Laresa Acevedo is from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez (UPRM) in 2017 and holds a double black belt in Tae Kwon Do. While a student at UPRM, Acevedo was the President of the Catalyst Consulting Association. This association was designed to give students real experiences working for other student groups, which could be used on resumes as further qualification for internship opportunities. As President, she expanded membership in the group four times over. She completed several internships herself as a student, traveling to the continental United States four times while completing her degree. She joined AMEND Consulting on two separate occasions in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Cincinnati, Ohio as both their only female and Latina employee. She also completed an internship with General Electric in Houston, Texas, and an internship with General Motors in Detroit, MI.

Upon completion of her degree, she accepted a full-time position with General Motors, where she continues to work today in various roles. As an employee with General Motors, she collaborated as an event coordinator with Global Talent Development for their New Executive Orientation. This experience gave her face time with many of the up and coming leaders within General Motors, while learning from them and observing their training. Always with a mind for helping other women, she became a founding leader of the Puerto Rican Female Mentorship Group within General Motors. Through this group, she helps other Puerto Rican women within the company deal with the everyday issues and challenges that face women and Latinos in the work force. Outside of General Motors, Acevedo also invested in the local community. She volunteered to mentor High School students from the City of Detroit. Through this multi week program, she taught entrepreneurial skills and strategies to bright young students, culminating in the entire class developing, marketing, and selling their own product. 

The Island of Puerto Rico is always close to Acevedo’s heart. In 2017, the category 5 Hurricane Maria devastated the Island. Through General Motors, Laresa helped with Hurricane Relief. She joined a team dedicated to collecting goods and materials and loading them onto trucks to be shipped to the island. She could not help but feel a sense of disillusionment, though, as she suspected the goods may not actually find their way to the people in need given known levels of political corruption throughout the island. Looking to help people in need directly, she offered on Facebook to give free resume, interview, and professionalism coaching to anybody impacted by the hurricane, so that they may find new employment on the Continental United States if needed. 

This free coaching endeavor led Laresa to develop her initial business model, which has grown into her own business. That business is Laresa Acevedo Career Empowerment, a talent coaching service which aims to help professionals at all stages of their career. She helps eager professionals write thorough, effective resumes, as well as coaching them through the ins and outs of modern corporate interviews and daily practices. Through her work, her clients are able to gain a new perspective on their stories. This allows them to rewrite the narrative of where they have been and where they are going, completely utilizing the experiences they already have. She has helped clients across the United States and its territories. With the advent of this new business, Acevedo is now taking the next step in helping young professionals by entering the public speaking sphere. As she has been intentional with her own career, she wishes to help and inspire others to do the same. 

The facebook post that started it all:

Hello!

If you are someone looking for a job that is looking to improve your resume and/or feel more confident during an interview, I can give you or someone you know a hand.

I check your resume, interview you, give you advice about what to do before, during, and after your interviews.

My credentials? I am an Industrial Engineer, recently graduated from UPR Mayaguez. I have helped many people (+ more than 10 in the last few months) to feel more confident while speaking with recruiters, to apply on job search pages, and help them find job offers for internships, COOPs, research, or full time jobs.

I cannot do much for Puerto Rico from Michigan, but I know there are many searching for jobs in the United States looking to start a new life.

I’m at your disposal! You can write me at my inbox and/or share this message.