Session 2 Assmt: Mentoring and Networking
January 23, 2009
Skill Building: Mentors & Networks
READ: Posted documents about Mentoring and Networking.
2. The Art and Practice of Effective Networking
COMPLETE:
1. Skill Building Networking Exercise
Complete before next class and bring items mentioned to class.
2. YOUR PERSONAL BIO. Comment on this post with your personal bio before next class. Two paragraphs maximum. Sample bio
GW WEL students: When posting a comment, type “WEL” and first name in the name form.
Networking Event
The event that I chose to attend was called AKPsi Recruitment: “Mocktail Party” hosted by Alpha Kappa Psi. AKPsi is a business fraternity/sorority at GWU. Their event was held on Monday, January 26, 2009 from 8:30 pm until 10:00 pm at the Ivory Tower Residence Hall Community room. Even though I was not trying to join the fraternity, I thought that attending this event would help me to network and meet more people at school outside of class. I spoke to four very nice people. First, I met ML. She is an AKPsi brother who welcomed me to the event. Her major is Finance, and since she is a junior she would be of great help to other Finance students that are freshmen or sophomore. Second, I spoke to DH, who was another AKPsi brother. Third, I met DM, who was trying to join the fraternity. The last person that I spoke to was SW, who was a AKPsi brother as well. Since we were all business students at GW, our credentials and experiences were very similar, but networking with peers was a very good idea. The nice people I met might be in one of my classes in the future and having a connection can help us to study together or even become friends. In addition, I believe that our class can benefit from meeting these people if they are interested in joining AKPsi, which is a great opportunity to get to know people at school outside of class and basically join their networking group.
More info: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?sid=6120bd36c0ad5c9007249f79ed93e3d8&eid=50232486462
Tonight I attended the “Life after SEAS” event with the GW career center. It was a panel of GW alumni that came to speak about their experiences of putting their degrees to work in the professional world. They also spoke at length about the transition from a student to employee. At the end of the panel discussion there was a networking reception. I was interested in attending this event, even though it was geared toward computer science/ engineering majors, because I work in the systems area at my internship. This was a great opportunity to meet other people who are in the field that I am currently being trained in. I didn’t have the chance to speak with four different people at the event before it ended. Instead, I had longer conversations with just three.
The first person I met was a GW alum from the class of 2006 named Wes, who is now working at Accenture. He explained how his background in computer systems applies to the consulting industry. It sounded like he’s had several interesting project opportunities. So far was staffed on projects in the systems area with the U.S. postal service, and the IRS. I have never pictured myself working for such a big company, but I found it appealing that he gets so much hands-on experience with each new project. It makes you very diversified.
The second person I spoke to was a man named Eric. Eric is currently working for the Department of Defense on some top secret projects. Even though we couldn’t really talk about what he does on a day-to-day basis, we had a lot in common since we both work for departments of the government in the computer science industry. He explained that being a contractor for the government first, helped give him the technical background he needed for this job. He gave me a lot of good insight into the government job market. At his department, for example, the people working there can be very mobile. It’s easier to transfer from one division to another once you’ve become a government employee, rather than someone who is trying to get hired from the outside. He said that this is true for most (if not all government departments) and I now realize how valuable my internship at HUD really is.
The last person I spoke to was another gentleman who works for Defense, but he is in the National Security Agency (NSA). He was one of the older more experienced speakers at this event and it was great to talk to and learn from him. He spoke with me about the differences of being in Information Management (which is my position now) and being on the technical side of systems. I didn’t realize that recruiters view these two titles so differently. I always thought that managers needed to have an in depth technical knowledge, but at NSA they view these two jobs as complete opposites. I am really glad I had the chance to go to attend and now, on top of all the knowledge I gained, I also have some interesting things to share with my supervisor at work.
Tonight I went and attended an event featuring Steve Scalise, who is Bobby Jindal’s replacement for the Louisiana Congress. As I am interested in Republican politics and live in the District of Columbia, I thought this might be a good opportunity to not only meet the new Congressman, but also to try and meet other College Republicans (of which there are few!) who may have already had job experience in a field I may turn out to be more interested in than originally thought. I had joined the College Republicans in hopes of doing just what this assignment forced me to do, but kept coming up with excuses on why I couldn’t attend or try to meet all the people there.
The first person I met, while very friendly and quite hilarious proved to be a contact that I feel cannot be as helpful to me as the others I met that night. But this first networking exchange was a big step for me as I’m very uncomfortable with how to go about talking to a stranger and acquiring their contact information without sounding like a creep! He was a current sophomore just like me and was there just to obtain a “wider perspective on the GW political landscape”. As it turns out he was an aspiring screenwriter, and so far hadn’t had any politically motivated jobs. Although, he does currently work at the GW Newman Centre (the Catholic group) and as he said, his religion was his main political motivator, which is part of the reason why he also went to the meeting; to meet! He had also worked a few other managing jobs related to computer technology, I understood most of what he was saying, but new that this isn’t the person I was really looking for and had limited time to meet people. I said thanks for his time, we exchanged information, and I moved on.
The Second person I met was slightly more up the alley I was looking for! She had long since been a member of the CR’s and was graduating this semester, but so far she had already interned for the ‘US senate committee for small businesses’. She worked in the minority office, and after spending a few months there, found an even better job and continued to move on from there. She now currently works at the ‘Heritage Foundation’, which she explained to me was a form of conservative think – tank. While she said that she went to most events, she was mostly there to learn what she could do to help the future of the Republican party change for the better, as well as to learn what the party was doing for itself. We had a wonderful time talking, and eventually she had to leave, but we also exchanged emails and phone numbers.
The third and forth people I met were extremely interesting people with amazing jobs. The third was a man who was really just there to, “hear the congressman talk, and to hang out with good friends of his there.” It was through him that I met my fourth contact as well, but I’ll get to that soon enough! He had worked at Fox News as a research and product assistant, and while he had a lot of freedom at his work, didn’t feel like it was important enough, so he moved onto the White House! He now works in the press correspondence division and helps read, edit, research, and distribute all of this to the public. He really seemed to like his job, and when he finally had to go, after swapping information, he introduced me to a friend of his he thought I would find even more interesting!
This fourth person had worked as an intern for Congress as the U.S. passport liaison, then went on to work as the senior staff assistant for the New Mexico department of homeland security. She got to help with policy analyzing and went on to talk about when she go to go to the U.S. board of Government to help represent New Mexico! She’s just started a new job with, what she thinks is a, “funny but pretentious title”; she’s now the ‘Office automation specialist for the office of comptroller of currency at the Tresury’! Unfortunately she didn’t have any business cards on her, but she did give me her email, and said next time we meet she hopes to have her new business cards made out so she can give me one with her great title!
It got easier and easier to meet people throughout the night, and although I know that I still have quite a ways to go in conquering my fears, I realized that I had fun, and that people I met were quite interesting!
Event: Spring Fashion Preview at Fresh of Georgetown
Date: Sunday, January 25, 2009
1. Hadley
Market Research Consultant
• Hadley came to the event because she is friends with the Event Coordinator and enjoys shopping.
• She hoped to find a new dress and meet new people. She is interested in expanding her personal and professional network. She mentioned that when she graduated from school and began working, she discovered her network grew smaller. Currently, she is working on expanding her network by attending social events and talking with new people.
• Her employer has a hiring freeze, but she is always willing to circulate someone’s resume.
2. Kristen
PR Coordinator
• Kristen coordinated the Fresh Fashion Preview event.
• She has a several years experience in online marketing and PR.
• She has worked at companies including GM, MindShare and Washingtonian Magazine. Currently, she works on PR initiatives for Fresh and next week she will begin working in PR for Sibley Memorial Hospital.
• She is interested in expanding her social and professional network. She is very fun, outgoing, and open to sharing her experiences.
3. Rachel
Advertiser, Special Events
• Rachel is friends with the Event Coordinator. She traveled from NYC to DC to support her friend’s event.
• Rachel has lived in NYC for 7.5 years. Prior to her current position, Rachel worked for her mom’s marketing company.
• She mentioned that the best way to find a job in NYC is through a friend or acquaintance. She emphasized the importance of networking and talking with everyone. She said that she got her current job through a friend’s referral.
