were linked with a coach or mentor who they could reach out to at any time. If you have not become a student member, remember it is FREE!! Join today at www.csmfo.org/ membership/join-csmfo/ .