Miami alumni offer career advice to students at 14th annual 18 of the last 9 event
Center for Career Exploration and Career Success offers many opportunities to connect throughout the semester
•
Published
The 18 of the Last 9: Networking Lunch and Panel was held on Sept. 25 in the Shriver Center’s John Dolibois Room. The event gave students the opportunity to connect with Miami graduates.
Miami alumni offer career advice to students at 14th annual 18 of the last 9 event
Center for Career Exploration and Career Success offers many opportunities to connect throughout the semester
•
Published
Many students may view Miami Plan courses as different than their major-specific courses. Miami University graduate Hunter Edwards wishes he had a different outlook on those classes when he was a student. When asked what advice he wished he received while in college, Edwards jumped to the Miami Plan.
“Curate your Miami Plan classes around things that are going to give you life skills that are part of what you want to do in life,” Edwards said. “I’ve given seven speeches at conferences this year, and I never took a speech class at Miami, so I regret stuff like that. Students don’t take advantage of gaining some sort of skills through it.”
Miami’s Center for Career Exploration and Success offers students the opportunity to connect with alumni at various events throughout the semester, including career fairs, alumni panels, and lunch and learns. It held the 18 of the Last 9: Networking Lunch and Panel on Sept. 25 in the Shriver Center’s John Dolibois Room. The event gave students the opportunity to connect with Miami graduates over a meal and listen to alumni give career advice and share career experiences.
The 18 of the Last 9 Award honors 18 standout alumni who graduated within the last nine years, inspired by Miami’s establishment in 1809. Three of the 18 spoke on a panel, responding to questions from Abigail Gurses, a Data Science and Statistics and Quantitative Economics double major. Gurses is the committee co-chair of the Miami University Student Foundation.
The panelists were Kate DeJesus, the head of content and marketing for the Lightship Foundation, Edwards, a cardiovascular intensive care nurse at Cleveland Clinic, and Kalena Pendang a community organizational development facilitator for the Peace Corps.
DeJesus offered career advice about applying for jobs and building resumes. The application process can be scary, and students can feel like they aren’t qualified enough because of their lesser amount of experience outside of college. DeJesus encouraged students to highlight the experience students have while in college.
“I personally found a lot of my professional development happened at Miami in clubs and off-campus,” DeJesus said. “ ... What you learn here does make you a very valuable professional on a team, and you have as much to contribute in a unique way as some of your senior members do.”
Before the panelist event, six Miami alumni gathered in three separate locations for drop-in, connection hours. Each room was strategically assigned award recipients from industries in health sciences, law and public policy, and business, communication, and technology. The pre-event offered students the opportunity to connect with alumni face-to-face.
One of the biggest concerns Miami University students have in the fall semester is applying for internships. For most summer internships in the next calendar year, applications typically close before Miami’s winter term in December, leaving students uncertain about their career progress.
In pursuit of a summer internship, Olivia Frampton, a sophomore Media and Communications major, took advantage of meeting the 18 of the Last 9 Award recipients when they came to campus for Homecoming.
“It’s a really good opportunity to network,” Frampton said. “It’s always great to meet new people who maybe share similar interests as you. It’s useful to have those conversations with people and get connected on more than a name-base level, or even on LinkedIn. You can actually meet them in person, and I think that Miami connection is so strong.”
After Frampton met the panelists and other alumni seated throughout the room, they gave her clarity for her career path. What was a recommendation from the Miami University Student Foundation became an event that shifted Frampton’s perspective on her career.
“I like how they just said to try new things and figure out what you like because I’m a person who never really knew exactly what I wanted to do with my career,” Frampton said. “It doesn’t have to be your dream job the first time, but just to go out and try new things I think is really good advice.”
Events like these offer opportunities for students from any major to connect with alumni who were once in their shoes. Not only was the event free, but it allowed students to foster meaningful relationships with Miami graduates who either had similar career goals or different ones.
For more events like these, check out the events page of Miami University’s Center for Career Exploration and Success.
“Curate your Miami Plan classes around things that are going to give you life skills that are part of what you want to do in life,” Edwards said. “I’ve given seven speeches at conferences this year, and I never took a speech class at Miami, so I regret stuff like that. Students don’t take advantage of gaining some sort of skills through it.”
Miami’s Center for Career Exploration and Success offers students the opportunity to connect with alumni at various events throughout the semester, including career fairs, alumni panels, and lunch and learns. It held the 18 of the Last 9: Networking Lunch and Panel on Sept. 25 in the Shriver Center’s John Dolibois Room. The event gave students the opportunity to connect with Miami graduates over a meal and listen to alumni give career advice and share career experiences.
The 18 of the Last 9 Award honors 18 standout alumni who graduated within the last nine years, inspired by Miami’s establishment in 1809. Three of the 18 spoke on a panel, responding to questions from Abigail Gurses, a Data Science and Statistics and Quantitative Economics double major. Gurses is the committee co-chair of the Miami University Student Foundation.
The panelists were Kate DeJesus, the head of content and marketing for the Lightship Foundation, Edwards, a cardiovascular intensive care nurse at Cleveland Clinic, and Kalena Pendang a community organizational development facilitator for the Peace Corps.
DeJesus offered career advice about applying for jobs and building resumes. The application process can be scary, and students can feel like they aren’t qualified enough because of their lesser amount of experience outside of college. DeJesus encouraged students to highlight the experience students have while in college.
“I personally found a lot of my professional development happened at Miami in clubs and off-campus,” DeJesus said. “ ... What you learn here does make you a very valuable professional on a team, and you have as much to contribute in a unique way as some of your senior members do.”
Before the panelist event, six Miami alumni gathered in three separate locations for drop-in, connection hours. Each room was strategically assigned award recipients from industries in health sciences, law and public policy, and business, communication, and technology. The pre-event offered students the opportunity to connect with alumni face-to-face.
One of the biggest concerns Miami University students have in the fall semester is applying for internships. For most summer internships in the next calendar year, applications typically close before Miami’s winter term in December, leaving students uncertain about their career progress.
In pursuit of a summer internship, Olivia Frampton, a sophomore Media and Communications major, took advantage of meeting the 18 of the Last 9 Award recipients when they came to campus for Homecoming.
“It’s a really good opportunity to network,” Frampton said. “It’s always great to meet new people who maybe share similar interests as you. It’s useful to have those conversations with people and get connected on more than a name-base level, or even on LinkedIn. You can actually meet them in person, and I think that Miami connection is so strong.”
After Frampton met the panelists and other alumni seated throughout the room, they gave her clarity for her career path. What was a recommendation from the Miami University Student Foundation became an event that shifted Frampton’s perspective on her career.
“I like how they just said to try new things and figure out what you like because I’m a person who never really knew exactly what I wanted to do with my career,” Frampton said. “It doesn’t have to be your dream job the first time, but just to go out and try new things I think is really good advice.”
Events like these offer opportunities for students from any major to connect with alumni who were once in their shoes. Not only was the event free, but it allowed students to foster meaningful relationships with Miami graduates who either had similar career goals or different ones.
For more events like these, check out the events page of Miami University’s Center for Career Exploration and Success.
Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg.