By Matthew Dooley Staff writer
Susquehanna’s annual career convention, Breakthrough, is back to give students a chance to connect with alumni.
Breakthrough is a three-day series going from Feb. 9 to Feb. 11. Students will find themselves shoulder to shoulder with alumni making new connections to further their careers.
Whitney Purcell, associate director of the Career Development Center, said, “[Breakthrough] is everything from a job [and] internship and career fair on Thursday to some affinity group panels—meaning for student athletes, for students involved in Greek life, for students involved in different career paths, like STEM.”
She added, “And Saturday culminates in a full day conference with panels ranging from networking for first and second-year students to money management 101 to major specific topics, like careers in social science [and] careers in finance.”
Breakthrough is full of many opportunities for students to practice and perfect their interviewing skills.
Purcell said, “[These events are] a great place to go experiment in a low-stakes, low-risk environment. You can practice your hand-shake, you can practice your elevator pitch. You can meet people in fields that you didn’t expect to have anything to do with your major and make valuable connections. Get business cards and follow up with questions about internships and future jobs.”
Breakthrough is not limited to one type of major.
James Norman, a junior and a career ambassador, said, “It gives you a chance to build your network with professionals that have to do with your major and with other majors.”
He added, “Breakthrough can also benefit students who have not fully decided their career path. It gives you a chance to see what you could do with a different major. Maybe that is something you want to do.”
Breakthrough can even be that first stepping stone into a real career, as Purcell said that many students have gotten an internship or job because of connections they made at Breakthrough.
With Breakthrough, Norman fostered relationships with numerous alumni.
One alumni he connected with was Jermaine Edwards.
“He works in King of Prussia at a finance firm,” Norman said. “It was pretty cool to see him because he was a man of the same demographic as me. He was a black man. It was good to see someone who went here, graduated from here.”
He added, “He had a dominant role on campus being on football and SGA. I saw he went on to do great things. He is in a management position. He is working his way up the ladder. It was good to keep in touch. [I] matched him on LinkedIn. We keep in touch on LinkedIn. I let him know how I am doing.”
Norman’s first-hand experience gave him insight into Breakthrough’s value for students.
Norman said, “It is a pretty great experience connecting with different alumni and seeing students get career advice. In whatever field you are going into.”
He added, “Whether it is soft skills or hard skills, [Breakthrough shows] how to better those skills to become a better professional in the future.”
For students with anymore questions Purcell added, “My career ambassadors next week will be sitting at tables [in Mellon Lounge] to answer student questions about Breakthrough and get them registered for different events.”
Students can find a full list of all the events happening during Breakthrough on Susquehanna’s website at www.susqu. edu/breakthrough.
