For Joba Odediran, M.P.H., receiving the 2025 Southern Association of Colleges and Employers (SoACE) New Professional Award represents both validation and gratitude for the mentors, colleagues, and students who shaped her journey into career education.

Odediran currently serves as associate director of career readiness at the University of Miami’s Toppel Career Center, where she works with undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, and members of the broader community. In her role, she oversees career-readiness technologies and resources, including Cane2Cane, the University’s mentorship platform, and is leading efforts to thoughtfully integrate artificial intelligence into career coaching and job exploration.

“I entered this profession without knowing that career education and career services were even a profession,” Odediran said. “To be recognized by peers in the field is both humbling and deeply affirming. It reminds me that there is value in showing up with curiosity, care, and a genuine commitment to students.”

Odediran credits her M.P.H. training at the University of Miami with shaping how she approaches career development. Her graduate education strengthened her ability to examine systems through an equity-focused lens, identifying gaps in access, questioning who is left out, and designing more inclusive pathways forward.

“That foundation allows me to approach career readiness not as a one-size-fits-all process,” she said, “but as something that should meet students where they are and adapt to their lived experiences.”

She also points to her deep involvement as a student in the Department of Public Health Sciences as formative, particularly in building leadership skills that continue to inform her work as a new professional.

At the center of Odediran’s work is a commitment to equity, access, and mentorship, especially for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Having navigated uncertainty herself, she is motivated to ensure that students have the tools, confidence, and guidance needed to envision and pursue meaningful careers.

“Mentorship has been central to my own journey; I would not be where I am today without mentors who invested in me, advocated for me, and helped me see possibilities I hadn’t imagined,” said Odediran.

For current and future students, Odediran encourages openness and flexibility when navigating career paths, particularly those that may fall outside traditional expectations.

“Careers are not ladders; they are more like jungle gyms,” she said. “Focus on the transferable skills you gain, be fearless in the face of the unknown, and trust that your experiences will connect over time. Every rejection is just a redirection.”

Written by Deycha Torres Hernández, published on December 16, 2025.