At the Gannon University Alumni Association’s National Board meeting in October, Angela Coustillac, the Student Government Association (SGA) representative to the National Alumni Board (NAB), suggested a networking event with students and alumni.
Her goal was to break down barriers between students and alumni. The NAB welcomed the idea.
Together, NAB member Allison Boyd ’07, ’08M, representatives of SGA and Career Development and Employment Services Assistant Director John White worked hard to plan a highly successful networking event which I was pleased and honored to attend on March 22.
The Alumni-Senior networking social provided students with the opportunity to speak with successful alumni in an informal atmosphere.
It also reminded alumni of the excellent quality of students that will join the ranks of Gannon alumni very soon.
I was encouraged to see more than half a dozen NAB members as well as several other successful alumni and more than 20 seniors attend the first senior-alumni networking event.
All of the National Alumni Board members and several of the students with whom I spoke at the networking social indicated that the event was a success, and we look to improve upon the Alumni-Senior networking social next year.
Tyler Hollingsworth, one of the student attendees, indicated that he “thoroughly enjoyed the evening.” He also mentioned that the networking event was “a great way for students to become comfortable interacting with business professionals.”
Most successful alumni have had individuals assist them in one manner or another in their efforts to obtain employment and/or in their career development. In many cases, fellow Gannon alumni have filled that role.
Hopefully, all of the seniors who attended the networking event had the opportunity to meet alumni who may assist in their career development.
This assistance can take the form of information about job opportunities or career paths for a particular major, or it may be advice on finding a good place to live in a new city.
As the seniors who attended the networking event learned, alumni are approachable and are willing to help out, so students: take advantage of this great resource.
Finally, congratulations and best wishes to all 2013 graduates. Your years as a student at Gannon are now over and your hard work has led to your goal.
However, your connection to Gannon does not have to end, and we hope that it will not.
You are now a member of the Gannon University Alumni Association and are joining more than 34,025 alumni in all 50 states and in numerous foreign countries.
The National Alumni Board welcomes you as a member and hopes that you will actively participate in the Alumni Association. I encourage you to check out our website at www.gannonalumni.org.