4. Jill
Elementary School Counselor
• Jill is friends with one of the Event Coordinator’s friends. She came to the event to meet new people and go shopping.
• She recently graduated from Loyola with a Master’s degree in Counseling.
• She is currently a substitute teacher and is looking for a full time job as a counselor.
• She hopes to expand her professional network.
Networking Event:
I made plans to attend an event called Start Your Business hosted by the Loudoun Small Business Development Center which was to be held on Tuesday, January 27th at GW’s Virginia Campus. http://www.loudounsbdc.org/event_calendar.cfm#3782
I was in correspondence with a woman who told me that although it was not a networking event per se, I would have that opportunity during the break and after the event. That morning I got a call saying the event was being postponed due to inclement weather so instead of panicking I took the advice of one of my group members and took advantage of the Alpha Kappa Psi Mocktails Recruitment Party being held in Ivory Tower.
1. Jordan
-Junior in the school of business
-President of the BSU; student leader in the Black Men’s Iniative
-Majoring in finance
-Would like to connect with other students on a professional level and learn some diverse perspectives about business.
2. Ashley & Dara
-Both freshman (one in Ibus/Marketing and the other making the transition from CCAS to the School of Business)
-As an executive board member of GWWIB, I invited them to become members
-Enthusiastic to learn about where I was headed after graduation
-Interested in meeting a new group of business-minded students headed down similar paths in life.
3. Peter
-International Student from Germany
-Very intelligent and seemed well-rounded
-Talked about his experiences abroad in relation to business and how it differs from US
-Had a common interest in marketing
-Sophomore studying Int’l business and marketing
Event: St Thomas Church Coffee and Snacks Networking Gathering
Date: Sunday, January 25
1. Aaron
Personal Trainer, Washington Sports Clubs
- Aaron came to the event to get to know other members of the St Thomas community
- He was on his way to train a client following the event, I let him know I may have friends interested in a trainer and would refer them to him if there were interested
- Aaron bikes all over the city and knows the best routes
2. James
Accountant, Visiting Nurse Associations of America
- James came to meet new people and to check out St Thomas (he is new in town)
- I told him about restaurants in the area
- James said that he enjoys working for an association and that there are many in DC with possible job openings
3. Ben
Seminarian student
- Ben is continuing his studies at St Thomas
- He enjoys being a student and being in DC
4. Dustin
Consultant, home business
- Dustin was at the event to meet new people and to greet newcomers
- Dustin received a Master’s degree from GW and enjoys working from home
- He enjoys the activities available at St Thomas, especially going to events to meet new people
Networking Assignment:
I attended the Creative and Art Directors Club of Washington DC Happy Hour at Oya. Unfortunately, I was one of two people who showed up for this event (aside from Catina). I spoke to the man who organized the event. He said that the goal was to share knowledge and connect with others in the business because since he has been in DC, he has not found any other art managers. He is the Creative Marketing Director for a boutique firm that focuses on social media and interactive marketing. We spoke about New York, Washington DC, my choice to attend GW, and the nature of his work. He speculated that no one showed up because he did not put the word out enough. Despite the meager attendance at the happy hour, I tried to make the most of the situation to complete the networking assignment. I approached another man to ask if he was there for the same event I was. Even though he was not, I struck up a conversation with him anyway. I found that he works in the Congressional Budget Office and was at the restaurant to meet a co-worker. I asked him about networking in general, but he said the nature of his job does not present many opportunities. He did, however, recommend that if I want to network, lawyers tend to hold a ton of events. I approached a second group of people to inquire about the Creative and Art Directors Club and happened to stumble into a different networking event for Sign Language Interpreters. I spoke to two of the individuals at this gathering, which was an appreciation event. Because the interpreters travel all over the place, they do not all work together in one office. The event was an opportunity to spend social time together and connect with other interpreters. Even though my initial attempt at attending a specific networking event was unsuccessful, the night was overall a success.
Bio:
Allison Polizzi is a senior in the Business School at the George Washington University. She will graduate in May of 2009 with a major in Business Administration and a concentration in Finance. She grew up in Long Island, New York and attended Roslyn High School. During her time at GW, she has worked with Academic Support Services as a tutor for student-athletes. She assists several students on their coursework in economics, finance, and accounting. She is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and the George Washington University Honors Program. In the spring of 2008, Allison attended the American University in Rome where she continued her studies in business and was able to pursue her interest in travel.
While Allison is a finance major, she is unsure of the career path she would like to follow. She has experimented in many different job functions and industries in order to gain experience in a variety of fields within business world. She worked at CBS Radio doing Marketing and Promotions for a classic rock station broadcasting in the New York Area. She held a position at the investment bank Natixis Capital Markets where she was part of the Structured Credit Products Group. Most recently, she interned at the jewelry company David Yurman where she conducted research on markets for potential expansion. Allison is uncertain about her plans upon her graduation, but hopes to find a job and possibly go back to school for her MBA.
Earlier this evening, I attended an event hosted by The Washington Network Group at the Merrill Lynch conference center on 15th Street called “Can We Talk Off The Record.” This was a seminar for the media and public relations community in regards what it means to “speak off the record.” There was mingling upon entry at 4:30 p.m., where I was able to speak many of the attendees who included members of the PR/media fields. I spoke with a man who owns his own media company and toured with the National Press Club. I also had a chance to speak with two women who work at PR Newswire which I am familiar with as a result of a prior internship. They informed me that there were internship opportunities in Cleveland. A representative from a company called Visionmark Communications in Baltimore explained to me what shes does and her attempts at launching a Washington D.C. office. Lastly, I had an in-depth conversation with the chariman of the Washington Network Group. All of the attendees had a common goal; to meet more people in the media/communications/Public Relations field and a majority of them were small business owners, worked for themselves, or worked for small businesses. All of the individuals I spoke to informed me of their jobs/job functions and also said to contact them if I was interested in learning more.
On Tuesday, January 27, I attended an event hosted by The Elliot School of International Affairs called “Inside the UN: What works, What Doesn’t, and How to Fix It. Although I knew I could not arrive early because of my class schedule, I thought I would be able to network after the event was over. Unfortunately, attendees quickly left after the discussion was over, thus affording me no time to network. Looking for another alternative, I RSVPed for a session with four FBI representatives to occur on Wednesday evening, however the event was later cancelled and rescheduled. Fortunately, I found another event. I attended an On-Campus Recruiting Info session and was one of two students who showed up. I was able to talk to a freshman who, like myself was looking for an internship in the summer and was new to the program. We discussed a little bit about the online job search and I shared with her how I found my current position from GWork and how resourceful the website can be. I was also able to talk with a staff member who was leading the session, who explained the job search process and provided tips. During our conversation, I mentioned to her about the FBI session that was cancelled. To my surprise, she was happy that I told her, and mentioned that wrong information was being sent out and asked if I could forward her the emails I received about the session because she has been trying to look into the matter. Right before I left, she, again, reminded me to email her. Although I was not able to experience the full networking experience this week as planned, I was able to be of assistance to two people.
Event: Cornell Young Alumni Happy Hour
Date: Monday, January 26, 2009
Name 1: Ben
Headline: Recruiter
Notes: Ben works with Dana at a NASA sub-contractor in Dulles, VA. He graduated in 2005 and went on to receive a master’s degree in Colorado. He is in charge of recruiting from Cornell for his company and wants to make contacts at alumni events who might know of potential employees to forward his way.
Name 2: Dana
Headline: Conference Planner
Notes: Dana works with Ben at the NASA sub-contractor. He did not go to Cornell, but because he works with Ben, asked to tag along to broaden his social network. He works on the content of a space-related conference, and they are interested in adding new people to help plan the meeting (pro-bono).
Name 3: Jennifer
Headline: Great Networker
Notes: Only having met her once, it was obvious that Jennifer had been to quite a few of these alumni events and was a great networker. She is involved in several organizations in the DC area, including the DAR, and was associated with a very prominent group at Cornell, the Meinig Family National Scholars. Jennifer works for the World Bank.
Name 4: Sonali
Headline: New in Town
Notes: Sonali just moved from New York City where she was getting a post-grad degree in public health. She graduated in 2004 and came to the event to meet new people and make new friends in town. She seems to be very friendly and outgoing, and knows a lot of the same people that I went to school with. She is now working at NIH.
I attended the Spring Preview at Fresh in Georgetown on Sunday the 25th. As a fairly new and quite successful store, I am interested in how they have used events to promote their products in an area where there are an abundant number of clothing stores.
Taylor:
*She loves the store, the free cupcakes and sparkling wine. She is on an email list that informs her of the store’s events.
*She was looking for a dress to wear to a birthday party, but also just wanted to see the new items available.
*She is an undergraduate student at GWU. She also works part time at a market research firm in DC. I told her about my marketing internship in DC she explained how she makes cold calls to companies in the electronics industry. She may be interested in working for the company I worked for instead!
Elise:
*She is a friend of the store owner and attended for support as well as to observe the store’s events in action.
*She is considering opening a Fresh store in another city, and wanted to get a better feel for the business. We talked about the success of the events held there and how I was formerly an events planner. She mentioned that if she did open a store, she would need someone to handle all of the events, because she would rather oversee the actual event instead of dealing with guest lists and cupcakes all on her own.
Susan:
*Susan is a project director for the World Wildlife Foundation and lives in DC. She attended the event to branch out, and be more adventurous in her clothing selection at the request of her friends and sister. She was happy to talk instead of shop, and wants to expand her network to people in advertising as she is interested in making a career switch.
Grey:
*Grey is from Va and is here visiting a friend who loves to shop at Fresh. Grey is interested in fashion and works for an anti-terrorism consulting firm. She hoped to meet some interesting people and find some original one of a kind dresses her friends in Va wouldn’t have.
For my networking event, I chose to attend a Brown Bag Lunch Gathering titled “Participatory Innovations in Bolivarian Caracas” at the Wilson Center. Although the event was held at my office, I thought it represented a good opportunity to get to know the people outside of my immediate program. The event was largely academic and hosted by Venezuelan professor and Wilson Center Fellow Margarita Lopez Maya. Interns and program associates from the other Latin America related think-tanks were also in attendance.
Before the presentation began, participants were given 30 minutes to each lunch and mingle with the other guests. During that time, I sat and ate lunch with young program assistants from the Washington Office on Latin America and the Latin American Program, the web editor for the Wilson Center homepage, and a new research interns from The School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. From the conversations I had, I realized that we all decided to attend this specialized event to learn more about our region of interest and get to know others in the same field.
Although the event did not present the ideal networking environment, the experience was valuable. I am in the process of creating a new web page for my internship and the web editor, Lauren, gave me her email and offered to help me brush up on html and creative ideas for the page. In addition, the two program associates work at places where I am interested in applying in the future, so I was able to connect with them, learn about their experiences, and express my interest in their internship openings. Lastly, I scheduled lunch with one of the research interns for next week. I hope to become friends with her so that we can attend additional networking events together in the future.
Networking Event:
I went to a networking event on campus focused on combining entrepreneurship and business initiatives with combating global needs such as poverty and the climate crisis. The event was geared towards those interested in non-profit work, international aid, community service, and business.
Name 1: Josh Tetrick
Headline: Lawyer for a law firm which promotes energy policies and sustainability within the government and local businesses. He has done extensive international non-profit work with many different organizations such as the UN and Learn to Live. He is extremely motivated to work towards effective global energy policies and believes strongly in “for-profit” work towards helping the world’s greatest injustices, such as joblessness, health care, and energy. He also has a vast understanding of the international network of non-profits in the service sector.
Name 2: Victoria
Headline: This GW student was extremely interested in international non-profit work and is currently enrolled in the ROTC program. She is seeking to apply for the Rotary Ambassador Fellowship in order to provide her with financial stability so that she can work internationally for an entire year. She is also a journalism major and plans to extend that skill/interest in her international community service work.
Name 3: Chris Murphy
Headline: GW Alum who is currently affected by the economy and post-graduation job market but is still seeking to do policy work towards education. He believes in the great investments businesses can make in helping children learn which are not currently being utilized and is a great advocate of the “One Laptop Per Child” program.
Name 4: Regina Tuchinsky
Headline: This current GW student is a senior and graduating from the Business School in May. While she has future plans to attend law school, she is first interested in traveling and doing service work in an impoverished Spanish-speaking nation. Specifically she would like to teach English to students in South America. Afterward she will pursue her Juris Doctorate at what she hopes will be a top law school.
The last two weeks have been insanely busy, so I focused my research efforts on networking events on or near campus. It was difficult for me to find an event that didn’t conflict with my prearranged meetings, so I found two options. The first was an organization fair being hosted by the Business Council, and the second was a welcome back event hosted by the Caribbean Student Association. I crossed my fingers that the first event would work, but because I am very involved with the Business Council, I wasn’t sure if I would meet anyone new or even have the time to mingle with others. As it turns out, the student organization fair was an excellent opportunity for me to network!
As a leader of the Business Council, I am only exposed to one or two members of each student organization, but the fair let me meet a good deal more. Getting to hear firsthand how students felt about being involved with the Council and what they find helpful was excellent feedback. Additionally, getting to give my pitch about having groups work together collectively was better received in person, and has already resulted in better participation from some of the orgs that attended the fair. We even invited a new business organization to host a table, and because of conversations I had with several of the leaders, their group will be joining the Business Council at the end of this semester.
I really enjoyed all of the conversations I had, but two were especially exciting. One was with a girl named Shonali who, like me, happens to be in an acapella group at GW. I had seen her perform several weeks before, and I finally got to tell her how talented she is, which I have been dying to do! The second really meaningful conversation I had was with a freshman student who just transfered into the School of Business named Jai. He was completely baffled by the new bureaucracy he had to navigate, and had somehow ended up in a senior level course that was completely over his head. This spurred a whole conversation about the academic and career path he needs to follow, and I got to pass along some tips I wish I had known in my first year.
Looking back, it’s funny that I thought this might not be an effective networking event. As a leader of the Business Council, I couldn’t have picked a more perfect event to collaborate with people affected by my organization! Never again will I discount the potential of meeting new people at events where I expect to know everyone!
Forced by circumstances to take a bit of a twist on the assignment, I spent a few hours in between classes with a contact at NPR, and got to meet some people working for Tell Me More with Michel Martin.
Luis Clemens
Planning Editor
Of all the people I spoke with, he had the most to say in terms of innovation. Prior to working at NPR here in DC, Clemens lived in New Mexico, where it rained a lot. He opened a laundromat. Why? Its not that people didnt have places to wash their clothes. With all the wet weather, there were little places to dry them! I thought this was a very interesting venture!
Teshima Walker
Supervising Senior Producer
She is an amazing woman! I went in to her office with intentions of talking to her about her job at NPR, as well as any entrepreneurial experience she may have had, but as a woman who constantly is gathering information from every source 24/7 for her job, I became a bit of a interview for her. In the end, I exchanged contact information with her, and have plans to come back and engage in more conversation. She is a huge supporter of women in education and business, and was very encouraging of my endeavors. In terms of value, she is a resource for spreading information from a very credible source. Getting the word out there is valuable for entrepreneurial endeavors!
Irva
I had a brief chat with her one-on-one, but I was able to sit in on an impromptu meeting her and Teshima. It embodied a lot of innovative, on the spot thinking that goes into planning for the show. Although she was planning for the formatting and details of the shows production, the activities and skills are transferable to the entrepreneurial world.
Victor Holliday
Associate Producer
He was the contact that I had at NPR. A social bee in the workplace, Holliday knows everyone around the office, and was able to point me in the right direction. I was able to take away a great deal from the way he interacted with people, in terms of networking. He also presented me with an opportunity to come back and spend the day there at NPR, an offer I am very much looking forward to taking him up on.
Overall, I was able to recognize a lot of transferable skills and activities that go on in a larger company, but are also applicable to entrepreneurship. Especially because I was in a department that focused on production of a show, I recognized that, essentially, they all are responsible for creative input that goes into creating this “product” (the show). That is exactly what an entrepreneur does.
Not only did I get to meet a few interesting people, I walked away with contacts to build relationships with, and understanding that entrepreneurial skills can be learned in many ways.
Has anyone ever tried Speed Dating? Well I never have, however last night was my first taste of Speed Networking. Hosted by PEN, Metro DC’s LGBT’s Chamber of Commerce, the event took place at the Fairfax Hotel which welcomed roughly 50 guests. This is how it worked: we paid $10 for admission, enjoyed 20 minutes of expensive drinks at the bar, and then formed into small groups in which we were to network with members of other groups. The fun part was that we only had 30 seconds to meet each person, offer personal background information, and quickly provide the elevator sales pitch before switching the dialogue. Although each personal exchange only lasted a minute, I can say I now have enough business cards to get me through life. I now know 3 financial analysts, 4 interior decorators, 2 lawyers, and 1 minister. Of the few that I have attended, this rates as my favorite networking event I have experienced thus far.
The first that comes to mind is Kimberly Akuna who is the Senior Account Executive for the Washington Blade. This magazine is known as one of the DC Metro area’s LGBT publications which has served the community since 1969. If I do land a working position with the National Pro Fastpitch league, I hope to use the Blade as a source for spreading awareness of professional fastpitch to potential local DC Metro lesbian fans. Kimberly also graduated from GW, focusing on Sports Management and International Affairs, if anyone would like to use the alumni networking approach.
Next, is Eileen Kessler who is the Founder/CEO of Omni Studio. Her business employs over 20 people and offers services ranging from graphic design, website design, branding, and more. Since she started her business 30 years ago, she had to redevelop her services from print to graphic and web design in order to keep up with technology and a shifting demand. In doing so, she hired additional talent to specialize in different fields which has helped to evolve her business throughout the years.
Third, is Michael Radkowsky who is a licensed psychologist who focuses on Individual and Couples Therapy. Clearly, we had a lot to talk about.
Lastly, Jezzika Lee Perez runs her own accounting office. When I asked her why it would be better for me to hire her instead of going to H n R Block, she explained that she likes to develop a relationship with her clients that outlasts the 3 month tax season. Her sessions include a working dialogue in which she can assess personal financial and business goals prior to providing tax services.
Aside from having a good time, I was inspired by being in the company of so many successful entrepreneurs.
Alison and I attended an event at Oya Restaurant “Creative and Art Directors club of DC” held by Adam Aloi. He is the Creative Director of a firm in NY. He had planned for the event to draw a crowd, however no on showed up, so networking was slim. So i decided to attend a GBM at GWU.
At the GBM I met a Junior from Georgetown named Taimur. He is a member of a fraternity, 20yrs old, and from California. He said he came to the event to meet more people on GW campus and network with other students who have a interest in Music, since he is a Music Theroy Major.
Ilana Feldman is a professor of anthropology and international affairs at GW. She was the organizer and a part of the panel titled “What You Need to Know About Gaza.” She gave the first lecture which focused on Gaza’s history. I believe she could be a good resource for a local speaker for a student organization.
Laurie King is managing editor for the Journal of Palestine Studies and an occasional professor at Georgetown. We spoke about the possibility of her speaking to my sorority regarding her views on humanitarian law and how to “reframe” the situation in Gaza.
Martin Soraia is a senior in the Elliott School who, like me, studied abroad in Ecuador. He is a peer advisor for students looking to go abroad and answers questions they may have regarding the program he attended. He said that the study abroad office was looking for someone to represent the program I did in Ecuador and asked if he might pass along my email.
Josh Feldman is a second year graduate student in the Elliott School focusing his thesis on Islamic fundamentalist movements. He attended the event to supplement his research and see what other minds are thinking about the situation surrounding Hammas. He offered to help me if I had any questions regarding the Elliott School’s graduate programs.
The event my group and I attended was an international non-profit organization networking workshop focused on the current issues of global poverty, climate change and sustainable energy. The speaker attempted to project not only the importance these issues are playing, and will continue to play, in the world, but how young adults can work to change these situations. After a speech regarding these issues, the speaker helped brainstorm with the audience about networking, job opportunities and contacts to get in the door. Ironically enough, he spoke about the importance of entrepreneurship in helping to effectively implement new global policies.
Some of the people I met at this networking event are:
1. Josh Tetrick: Speaker of the event and a lawyer specializing in International Law. Consults with companies to help implement new policies to help with issues discussed above. Josh was eager to help everyone participating in the event by asking what they would like to do and giving them both contacts and websites to research in order to take their ideas and make them actions.
2. Grace: Freshman in the Columbian College with an undecided major. Grace thinks she might want to go into journalism but isn’t sure yet. She would like to go abroad this summer but was unsure where to look.
3. Victoria: Sophomore in the Elliot School of International Affairs. Is graduating this year and is torn between NROTC or going abroad for a year to do service. Is fervently looking for scholarships or grants other than a Fulbright to help her financially if she does decide to work abroad.
4. Eleit: Sophomore in the Elliot School and is a Human Services major. She wishes to go abroad for the summer, possible to teach English abroad. She is hoping to go to a Spanish-speaking nation because she would like to become fluent in the language.
I attended a networking event in the Marvin Center with Court Barth and Erica Appelman. Josh Tetrick spoke at the event about career opportunities in nonprofit organizations and entrepreneurial doors the global needs open. Initially, I went into the event with a closed mind, convinced that I was uninterested in the topics being discussed, however, I came out of the event with a completely different perspective and an interest in broadening my career interested. I definitely gained a lot from branching out and attending this event. Everyone could gain a lot from speaking with Josh, and he welcomes any questions (joshtetrick@gmail.com).
Name 1: _Josh Tetrick_______________
Headline: Non-Profit Networking
Notes: Attorney at McGuire Woods, LLP – advises companies on alternative energy + climate change. Presented on networking and employment with nonprofit organizations. Focused on entrepreneurship: “Fine out what the world needs, then invent” – Thomas Edison. Opportunities and urgent needs around the world, such as global poverty, climate change, HIV/AIDs, all open up doors for careers and innovation. Need to have the ability to look at a need and see opportunity. Examples: LifeStraw, One Laptop Per Child, Design for the Other 90%. Provided contact information for various companies and advised on different ways to reach out. He suggested different organizations and companies to contact for employment opportunities based on interests.
Great Sites He Suggested During Presentation:
http://other90.cooperhewitt.org/
http://www.girleffect.org/
http://www.eandco.net/
Name 2: Grace
Headline: Freshman, Journalism Major
Notes: Attended to gain information on how she could use her interests in journalism and sustainable health development to secure future internship opportunities. Tetrick’s suggestion:
http://www.worldchanging.com/
One World Health International
Name 3: Jake Tworecke
Headline: Senior, Business School
Notes: Attended to gain information on employment opportunies + networking. Interested in tackling global issues from an entrepreneurial/business perspective. Tetricks suggestion:
http://other90.cooperhewitt.org/
UN Development Program – Sustainable Business Intiative
Name 4: Julia
Headline: Sophomore, Elliott School
Notes: Interested in global affairs, women’s empowerment, and education. Would like to pursue an internship opportunity in North Africa or Asia. Tetrick’s suggestion:
Global Campaign for Education
Clinton Global Initiative
Event: Cornell Young Alumni Happy Hour
Date: Monday, January 26, 2009
Name 1: Ben
Headline: Recruiter
Notes: Ben works with Dana at a NASA sub-contractor headquartered in Dulles, VA. He graduated in 2005 and went on to receive a master’s degree in Colorado. He is in charge of recruiting from Cornell and wants to make contacts at alumni events who might know of employees to forward his way. He was also interested in meeting with alumni socially.
Name 2: Dana
Headline: Conference Planner
Notes: Dana works with Ben at the NASA sub-contractor. He did not go to Cornell, but because he works with Ben, asked to tag along to broaden his social network. He works on the content of a space-related conference, and they are interested in adding new people to help plan the meeting (pro-bono).
Name 3: Jennifer
Headline: Great Networker
Notes: Only meeting her once, it was obvious that Jennifer had been to quite a few of these alumni events and was a great networker. She is involved in several organizations in the DC area, including the DAR, and was associated with a very prominent group at Cornell, the Meinig Family National Scholars. Jennifer works for the World Bank. She would be a great person to know in the future because of her fantastic networking skills.
Name 4: Sonali
Headline: New in Town
Notes: Sonali just moved from New York City where she was getting a post-grad degree in public health. She graduated in 2004 and came to the event to meet new people and make friends in a new town. She seems to be very friendly and outgoing, and knows a lot of the same people that I went to school with. She is now working at NIH.