Mix and match
Career-minded students and alumni of color connected at Skidmore’s Multicultural Speed-Networking Reception in New York City.
Networking—making connections to help develop or achieve career goals—is a top priority for Skidmore’s Career Development Center. This year it put networking on speed dial, offering a new twist to a time-honored practice.
The CDC, in conjunction with Alumni Affairs and College Events, invited alumni and students of color to Skidmore’s first-ever speed-networking event, March 1 at the Scandinavian House in New York City. Adapting the speed-dating format, students spent five minutes with each alum in the room, introducing themselves, asking questions and talking professional paths post-Skidmore; then they could follow up with those alumni of special interest to them.
“With speed networking, you can exponentially increase the size of your professional network in less than three hours,” says Megan Jackson, associate director at the CDC.
Nearly 40 students met with more than 40 alumni working for employers including Morgan Stanley, Aetna Insurance, LG Electrics, Urban Arts Partnership, Essence magazine and the NYC Department of Education. Graduates from the classes of 1989 to 2012 and students from all four class years were represented.
“I was impressed by the multitude of sophomores and first-year students that attended the event,” said Raiza Nazareth ’12, an analyst with ING Financial Services.
“It is so important to start thinking about postgraduation before senior year, and these networking events are a great way to learn about the options that are out there.”
For students such as Deja Jackson ’15, “It’s a tough world out there, and it’s good to hear how people navigated their way out of college. It’s very exciting and heartwarming to see that this is definitely somewhere I can be.”
Watch more highlights and comments in this video:
