Spring semester is right around the corner, which can only mean one thing: there are a handful of Huskies out there going crazy building resumes and working on developing communication skills. If this is also your case, fellow Husky, here is some exciting news: the Center of Career and Development, along with the Alumni Center and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has your back. On Monday, Nov. 6, the University of Connecticut hosted an event called Career Night, in which eight very successful UConn alumni were invited to talk about their experiences, answering questions as well as providing precious advice for students who are currently working on starting their careers.
The night began with a networking exercise among students in which they were invited to talk to each other about which alumni they were most excited to meet. They also shared which questions they were most excited to ask and what they hoped to achieve by the end of the night. This exercise was followed by a quick presentation to help those participating to further elevate their questions. The presentation outlined the importance of accurately determining whether they are looking for advice, in which case they should ask questions such as “What do you look for in a candidate?” In other circumstances, they may be seeking information, in which case the questions should be of the same nature of, for example: “What do you do on a typical day in your position?” After that, students were instructed to go to one of the eight tables, each hosting a different alumni and engage in conversations with them. Three rounds were completed, and by the end, everyone seemed to be excited about the opportunities that awaited them. It was also evident that the alums were delighted to be able to come back to what certainly is a special place for them and help the newest generations of Huskies in their promising journeys.
The group of alumni present at the event consisted of Alexander Peterkin, data analyst at WWE, Anthony Sacco, senior associate data scientist at MORSE Corporation in Boston, Anthony Tyson, post-production editor at ESPN, Chelsea Osei, Master of Public Policy Candidate at UConn, Clare Wieduwilt, ULDP underwriting senior analyst, Edgardo Rossetti, senior marketing director at Adams & Knight, Jonathan Costa, senior editor of audience engagement at ESPN and Kathleen McWilliams, director of communications for Senator Richard Blumenthal.
The night was an overall success. It is safe to say that projects of this nature are of great importance for students as they are given the opportunity to get first-hand guidance from those who have undoubtedly achieved their goals of building their careers. Huskies who were not able to attend, please do not be discouraged! Take this article as a sign to keep an eye out for further events, as UConn organizations are always promoting different events that aim to help its students. Keep working hard because, who knows? Maybe you will be the alumni giving speeches in a few years.
