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May 15, 2007

Woods event connects students with alumnae

By Krystle Dicus

ST. MARY-OF-THE-WOODS — Over the sound of clanking glasses, chatting students and shuffling chairs came the voices of experience and wisdom during St. Mary-of-the-Woods College’s third annual Speed Networking Event.

The dinner on Feb. 16 connected more than 30 alumnae with nearly 30 campus students for four hours in O’Shaughnessy Dining Hall.

Speed Networking helps alumnae stay connected and allows them to give back to their alma mater while students can create a strong network of support. Catherine Saunders, employee relations coordinator for the SMWC Career Center, said students are able to benefit from speaking to not only alumnae with the same major but to those with other majors and interests as a chance to build a network. “It’s the whole, ‘I know somebody who knows somebody’ kind of thing,” she said.

The night began with dinner and casual conversation between students and alumnae. After dinner, alumnae and students were seated in two facing rows. Students were given six minutes to speak with alumnae and ask questions that they might not feel comfortable asking during an interview. The alumnae were able answer students’ questions and help them gain insight on the challenges involved in finding work in a particular field or receive suggestions about how to speak with potential employers. For students interested in continuing their education, several alumnae were available to share their challenges and successes in graduate school.

New to the dinner this year was added time for dessert, coffee and conversation, which allowed students to speak freely with alumnae without the stress of a timer.

Ruth Stockdale Best, a 1993 SMWC graduate who majored in special education, said she wished they would have had the event when she was here. “It’s a good experience, a good way to start practicing those interviewing skills.”

Speed Networking benefits alumnae as much as it does the students.

Jessie Maguire Blessinger, who studied performing arts and graduated in 2000, said Speed Networking is a chance for students to hear what the real world is like. It’s also a way for the alumnae to reconnect, she said. “It’s also good for the alumnae to evaluate their current situations, where they’ve been and what they’ve been through. We don’t often sit down and think about the last several years. When you think about who you were the day you walked out of the Woods, most of us are pretty different.”

Several students had attended the event before, but still walked away with some great connections. The career center posted interviewing tips and profiles of alumnae – as well as what to wear to the event – on its Web site to help students prepare.

“I’ve been to this three times,” said senior business administration major Sirrea Hayes. “Mostly, I love making new contacts, and I take that away each year.”

Senior Stephanie Lord, a graphic design and photography major, said that she attended the speed networking dinner two years ago. “It was a lot smaller the first time I came,” said Lord. “I think I can make some good connections [this year].”

Lord said that her first experience helped her make some big decisions about her future. “When I first came to speed networking as a sophomore, I was just photography. And then I came here and tried to network with various people – alumnae — and they were kind of hesitant about the photography major because there aren’t many fields that use it directly.” Lord has since added a graphic design major and has now made it her main job focus.

Students attending for the first time had mixed emotions at the start of the evening. But most walked away saying it was a rewarding experience.

“I’m nervous because these are my connections,” said Elizabeth Beyers, a freshman English education major. Despite her nerves, she knew her decision to attend was a good one. “I want to meet people who will help me with my future, even if I don’t realize it now.”

Afterward, Beyers said the event was amazing. “I have a possible internship for the summer at a school I hoped to teach at in the future,” she said. “I was very nervous coming in. But I feel very good coming out.”

Sophomore marketing major Brandi Tompkins, however, wasn’t at all nervous at the start of the event. And, afterward, she recommended Speed Networking to students who haven’t been. “Talking to the alumnae gives me a lot of motivation,” Tompkins said. “I could be sitting in their chair in two or three more years. They are very successful. It gives me motivation to drive for success.”

The event was sponsored by the SMWC National Alumnae Board, the Office of Development and Alumnae Relations along with the Career Development Center. For more information, call Catherine Saunders at (812) 535-5256.

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